By winter solstice, all current player character magi are at Andorra and have been offered membership. The recruitment message went around and a few have answered the call.
You all cast the Aegis together.
And the council must meet to discuss the bylaws. There is an old original charter? somewhere. Carmen has reasons for wanting it preserved and pretending it is not lost. The by-laws are sort of a substitute charter. And you are invited to help decide what shape this will take.
The big German knight enters the council chamber fully armored. He removes his helmet, allowing his long golden locks to fall about his shoulders. He glances at Carmen appraisingly for a brief moment before bowing and kissing the palm of her hand. He then takes a seat, placing his helm upon the table in front of him, never saying a word, waiting for others to arrive.
Vibria enters the council chamber, bundled up in heavy red woolen robes with the hood pulled up over her long, chestnut hair. She finds a seat closest to the fire and pulls it a little closer, then nods at the blond knight with a smile and nods at Carmen.
[color=red]"Greetings, sodales."
Vulcanus stands when Vibria enters, and takes her hand in his and kisses her palm gently. Once the maga seats herself, the knight then resumes his seat.
Guillaume walks into the room quietly and confidently. He nods to the magi present before taking his seat. Astrid, the wolf, walks beside him and glances around. She sits on the floor beside his chair. He lets his left hand hang down to run it through the fur on her head and neck as he sits patiently waiting for the rest of the magi.
Vocis enters wearing his black formal robes. He is a thin man with close-cropped black hair, walking with the erect posture of a soldier. His face belies the formality though, as he offers a nod, smile, and greeting to each magus present. He leans his sheathed sword against the table and takes his seat.
[He'll also rise and politely greet each newcomer, but I'm not going to mention that for each one.]
Carmen sits at the head of the table and greets each of new members as they arrive.
Those of you who know Carmen are struck by her uncharacteristic fancy attire. Normally you see her dressed as an adventurer, wearing male cloths that look very feminine on her frame (not trying to dress manly, just being pragmatic, and in our modern day fashion they would be totally women's clothing such as a rock chick would wear).
But now she is wearing a dress, a fancy slinky one at that. Long, flowing, black and silky. She borrowed it from her mom 
. Long sleeves, but the left is rolled up because her arm is still bandaged.
There is a lot of pomp and circumstance and formal ceremony (and Carmen has to keep checking her notes for her lines).
Then the meeting begins.
Greetings fellow magi of Andorra. This meeting is very special to me, for this demonstrates that we still thrive and live. The council often held quarterly meetings with some regularity, but the annual meeting of winter solstice has always been kept. And never skipped. This meeting proves that we still stand after all that has happened. And this meeting is also especially important, for as a council of all new members, we must decide how we are to operate. In times past, new members joined a few at a time and old traditions passed along to new and modified as needed. But this is a different era. No elders are on hand to teach us old ways. We must decide for ourselves.
The by-laws are by tradition our effective charter. But these are obsolete, written by and for an earlier generation. We can still use these, adopt what of it what we will in part or in whole. But it must be reviewed and agreed upon first.
(Take the standard covenant charter from Covenants as a start point, our by-laws are similar with a few modifications I have noted elsewhere, mainly the three rank system and the clause that states that these by-laws are empowered by the will of the pontifex as per rules of the actual charter).
What's more, we need to decide who our officers are and what those offices will be. Once that is in place, we need to put together a plan on how to rebuild and revitalize ourselves. House Mercere wants to withdraw their investment. That will cripple us, and I think that it is only because of the influence of our new Mercere Redcap members that they have not done so already. We need to convince them otherwise.
We need to increase our security, both our protocol and physical defense. We need to restaff and recruit covenfolk. We need to catalogue our resources. And we need to rebuild our vis stocks.
And we need more than vengeance. We need vigilance. Dark enemies are still active in the shadows of the Order. We should dedicate ourselves to carry the Light of Truth and Justice to defend the Order and mundanes alike.
I would now like to turn discussion over to the group to brainstorm for a while before moving back into formal mode. So, any ideas or comments?
