[ArM: BtB] IC: In Which We Begin

[Leetkeis]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage.

"I was thinking more of a companionship, we'd be stronger together. I know you want to keep your power, there's a larger forest nearby where you can settle in. I'm sure the other magi wouldn't mind if you had a seat on the council."

[Laertes]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage.

The Wolf of Virtue is evidently very nervous. Until today, it thought it understood life. Now, all of a sudden, things are getting strange and unpredictable. "I... need to discuss with pack. With my constituents. Do not leave until return." He turns and is gone into the woods.

The steward looks at Orsen in bemusement and then says in Bulgarian so that he can make the point properly: "We were going to take a boat from Orsha to Kiev. How are we going to get wolves on a boat? That sounds absurd. He's left. Quick, let's scram and take the sheep with us. There is no dishonour in cheating a wolf."

[Prak]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage.
Nidrattr points out to the wolf before he leaves that the covenant would be a large territory, with much prey, and the only other predators would be the humans, who would hunt only occasionally, living off of raised food, but would help in defending the territory.
Nidrattr turns to the steward, "I am as much squirrel as I am human, and my father carried insults between eagle and serpent, and even I am appalled by that suggestion. These are wolves, noble animals, no cowering monks in their abbeys full of wealth and supplies."

[Leetkeis]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage.

Orsen responds, a bit confused by the steward's opinions, "I hadn't thought about the boat trip at all during this conversation, but I don't see how it's much harder to transport wolves than sheep. Do you have a personal fear of wolves you would like to speak on?"

He the turns to Nidratr, "You are likely the most well equipped to take care of the terrible wounds suffered, or at least make sure they don't get worse. Deal with that however you want."

[Prak]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage
"Ah, yes, of course!" Nidrattr goes to look over the wound and cast the most powerful CrCo healing effect they can manage, with broad gestures and loud voice.

1d10=7+23=30/2=15 and I haven't read the book as a book, just a light reference document, so I have no clue what the best effect here is, so...

[Laertes]

14 February 1219. Winter. The next village along the Orsha Portage.

The steward shrugs. "It will be as you command it. I am sure the boat captains will all enjoy the company of wolves."

Nidratr's spell binds the wounds of the soldier, sealing them up for Moon duration. This will last until the travel ends - hopefully long enough to get to the new covenant site, where a bed can be surrounded by a healing circle to help him recover.

Nidratr has cast Bind Wound with the duration bumped to Moon. The soldier is still at a -5 wound penalty but makes no recovery rolls, meaning he can neither heal nor have the wounds worsen. He may undertake strenuous activity.

[Prak]

25 March 1220. New Years Day. Winter. Seventeen days east of Kiev
"Oh, true, however rats follow humans. There will be some number of field mice and such, but any rats that are there will be there because we are. We're already helping a wolf of virtue, what's a small amount of ritually created grain for the rodents who are only there because humans moved in?"

[momothefiddler]

25 March 1220. New Years Day. Winter. Seventeen days east of Kiev

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure ritual creation is the most efficient way to go at it, but yeah, I'm fine with sharing, then."

[Korgan0]

"So long as you use your own vis. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be prudent, on the morrow and after we have rested, to hold an inaugural covenant meeting, and finalize resource management procedures, governing norms, and the like.

[momothefiddler]

Camille frowns. "A meeting would be good, yes."

"If there are no other suggestions, I'll go adjust the back wall before bed. Let me know if you want fireplaces and I'll throw them in."

[Korgan0]

Petrus will retire for the evening.

[Laertes]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring.

That night it storms. Strong winds sweep the steppes, lashing the brand-new stone covenant building with icy cold rain. Everyone huddles inside by the roaring fire, animals and humans alike. All the covenfolk are glad to be indoors on a night like this and glad that their

long march is finally over. What alcohol is left is passed around liberally. Someone produces a flute and tamborine and while everyone's too tired to dance, there's nonetheless a jolly mood. After several rounds of booze, a few people begin to couple off and disappear into the dark recesses of the building.

The next morning the snow is gone, melted by the cold but still liquid rain. In its place is an ocean of mud, thick enough to rip the boots off somone's feet and cold enough to numb their toes to insensitivity. The animals wander plaintively, looking for scraps of grass.

Spring has begun right on schedule.

