I'm assuming that the Order has a batch of officious protocols for new covenants, and as the Quaesitor Constantine will write to the House to advise them officially of the covenant and the island.
His goal is to remain respectful of the traditions of the Order so that their activity is not regarded as a secret; now that the magi are sharing the fact this has occurred to the tribunals.
He will also try to fit in a trip back to his old covenant and pack his lab, and also spend time discussing his next steps with them.
And then a visit to the presiding Quaesitor of Loch Leglean as a friendly visit.
The real tricky part is that you really ought to be in a Tribunal. The rules don't account for covenants outside of the tribunals. In fact, if you were in some tribunals you'd need to get permission before you founded a tribunal. You can just barely stretch the issue out by claiming that you're "on a tribunal border" and so can't tell what tribunal you ought to be in. But always there is the assumption that you'll eventually fit into one of the thirteen tribunals. It's hard to get away from that.
What would happen in most cases is that the two tribunals that bordered the covenant would meet to discuss the matter, some deals would get made, and the covenant would be absorbed into one or the other. You guys sort of don't border anyone and sort of border a bunch of tribunals (Loch Leglean, Hibernia, Stonehenge, Normandy, and Iberia.) It's hard to tell what will happen.
One thing is sure, the Traditionalists will say you should be in a Tribunal. Period. End of sentence. The Transitionalists will cut you a bit more slack, but still may be somewhat strict about it. No two ways about it, House Guernicus is conservative. They like things to fit together neatly. And they're suspicious when people say the normal rules shouldn't apply to them.
Constantine's starting view is that Magi frequently operate outside the tribunal boundaries; and the code assists making them stay true. This is an opportunity for the Order to expand its reach, akin to what would happen if a covenant was setup in the far north lands of Odin; yet this circumstance is even more unique in that we don't have a tribunal border for many miles.
He's open to haggle, but also knows that only a grand tribunal can make a permanent ruling, and the other tribunals don't have a precedent for this.
The Order probably does not want Atlantis to thrive and hate their home tribunal either.
This is also why establishing the outposts is very important, get them while others cannot.
To the other Magi at an early point; "I think we need to claim sites as separate outposts now. Otherwise others will arrive and try to do the same, and we cannot really argue against it. "
"I suggest we each take superficial responsibility for a few of the important sites of the ruins and aura, and watch them. Placing a contingent of grogs or a presence will go a long way. "
That's a good argument to make. It'll do well with the Transitionalists.
Very true that it would technically have to go to a Grand Tribunal. The Order prefers these things to get settled below that level. But you can always demand that it go all the way to the top. Of course, then you have to accept what they say. That's why most court cases settle. No one wants to risk going before the judge or jury. You never know what they'll do.
Andor couldn't agree more. He's already scouted a potential site that he'd like to expand to (the level 7 Aura in the mountains) when time permits. Also, the faster we get the requisite number of Covenants for a Tribunal, the better our claim will be. For now, we could even just call them Chapter Houses and grant them full rights later.
In the mean time, if any Tribunal tries to force our hand we have an immediate solution, we simply refuse to acknowledge their right to claim us. As you say, they have no precedent for it. If anyone gets too pushy, there's always Certamen to make them back off until an official ruling.
Speaking of claiming, since we have a Redcap here sometime this year, we should register our Vis sources immediately. Stave off potential poachers.
Also, he's quite worried about Atlantis (the other one), as it could very much hinder their ability to conduct trade (crucial to the survival of this covenant, re: income source). He suggests that they represent an immediate threat and need to be dealt with, either by force or through diplomacy.
"Excellent point, Constantine," Magnus replies. "But how do we sort out who claims what outpost? There are four spots well suited for a covenant, and several others that could serve. And not all are created equal, That monastery, or whatever it is, is an excellent location, as are the three towns with auras. But the strength of Auras matters a lot. Who gets to claim the monastery with the level seven aura?"
At present all of your vis sources are portable vis sources that were gifted to you by other covenants. You have not found any local vis sources. I haven't figured out how to handle that. I don't want the game to bog down into vis hunts. You've got more important fish to fry. But I don't want to deny you your vis sources either.