Vulcanus clears his throat and licks his lips before speaking, as though he does not speak aloud very often. "I can see to our physical defenses. I can Conjure the Mystic Tower if there is need for it, and can see to the walls with Rego Terram. A second opinion would be appreciated on what's necessary-- otherwise I have a tendency towards overkill when it comes to battlements."
"If the Mercere need to be enticed, I would be willing to work for them one season of every cycle..." he grimaces as though physically pained to add, "...at cost. I would hope that my reputation precedes me, but in case it does not, I am a blacksmith of the line of Valdarius; our craftsmanship surpasses that of Verdi. Either Andres or myself would win their little Contest if we were allowed to compete. Our work is costly, and Harco should appreciate the value of my craft."
Vulcanus clears his throat and licks his lips before speaking, as though he does not speak aloud very often. "I can see to our physical defenses. I can Conjure the Mystic Tower if there is need for it, and can see to the walls with Rego Terram. A second opinion would be appreciated on what's necessary-- otherwise I have a tendency towards overkill when it comes to battlements."
"If the Mercere need to be enticed, I would be willing to work for them one season of every cycle..." he grimaces as though physically pained to add, "...at cost. I would hope that my reputation precedes me, but in case it does not, I am a blacksmith of the line of Valdarius; our craftsmanship surpasses that of Verdi. Either Andres or myself would win their little Contest if we were allowed to compete. Our work is costly, and Harco should appreciate the value of my craft."
On the topic of cataloging our resources, what do we know today regarding our resources? How many able-bodied grogs are on hand? Do we have any vis remaining or were the stores completely emptied? I realize the library will take some time to assess. I am willing to offer Micaela to assist with that task.
As for recruiting, I am on good terms with several covenants in Provence and Iberia. I also have the means to reach them quickly. I therefore offer my services in seeking Order-trained grogs and covenfolk. I realize most covenants will not be willing to part with their best and brightest, so to speak, but this could yield several grogs and a handful of young craftsmen looking for an opportunity. Not only could these covenfolk be recruited quickly, they would also require much less acclimation to dealing with the...quirks...of Gifted individuals.
I am also willing to perform vis extractions on behalf of the covenant, should that be deemed necessary.
To start the discussion, some areas requiring oversight might include magical defenses, mundane defenses, the library, the vault and its contents, our relations with the nearby village, and both mundane and Hermetic trade.
Solomon leans heavily on his staff as he uses it to help himself up with an obvious amount of strain. Once standing, he leans heavily on it as he addresses the group, "As you all know, I am a Quaesitor in good standing and will retain that role within the covenant. I will also be able to maintain a dialogue with Duresca and the Quaesitores there. In addition, I can help with inventorying and cataloging the library and performing vis extractions if that becomes necessary."
Carmen: I don't think vis extraction will be necessary. Our resources are plentiful, and were sufficient enough for us to cast the Aegis quickly enough. I had Captain Alexandro (with Guillme's assistance?) scour the grounds for any hidden magic items before doing so. If we had more on hand, I would have spent it to heal my arm. As it is, Xalbador cast a spell from tablet to improve healing and hopefully it won't leave a scar.
So we have enough vis for essentials. I am not sure if we should suspend dividends for the year or not.
To replace vis stocks, I was considering a Drake Hunt. It has been eight years since the last. Our treaty with te local dragon allows a hunt every seven, so we are due. If you want to do this, I will need to address Sigmundo personally and provide him with a traditional gift of some sort.
Which brings me to another issue. Lab space. I had to go into my father's sanctum to obtain records and journals, containing things such as the traditional Drake Hunt proceedures and the like. I was thinking to leave his space preserved, but looking at our requirements, I don't think that is an option. But i was also thinking of rebuilding my old sanctum, tearing down the tower that was torched six years ago and erecting a new one. Dimir Taars sanctum was destroyed. Xalbador retains his. Octavian's space was never reassigned. I think there are four other unoccupied labs and four guest labs. These can all be converted into sanctums for the new members, or the equipment therein removed and transferred to a space of your design.