In broken French mixed with loanwords stolen from half a dozen languages, the covenfolk begin to establish their routines. The wagons are unloaded and set off on a convoy back to Kiev to buy the supplies they couldn't take with on the way, escorted by horsemen. The servants begin to tend the animals, cutting wood in places far enough away from the bears and building fences around areas of mud that will one day become pastures. Sarah begins to construct internal furniture: beds, tables, stools. It's slow going due to the lack of a proper workshop, but even the crudest furniture is better than what they currently have.

Aes draws up a guard routine for those soldiers who aren't riding convoy duty. Those who aren't currently on watch begin to train and practise, gradually learning to fight as a unit. Within the first day, Norse words for military terms enter everyone's vocabulary, and

so do the swear words as Aes ensures everyone understands how to form a proper shieldwall.

Ariel resumes her routine of caulking the building. Last night's storm has shown everybody where it leaks, and now in sunlight she can apply her trade properly. Once Sarah can be persuaded to build her a ladder it goes even better. Despite the cold she's in a good mood. The blacksmith begins to set up a forge outside - he doesn't have a source of iron or of coal, but even with only a wood fire there's plenty of work to be done sharpening and repairing tools damaged on the journey.

Around midday, a few locals drift over: first just to rubberneck and marvel at these strange people who cause stone buildings to appear out of the steppe on the day the snow melts. Gradually some bolder people come closer. An old woman wordlessly offers ale and cheese for sale; she has to go back home several times to fetch more until the covenfolk's appetites are satisfied. A young Ruthenian man tries to seduce a Viking woman in what he no doubt considers to be a direct, manly and authoritative way; he's sent limping back to his village to the sound of the jeering of both Ruthenians and covenfolk. Around two o'clock a widow comes to beg for alms to feed her children; she receives clothing and food, plus words of comfort in languages she can't understand but whose warm tone makes her smile. Around four o'clock, as the sun is starting to descend, a woodcutter comes along with several bales of split logs for sale. After several minutes of fierce haggling he accepts a price which is mortally insulting and will leave him a broken man unable to feed his children, and promises to come back the next day.

Just before dusk an imposing looking rider approaches to the covenant, flanked what seem to be his friends and male relatives. They all have the look of seasoned horsemen, people who are accustomed to the harshness of the steppes and have allowed it to shape their attitudes. Their horses are small, fast, rugged beasts rather than the powerful warhorses that your Italian and Norman horsemen have brought, and they openly display their weaponry: swords, lances, javelins and bows. The leader looks a little older, but also a little more dangerous: this is an experienced raider who is accustomed to being taken seriously, and wears a Byzantine-style cuirass of metal scales under his cloak. He rides forward and tries several languages, finally settling on Bulgarian.

"You live in stone houses like Greeks, you arrive on wagons like Poles, you have fighting women like Cumans, and yet you speak none of those tongues. Who are you and what are you doing on my steppe?"

[Korgan0]

Petrus, seeing the riders while setting up his lab, grabs one of his bodyguards and hisses "Get the steward, now. Tell him it's crucial.

[momothefiddler]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)
(I'm going to throw out several talking points at once in order to speed the conversation. EDIT: Here is her overall proposal. Feel free to argue points of that.)

---

Camille gathers the magi in their private dining room. "Thanks for being here. I'd like to discuss some potential ideas on the covenant's physical layout, but, as Petrus pointed out last night, we should probably take the time to finish up the legal stuff first. So I guess consider this the first council meeting of... well, first order of business is a name, I suppose. Given the shape of the site, I feel a reference to amphitheatres, or prohedria specifically, wouldn't be amiss. Thoughts?"

---

"Now, I've been thinking about council structure. I feel that interacting as peers is vital, so perhaps one vote per full member, regardless of other station? In addition, unity is a fundamental need for our covenant here, especially given our remote location. Thus I propose that any council decisions require a four-fifths majority to pass. I understand this sort of thing can slow decision-making, so what if every full member has the right to declare an emergency, under which state a simple majority is sufficient. However, that same simple majority is all that's required to end the state of emergency, at which point a vote of expulsion must immediately be held with respect to the member who called the emergency, and all measures passed in the interim must achieve the standard four-fifths vote or lapse at the end of the state of emergency. This would allow for rapid decision making but impart the gravity of such a decision. How do you all feel about that?"

---

"We should also determine if we'll have a probationary member status, and if so, what is involved in becoming a full member. I personally feel that there's no need for an intermediary stage; visitors may attend council meetings and even speak, either at the judgment of the council, but any magus determined by the council to be a member of the covenant should be equal with the older members, to tie into what I mentioned earlier about peers."