"Suggest We keep them officially the domain of the covenant and do not assign a person permanently. Instead we cycle the responsibility every handful of years. " (to suit the management of the players - say every 5 years) "my intent is that the manager of the site has final and override of activity, but others can participate. Also some sites will end up suiting one of us more than another. "
"I guess I'm not driven on a particular solution but want them claimed by the covenant, not an individual and not an external force. "
Ooc: and yup Constantine would like the best aura too, but that is why these things need to be covenant owned. We are too young to know what the best assignment is.
"We just have to make certain we're ready for the Grand Tribunal in 1228," Magnus observes. "We don't want to get outmaneuvered and find ourselves being pushed into one of the tribunals by the Grand Tribunal. There will be people working against us. We have to make sure we do a better job than they do. Eight years will go by surprisingly quickly."
"For most sites that may work well, but for others, well at the very least I would like to claim some sort of authority over Artemis Grove (the level 5 aura she slapped a forest on top of), I have some plans for that. If we get enough people willing to follow in the ancient ways I would also like to keep them together in one of the closer towns to Artemis grove, unless of course we grow to where we simply dominate the island."
"Interesting. And once a decade or so passes do you see yourself as a sovereign owner of that area, a member of the covenant, or both? I ask as we really need to set expectations now and resolve questions early. "
"Constantine makes a good point," Magnus replies. "There are only a limited number of powerful auras on the island. Odds are, any future chapter houses or covenants will want to make use of them. We should decide now, before expectations are raised, as to how they will be used in the future. Now I observe, as a starting point, that we already have access to the most powerful magical Aura on the island. And each of us, personally, has the ability to make use of that."
"I can imagine, Meliai, that you desire the Artemis Grove as a place of power for your pagan worships. Quite understandable. But it does represent one of the three next most powerful Auras after our own. Any magi we bring in here are likely to look upon it as a possible site for a new covenant. We should decide now, among ourselves, how to deal with these Auras rather than let it cause any difficulties in the future."
"Now, it occurs to me that if we do wish to try and become our own tribunal, which I think we do, we'll need to have at least four covenants. New Atlantis covenant is one, of course. The monastery site is clearly the next most obvious place to set up a covenant, followed by the northern town. After that, it's a toss-up between the Artemis Grove and the western town. The Artemis Grove has a slightly better Aura, but the western town has existing infrastructure."
"I suppose what I'm trying to say, in my own long-winded Bonisagus way, is that we should make our decisions now with the thought in mind that we'll need at least three chapter houses or covenants in the future."
"I'm keen to draw from all our enthusiasm to empower the island."
"Perhaps we agree that the grove will be the site of a new covenant, and Meliai will be the patron from our covenant who resides as a charter member of the new one. Make it a requirement of the a group settling on the site. "
"This covenant retains the right to change the patron should circumstances require (death, resignation, retirement, etc), but the new covenant and therefore Meliai has dominion over that new covenant and the direct surrounding area?"
"Then each of the other sites are then assigned."
"I would like the mountain site to be direct and open, and while that level of influence was more than I thought practical - it is an interesting responsibility. "
Ooc: law wise - can a magus be officially a member of two covenants? We can establish a charter at the new covenants as we wish as a condition, especially if we take newbies, but if like to know if it can also be officially recognised.
"I like the idea of having a patron for each chapter house - later covenant, though it still leaves us with some difficult decisions. Again, the monastery aura is compelling. Who would be the patron there?"
"As for myself, in an effort to foster understanding among us, I would be happy to concede patronage of the monastery to another and instead lay claim to patronage of the northern town, or the western town, if I must."
"I"m not sure what you mean by that. Are you saying you'd like to be patron of the monastery site? I know Andor has expressed interest in that site as well."
My understanding is that you can only be a member of one covenant at a time. (I'm happy to be proven wrong.)
Of course, if we are successful in getting named our own tribunal. then we'll be able to make our own tribunal rules. One of those could be the rule of patronage, acknowledging if not membership in two covenants, then at least membership in one and close attachment to another (with associated rights and privileges.
"Yes, " replies Constantine "I would like to be patron of the monastery site. The mountain locale is very appealing."
(I've assumed it is the same locale that Constantine and the others first found and began the search from?)