"I have no objection to that, since Mentem is your specialty. Given the situation that took place in the other sanctum, I'm not going to ask for that one." OOC, Tyrion's sanctum was on the first level, Azura went back down there to ask to move in with Gerald. I'm not sure anyone actually knows that, so I'm playing it as if Ra'am doesn't, he's not mentioning it by name, unless Jamie has left for this discussion.
"I'd like to take roughly 2500 to 3000 square feet of the second floor to be residence and sanctum for myself and family. I have my wife, two daughters and nephew. Is there any objection to that? Also I might need to secure an apartment for Étienne, although he can choose to live on whichever side of the regio he wishes."
Ra'am twists his face and says, "With Azura joining the council, and knowing the Aegis, we have one less thing to do before it is cast, learning it. Like Cygna, I am, however, not willing to let someone not of this Covenant cast it with her. It gives them the power to come and go, issue tokens without being known to us, and there are too many variables in the region that we don't yet understand. I think the Aegis should only be cast by those who are a part of this Covenant. That being said, it doesn't appear we have any vis on hand. Viscaria mentioned something about a half a queen of vis being lost somewhere, but I'm not sure where that is, or how recoverable it is. What do we know about that vis? Should we plan on extracting some for the Aegis? I estimate I can get 4 pawns a season. I could use the haunted lab to do this. I'm not terribly thrilled about that plan, though, so am willing to entertain alternative suggestions..." (OOC: this is a big deal, given my comment in the OOC thread about constrained resources. CrVi LT=38=15+5+Int 3+Mt 8+2 +Aura 5; yielding 38/10=4 pawns of vis)
Azura pipes up, "On the matter of sancta, I would like to take residence on the first floor, in the younger Master Lannister's apartments. I do not know if Tyrion's studies were specialized, but mine are not, so any lab will do. Frankly--" she glances at Jaime with an apologetic look-- "I am worried for Gerald's well-being, and I think that if he had some companionship and friendship, a little patience, and maybe some activity to concentrate on, he would spend less time wallowing in despair and misery. He has given his consent for me to take up residence there, and I believe that in time, given some patience and support, he may find the will to live again. Does anyone have any objections?"
[color=red]"Isn't the Archmagus leaving us in a couple of months, though? Or will he stay until the next meeting, when we can elect a new Disceptator?"
[color=red]"Do your notes show any vis sources that are harvestable in the next three to six months? Or any that can be harvested at any time, that may have lain fallow since the battle last year?"
"I wasn't aware of the Archmagus's intentions, I followed rumors and what not to get here, information about the Iberia Tribunal was difficult to come by these past few months. Is he planning to return to the covenant at some point, or is he leaving for good? I would prefer that we find a different mode of govenance or invest the power in someone now and be done with it. Doing this will generally free us to pursue the necessary work, and gives the autocrat and turb captain one voice to deal with. Despite my appearance, I'm but five years past gauntlet. Some of you may be further along your Hermetic careers than I am."
"No, I didn't have enough time to research this." (Edit: I had originally included information from the wiki, but then reviewed the labs thread where I ony found four sources. So, I wrote more than Ra'am should know in the previous vis source detail. Although, I'd argue since I was trapped there for 24 hours or more, I should've had ample time to research everything that is in black on the wiki to be prepared for the meeting.)
By all means, do so. It is good that you've found a lab suiting your tastes and, hopefully, you'll discover some of her magical secrets.
That's awfully little. I fear very much we'll need to extract vis from the Aura in order to cast the Aegis, which is something I consider a waste of time.
It is also possible that unarvested vis sources still contain vis.
AND
Allow me to be blunt.
I have my tower. I don't care what happens in the manor. So long as none of my sodales object, you can do anything you want with it. Find a comfortable place. Make yourself and your family at home. The only thing I'll ask is not for me, but for the scholar I brought with me, Esteban. He needs a laboratory on his own on Cijara's side if we are to use his talents to the fullest.
(OOC: I believe viscaria to be an alchemist)
Hiems nods.