---

"I recall we had some strong words about vis before we set out, but I still believe that a focus on personal possession and the subsequent hoarding of a scarce resource will weaken our covenant rather than strengthen it. I still maintain that all vis should be held and distributed by the covenant as a whole, by vote of the council or its appointed representative."

---

"Speaking of representatives, it seems fair that anyone appointed directly by the council be required to give a report each winter of their charge for the year, followed by a vote to renew their appointment. In most cases the vote will be a formality - perhaps we should just allow a vote to be called if desired, but if not it can be waived?"

---

"Are we actually giving the Wolf a seat?"

---

(EDIT: ) Camille spends a while as she discusses things scratching on a wax tablet to come up with a proper document.

[Laertes]

Petrus, seeing the riders while setting up his lab, grabs one of his bodyguards and hisses "Get the steward, now. Tell him it's crucial.

The steward was in fact busy grabbing a bite of newly-baked bread and a some of the last of the winter cider, but comes bustling out as quickly as he can when he receives the summons. When he sees the riders he pauses, then quickly ducks back into the covenant building to mount his own horse and ride to meet them.

There's a flicker of recognition between the Ruthenians and the steward as he comes forth. They're experienced steppe riders and can recognise a Bulgarian when they see one, and he's likewise travelled widely enough to understand how to deal with such people. There's a moment of mutual respect from one plains horseman to another; then the chieftain repeats his question in Bulgarian this time, and the steward answers him in Ruthenian.

Since the Steward is a grog, anyone can play him for this scene, or even several people at once, TPP style. Since he doesn't have stats we'll MTP this discussion but I think it's fairly established that he's a fairly diplomatically capable dude.

As such, his response is up to whomever wants to give it.

[Korgan0]

[[I'd like for us to finish the meeting before we do the whole stewardship thing]]

Petrus will scan the wax tablet, put it down, and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Well. This all looks... acceptable, with a few revisions required. While I agree that material resources and magical items should be held in trust, given the precarious nature of our position and the fact that what threats face us are, at current, unknown, your vis policy is somewhat too restrictive. All vis sources within the boundaries of the covenant, I agree, should be held in common, as should our current vis stocks, but any vis obtained via secondary extraction or a source that can only be harvested by a particular magus due to a peculiarity of the source should be the property of that magus and that magus alone, with the proviso that any vis extracted as part of covenant work should, of course, be part of Covenant stocks.

Moreover, I call into question the appointment of a treasurer; any vis required for personal projects that are irrelevant to the future of the covenant can be obtained by a magus as they see fit, and the rest can be disbursed by the council as a whole, with only a simple majority being required. Having the very lifeblood of magic be in the hands of a single officer seems... unwise.

In the same vein, I hold that any books a magus writes should be their property to do wish as they please, provided an exact copy is installed at the covenant library.

In addition, I think it would be prudent to have a third position between that of Ward and Comrade- one that allows us to provide certain members, such as our pet dog, mundane officers, or a representative of the locals with a limited seat on the council and certain specific rights and responsibilities. Off the top of my head, I would posit the following: Those given the rank of Trusted Friend, or some such, can sit in on any council meeting not declared as one of arcane importance, and, after discussion of any matter, can, with a four-fifths vote, be given a vote of equal weight to the rest of the council on that matter only. Moreover, they are subject to the same compulsions of service as a magus, although in all likelihood they will do far more. In all other respects they are as a ward.

Another quibble: I'm afraid I must insist on my shield grogs being mine and mine alone, and not subject to orders from anyone except a full council or the steward. Of course, the same rights will be extended to all other shield grogs. Perhaps a maximum of two martially skilled covenfolk per magus would be a sufficient limit, to prevent abuse."

---

edit: "There are a few other points that, while unrelated to the covenant charter, will bear sharply on oncoming events. Essentially, my question is: to what extent to do we wish to flaunt the prohibition on interference with the mundanes? Specifically, do we wish to make to clear to this nearby village that we are, in fact, magi, and do we wish to offer them explicitly magical services? While I do not wish to be hauled before a tribunal, I feel that our best bet on securing ourselves in this strange land is to integrate ourselves with this village to secure labour, food, and knowledge, and I believe the best way of doing so would be to admit our position as magi, to offer them Camille's stoneworking and Nidratr's Animal expertise, and to perhaps work out some kind of integration within the bounds of the covenant agreement."