Anyone who spent RP on Virtues or Flaws for their lab can presume that this has been done already and you are good to go. Taking a guest or recycled space takes no time, and will count as a standard basic no frills lab. And Carmen may have miscounted. There is enough space for each player magus to have a sanctum without having to spend time building or refining it. But after that we top out, no more guest spaces.
"I know a ritual that creates exceptional quality laboratory equipment, in perfect condition. If any of my sodales would like to make use of my knowledge, the ritual is of the ninth magnitude."
"For myself, I would like a laboratory with space enough for a full forge. The lab equipment is easy to come by; forges less so. Is there a smithy here on the grounds, or in the nearby village, that I may set up my workshop?"
I would not object to suspending the dividends this year. I have no immediate plans that require vis.
I just looked it up, and we are incredibly vis wealthy. Our annual gross is equivilent to two queens Form Vis (60vt & 80vf). That's roughly 50 pawns per season (15vt & 20vf). To make math easy, call it 50 pawns (we still have the Mercere open exchange rate until they officially pull out). The Aegis is level 50, so that cost us 10 pawns. Bountiful Feast cost 7 pawns. That leaves 33 pawns as our current vis stocks.
Longevity Rituals and lesser enchantments for arms and equipment is part of the wages for the Andorran Guard. But only a handful of these elite remain, and they are all on longevity. Captain Alexandro made the cold decision to gather magical equipment from fallen guards for reuse. there were three men due for longevity this year, but they are dead.
So we have nothing due that I can think of this year.
In the past, Master level members were given an anual salary of 3 pawns per year, and could earn 3 pawns wages for a season of covenant service. Journeymen had no salary and could only earn wages.
For a Pontifex, the rule was unclear. Antonio treated the stocks as his own personal bank, taking whatever needed for whatever desired, but he put all the vis he collected and earned in his adventures back into the stocks and usually contributed much more than he took. But Carmen doesn't want to do that, despite her wounded arm.
Now by my count, we have 10 members:
Arachne, Carmen, Fedora, Guillme, Solomon, Vibria, Vocis, Vulcanus, Xalbador, and Grace Kelly.
If I forgot anyone, feel free to yell at me.
So Carmen is requesting to postpone Vis salary payments until Summer Solstice.
And Xalbador makes a shoking announcement.
[color=red]My fellow covenant mates, I would humbly request a leave of absence. Not to resign membership, but to attend to a request for assistance from Octavian, who is engaged in hunting a renegade in Transylvania. In my stead, I would ask that you accept my daughter Kesara in my stead. Not to be made an instant Mistress, for she was an apprentice still but a few months ago. I told her that I expected her to serve seven seasons as a Journeywoman so none could claim she enjoyed special privilege. None except that which is her due as a Lady of Seneca.
and I shall return in seven seasons. As the Marshall of the Knights of Seneca, I have invoked a war council to discuss battle plans. The information Octavian sent me from Transylvania is troubling, and I think it may be related to what happened to our Grandmaster Antonio and the attack on the covenant.
The renegade he hunts claims Rassus yet lives.
Rather expensive at 9 pawns a crack. But worth it if members wanna pay out of pocket and have it to spend. You should tip the guy for casting it too.
In a covenant this size, there are probably several mundane smiths that were at work. Until they all died.
But nothing as nice as what Dimir Taar had going on.
[color=blue]With the consent of the council, I propose that the covenant should fund the construction of a new armory and forge on the site of the ruins of the old. And further, whatever upkeep or cost is required to fufill your duties be paid as well. Your willingness to work at cost will a potent bargaining chip to convince Harco, I am sure. And it will pay more than cost. They will provide you with Lab Texts and House secrets for their specialized devices. And you might be able to acquire other manuscripts from them.
Arachné has entered quietly, her red robes flowing while she leans on her staff, playing the part of the old woman (in fact, her LR keeps her in good shape, it's just her apparent aging that ain't affected, and she uses it to her advantage)
Arachné sighs.