[momothefiddler]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)

"Given my earlier comment about hoarding limited resources, I must disagree strenuously with your suggestion that entire sources, perhaps even entire types of vis be given over to individual magi. I object as well, though far less strongly, to the personal holding of extracted vis. That any magus would keep a store of vis beyond his needs inaccessible to the rest of the covenant seems counterproductive to the good of the whole.

"With the exception of ritual creation, nearly all your vis needs for a season should be clear at the beginning of that season. Given that each season begins with a council meeting, at which both the option to vote on a vis disbursment and the option to change the appointment of Treasurer are available. This combined with the fact that you have the ability to call further council meetings at any point makes the office of Treasurer nothing more than a streamlining of procedure.

"What would a magus do with a book, a copy of which resides in the library? Rent it out for copying to bypass the remuneration to the covenant? Trade it for other books to hold privately rather than share with the covenant? No, there's no reason for such a provision except to splinter the covenant and allow an individual to profit at the expense of the whole.

"I approve of the status of Trusted Friend, though the distinction should perhaps not be "arcane importance", as - as you may have noticed - there is no requirement that a Comrade be a magus. If you meant that a single four-fifths vote is required to allow all Trusted Friends to vote on a decision, I approve. If you meant that each Trusted Friend should be voted on individually per decision, I humbly recommend the former version instead.

"Shield grogs, and all other Wards, are already only subject to orders of the council or the steward. Much in the way Comrades have access to the funds of the covenant through the Bursar, they also have access to the services of the Wards through the Steward. The position of Comrade does not bestow direct authority over Wards. That said, I must admit that I feel your demand for a personal guard seems to indicate a surprising lack of trust in your peers here. Is this something we should address? I do not wish such an issue to remain unhandled. Perhaps there is something we can do to assuage your fears."

---

"I don't believe the Code or the Tribunals would object to us making it clear that we are magi. That is, indeed, an important part of receiving the respect due a sovereign covenant. What's more, I have no objection whatsoever to integrating with the locals and offering our services in trade to any extent, up to that which would be in violation of the 'interference with mundanes' clause. Of course, at some point we could even take the nearby village under our wing, as it were, and that would likely remove even that restriction."

[Korgan0]

"To be clear, I am referring only to sources that quite literally cannot be harvested by any other magus. As an example, let us say that I make a personal pact with a fae that I, and I only, can harvest so many pawns of Rego vis from a site that this faerie controls. To be frank, if said vis, coming solely as the result of my sweat and blood, was to go solely into covenant stores, I have one fewer reason to harvest it. Of course, I would, more than likely, donate said vis to covenant stores, or trade it with another covenant member. Similarly, might I remind you that secondary vis extraction only results in Vim vis, which would be of limited usage to everyone except myself. In that sense, I am arguing against my own best interest, as your proposal would allow me to keep all the Vim vis I desire, and have substantial access to vis of all other arts."

"Even if you are correct regarding vis allocation, why even have a treasurer? This is not a hill I am willing to die on, however, although I will insist that if the office of treasurer were to exist, it must rotate amongst the magi on an annual basis."

"Regarding books, might I remind you that the solemn duty of Magi Bonisagi is to conduct research into the most profound depths of magic, and, moreover to freely disseminate said information with the rest of the Order. I understand that, as Magi Bjornaer and Magi Ex Miscellanea, you do not have the... most profound connections to the fundamentals of the Order of Hermes, hailing as you do from magical traditions that are somewhat disconnected from our great Founder's Hermetic theory. However, I will brook no interference with the execution of my duty, in the most noble tradition of my house, and, I would say, the Order as a whole. To require that all books written in this covenant are to be held in common will, first and foremost, place a barrier, that of council approval, between my own personal knowledge and the dissemination thereof to the rest of the order, whether through the Colentes Arcanorum or through simple sharing. While I have no doubt that the council would not contest me copying a tractatus of my own writing and sending it to another maga, the fact is that I am doing so not as a member of this covenant, but rather as a member of House Bonisagus, and, to be frank, that is none of your council's business. The mandating of library copies allows for the welfare and strength of the covenant to be preserved, and if you feel that I am transgressing the Code or endangering the covenant through simple exchange of books, then I will answer for my actions. However, up to that point, I must insist that I be able to freely trade books as I please."

"By "arcane importance" I simply meant anything that required the attention of those core members. However, the second formulation is vastly preferable, in my vision, to the former, for the reason that Trusted Friends hold their position by virtue of their interests or expertise in a very specific area of Covenant affairs, and should exercise power equal to that of a full council member only in affairs related to said area. I see no reason for our Wolf of Virtue to vote on a matter that relates to land adjudication, nor should a representative of local Ruthenian farmers be allowed to vote on a negotiation concerning vis sources. However, said Wolf would have a great deal, most of it useful, to say with regards to dealing with supernatural creatures, and the same goes for the Ruthenian representative in a matter of, say, negotiating with Cuman raiders. Given that all those situations, and likely more, will come up in council meetings, it strikes me as utter foolishness to allow any and all Trusted Friends to vote on matters that only invite the contribution of a subset."

"Regarding shield grogs, if I may be frank, we are all members of the Order. While we all may intend to hold to the Code, and I most certainly do, the fact of the matter is that conflicts and misunderstandings will inevitably arise. While, again, I am sure that we are all capable of resolving said conflicts and misunderstandings as befits magi of the Order, may I remind you that houses Tytalus and Flambeau are magi of the Order, just as the rest of us are. As such, making it clear that shield grogs, which, I must stress, does not includee our armed forces in total, are under the command of their respective magi first and foremmost, will, I believe, function as a useful last resort in cases of conflict."

---

"Camille, do I take that as your consenting to raise structures for this village in exchange for goods and services?"

[momothefiddler]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)

"You argue first that you gain no benefit from the increase of covenant stores, and second that you do. Make up your mind. The fact of the matter is that there is no reason you shouldn't have equal access - to use your example - to that faerie Rego vis to benefit the covenant, either directly or indirectly through your own advancement. But surely, given your profound connection to the fundamentals of the Order, you understand that hoarding the parts you don't need, or otherwise limiting other Comrades' access thereto, is detrimental to the growth of the covenant.

"Mandating a rotation and term of the office of Treasurer both removes the limitations that restrain the abuse you were so worried about a moment ago and requires that the job be done by people not fit to do it. For instance, were you willing to serve, I'd be nominating you for Treasurer. Some of us would have a much harder time performing basic tasks, such as measuring and accounting for amounts.

"You make a valid point. What if we require the initial copy of any book go to the covenant library, but Comrades may make copies without restriction, provided any proceeds from the sale of said copies also goes to the covenant? This would, of course, allow you to give certain books away for free if you felt it entirely necessary. We could also argue that time spent copying books to fulfill your oath is time spent in service to your House rather than to the covenant, and thus the books are the property of your House, and the copying requires appropriate remuneration as with a Protected Guest. I think that's unnecessary, though.

"Hm. I see your point. However, if we have, say, three matters of business and twelve Trusted Friends, must we hold thirty-six votes beyond the votes on the matters at hand? Perhaps a Trusted Friend can only be eligible for a vote if they were brought forward to give input into the matter?

"'Does not include our armed forces in total', you say! And yet, amazingly, 'two martially skilled covenfolk per magus' is, in fact, the entirety of our armed forces! This may change with time, but what's to say your demand won't? Starting off by dividing our entire protective force between magi is hardly an expression of unity! That you think military force is a valid 'last resort in cases of conflict' with your very own brothers and sisters in the covenant is outrageous! If you're not ready to give up your private army for fear of the rest of us, you're certainly not ready to enter into a covenant with us!"

---

"Absolutely! Why, if we get enough people interested, that could be my first season of work for the covenant, and bring in all sorts of supplies!"

[Korgan0]

"I am not saying that I, specifically, would gain a benefit from my policy, merely that any of us could, and in any case the mere fact that said hypothetical fae vis goes to personal, rather than covenant, stores, in no way prohibits access. It merely allows individual magi to pursue their own research programs, and the concomitant sources of vis, without bothering the council. Moreover, if a maga has a source of vis they do not need, there are no prohibitions against trading or donating it as they see fit, and if a magus is hoarding vis for no good reason, surely that is a problem that we, as Hermetic magi, can resolve."

"Allow me to be blunt. I spent my apprenticeship in the covenants of the Greater Alps Tribunal, Roman Tribunal, and the Rhine Tribunal, as my parens travelled a great deal. Many of the covenants I spent time in had a position of vis Treasurer, and universally said Treasurer had a remarkably undue influence on what programs the covenant spent their efforts on. In many of those cases, I saw that the treasurer either used their power for political gain and exploitation, or allowed their own biases to creep in and kept vis from perfectly legitimate and useful projects. I have no wish to see that happen to this covenant, hence my insistence."