Hand moving as she speaks, drawing patterns on the table
I must say I am ashamed by my record at this. Yet, if there is something I'm good at, it's this. I'm useless that physical defenses. But I know a thing of two about commanding grogs (leadership 4) and security protocols. I will never be a leader of men, but I can supervise the turb, establish protocols, that kind of things. Know, however, that this will require everyone's approval and cooperation to be efficient. We well also have to decide on acceptable levels of security.
Nonetheless, since Vulcanus has proposed himself to do physical defenses, I'll agree. He seems well suited to this, way more than I. What I'm good at is crafting magical traps, protecting what we want to be safe. This'll take time, but I will do it.
So, vulcanus? we can work together when we need to, and apart when we need to.
(Who's this? Vulcanus?)
Arachné nods. Likewise. My craft needs little in the matter of wealth. I'll need some in the later years, though. Not for me, but if you want me to improve our security through suitable traps.
Arachné show no sign of surprise.
I was kind of expecting him to surface some day. He was never caught, and there was no reason to believe he had died quietly. I wish you good luck, and caution. No one know what unholy gifts might be his.
Arachné has entered quietly, her red robes flowing while she leans on her staff, playing the part of the old woman (in fact, her LR keeps her in good shape, it's just her apparent aging that ain't affected, and she uses it to her advantage)
Arachné sighs.
Hand moving as she speaks, drawing patterns on the table
I must say I am ashamed by my record at this. Yet, if there is something I'm good at, it's this. I'm useless that physical defenses. But I know a thing of two about commanding grogs (leadership 4) and security protocols. I will never be a leader of men, but I can supervise the turb, establish protocols, that kind of things. Know, however, that this will require everyone's approval and cooperation to be efficient. We well also have to decide on acceptable levels of security.
Nonetheless, since Vulcanus has proposed himself to do physical defenses, I'll agree. He seems well suited to this, way more than I. What I'm good at is crafting magical traps, protecting what we want to be safe. This'll take time, but I will do it.
So, vulcanus? we can work together when we need to, and apart when we need to.
(Who's this? Vulcanus?)
Arachné nods. Likewise. My craft needs little in the matter of wealth. I'll need some in the later years, though. Not for me, but if you want me to improve our security through suitable traps.
Arachné show no sign of surprise.
I was kind of expecting him to surface some day. He was never caught, and there was no reason to believe he had died quietly. I wish you good luck, and caution. No one know what unholy gifts might be his.
Vocis: I have led men in battle, though the circumstances were small-unit offensives rather than long-term static defense. Nonetheless, I am willing to take a direct hand in leading the turb and coordinating their activities.
Vocis smiles...I admit to a bias toward matters of defense, but I am in favor of doing whatever might be necessary to ensure you have time for this.
Sorry, that was Vocis. I'll try to specify going forward... 
[color=blue]We will all have to assist each other to get our jobs done. I propose Vulcanus be placed in charge of artificing, and to that extent, his job may include producing items needed for other functions such as security or martial offense and etceteras. I further propose Arachne be placed in charge of security, both physical protocol. Vulcanus will hopefully be able to provide what tools are needed. Indeed, any of us could assist in crafting devices.
You can feel free to invent fancy titles if it so pleases.
The old tradition, which I suggest we retain, is that each officer (or Bishop if you will) puts in at least a season of work upon their duties each year. In return they recieve a vis wage of 3 pawns. Extra seasons of further work, for your office or assisting another, also earns a wage.
For mundane officers, Alexandro is an excellent Captain and already is working on recruiting two dozen almogavars to bolster our ranks. We have no Autocrat though. I was thinking of Moses, but he is really old and should peacefully retire with full benefits. Further, I suggest prommoting what few veteran covenfolk remain to fill vacant mundane officer positions. Maybe a separate Steward and Chamberlain instead of an Autocrat.
But as for offices of member magi, we need to brainstorm what these will be. So far we have Artificer and Security. We should have one of us take sharge of the library, another to catalogue and oversee the harvesting of vis, another security office for internal proceedures and investigation, someone to supervise mundane wealth, and on and on.