"That seems like a reasonable compromise, although I must insist on your stipulation regarding copying as House service, especially if I am sending my works to the Colentes Arcanorum. Having one of my texts included in a folio would, might I remind you, bring a great deal of prestige to the covenant."

"I see no need to vote on every Trusted Friend, merely those that we feel have relevant areas of expertise. Moreover, it should be obvious which trusted friends would be appropriate, so I feel the necessary administration will not consume a great deal of our time."

"As an aside, given these debates, perhaps Wit's End would be an appropriate covenant name."

Petrus sighs. "You are of course, correct, regarding the disposition of our forces at current, and I would accept a postponement of the implementation of such a proposal until we have secured a more substantial turb. Moreover, each magus having access to their own shield grogs, I still believe, will do a great deal for aiding the resolution of internal conflicts. As for whether or not I trust my fellow sodales, I would hope that my willingness to trek through mud and snow for three weeks in the vain hope of creating a new covenant would be indicative of the trust I hold towards you. However, allow me to make something abundantly clear. The Order of Hermes is not a family. We are not a nation, nor a regiment, nor a village. We are a group of Gifted individuals who have agreed to a set of rules, the purpose of which is to preserve the Order and its members, as well as stave off diabolism. Nothing more. If you continue to hold to this misconcieved, absurd notion of the Order as a family..." Petrus' breath catches in his throat, and he looks down at the floor for a second. When his eyes come back up, there is steel behind them as you have never seen before. "You will pay the price."

[[OOC note: That's everything I want to bring up w/r/t the steward's dealings, so unless Nidratr, Percival, or Orsen want to bring up being outwardly arcane to the Ruthenians, I think we can advance.]]

[Korgan0]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring.

The steward straightens in his saddle, and looks the kulak in the eyes.

"We are a tribe of soldiers and craftsmen, led by five scholar-wizards, whom I advise on matters of the earth and steel. We come with the permission of the Prince of Pereslavyl, and he has provided us with both a Writ of Crenellation and the right to hold a market. We wish to build our home in this valley, so that these magi may study and work in peace. We mean you no harm, and we will not raid you, take what is yours, nor force you to swear fealty. We have many skilled craftsmen and warriors, and the wizards at our head are very powerful indeed. They can make your flocks grow large and strong, raise walls of stone out of the very earth, and ward off evil spirits. If we co-operate, we will grow strong together."

[Laertes]

The Ruthenian shifts in his saddle uncomfortably. "That's all very well, but who are you? Where are you from? Are you Christians? We can hardly be expected to do business with people without kin."

At the mention of wizards, one of the Ruthenian's advisors leans forwards to whisper something in his boss's ear. The leader looks at the steward. "Are these wizards in league with the devil? We have had issues with those recently, and we do not love them."

[momothefiddler]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)

"So you would rather arrange for people to hoard by default, and then convince them not to on a case-by-case basis? You'd rather definitely have an incompetent Treasurer than the possibility that a corrupt one would somehow avoid the safeguards in place and regular votes? What would you prefer, that anything of value belong to the magus who gets their hands on it first? Fine. If that's how you desire to do things, that's how we'll write up the charter. We won't even need a Treasurer if we don't bother holding anything valuable in common, will we? The fact that you cannot comprehend the difference between a covenant, sharing walls and food and health, being a family, and the entirety of the Order, some of whom have never and will never even know each other's names, being a family, explains much. Here I thought it was an anomaly of your Gift that led people to have little to do with you, when in fact you manage it all on your own."

Camille scratches away, making changes.

[Korgan0]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring.

"We come from many far-away lands, but we are, one and all, Christians, and we have kin from all Christendom. In this land, however, we have become kin with each other. Our magi hunt down and destroy any of those that deal with the devil. Under the rules of their society, any wizard who deals with the devil is hunted down and killed, without mercy or question. Their word is 'diabolist,' and I have heard them utter it in the same way we utter 'kinslayer'."

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)

"Camille, I would rather have no treasurer, but you know that as well as I, and the only vis sources that are the property of the individual will be few and far between. Also, out here, we are the Order."

[momothefiddler]

The Unnamed Covenant. 26 March 1220. Spring. (Morning)

Camille hands the tablet back. "No treasurer, as requested. And of course, since there are no other members of the Order within weeks, we should make sure to keep the infighting average up to par. I understand."