I concurr. Having 2 mercurians cast the Aegis would save us a lot of vis, but this is too much of a security risk, especially given the events around us.
Turning to Arya No offense intended, of course.
The problem, if we invest that power in someone once and for all, is that he'll have increased power once and for all. I'd prefer a possibility for this role to shift.
As it is, I can see 5 ways of doing this.
The first is to suppress this clause of the charter, and require all votes to have Majority + 1 voice votes. Being 6 magi, this'd mean 4 votes. I find this acceptable
The second is to give this role to the magus who's best served the covenant, which seems logical (The one who has the most token, as talked OOC)
The third is to have this role rotate among us each year.
The fourth is through Certamen
The fifth is through drawing a lot.
Of course, another possibility is to give this role to Claudia. She knows enough about hermetic matters to be able to understand it fully, yet she's independant from any of us, which should help her judge fairly
"I don't find this to be blunt. Allocation of resources of this nature is dry business. Can he construct his own lab? The second floor is large enough. I believe there is enough space in either side of the regio for him to construct a residence and lab. I hope I don't misunderstand your question asking that we construct a lab on his behalf. I have to construct my own lab from scratch, while each of you has to unlock the secrets of the previous occupant. These are things that will take some time to do. One would hope the scholar can see to his own needs, as we do."
"The role does rotate, but it rotates on a seven year period. It is to commence one year after the Tribunal is held. We need an interim disceptator until the next term begins, or as you suggest, to come up with alternate governance. I am of the view that we have the disceptator. They don't get two votes all the time. They get a vote to break ties. Their office is for a period of no more than 7 years, and they can't extend that without a unanimous vote by the council."
Ra'am pauses before reading over the document, his reading is quite silent, barely a whisper, "Ahh, here we go, the duties of the disceptator are to attend regular council meetings, keep order, break tied votes if necessary, determine the yearly surplus of privision and store, and act as our spokesman. He ensure that the orders of the council are enacted." Ra'am pauses, considering his words, "For example, if you were disceptator and during the meeting I had agreed to do something and no one had demurred, then I would consider that a ruling of the council and you, as disceptator would be empowered to see that I upheld my responsibility. We decide collectively, and he ensures it is done. As to giving this role to Claudia, I would be extremely cautious about giving someone who is not a Magus a seat on this council, as it clearly states that the disceptator is one of this council.
"In any event, this is a short term, interim appointment, to last for a period of 2 years, until 1 year after the Tribunal."
This is an excellent question, I never talked much with him about his needs. He was... uncomfortable around me.
But it stands to reason that he should be able to. I mean, I don't know exactly what he needs, but he surely does.
(Good one with the reading, making Ra'am quite modern and in advance for his time, while still reminding the "reading out loud" bit )
Okay. One thing becomes quite clear to Hiems as he hears Ra'am lecture. He doesn't want to be disceptator. He barely has the will to live, managing it mostly through losing himself in study, being emotionless about himself through his cold core, and caring for others. He has nothing left for things like this.
"So, the matter needs some resolution. So, to start it off, I'm 5 years post gauntlet. Where does everyone else fall? Since everyone must serve, we just need to know this to establish an order of rotation."
Hiems answers in a soft voice, like hearing the cold winds howling outside when you're in a cabin
You assume we've agreed to settle on primogeniture as a means of choice.
You assume wrongly.
I find the idea of giving this role to the magus that did the most selfish magus, the one that did the most service, and used the less ressources of the covenant, more appealing, even if he must be re-elected.
We might also dissociate the tie-breaker voice, giving it to claudia (a neutral party), and the enforcing duty. Hell, we might even chose based on luck as a tie-break!
Or settle on a Majority + 1 voices, and have just the enforcing duty given to one of us.
"I assumed nothing, but instead operated on the basis of the charter."
Ra'am regards Heims carefully before responding, "So, I take it you wish to amend the charter. I don't find any of your proposed changes appealing. And since amending the charter requires a unanimous vote, your changes will likely fail. Since you seem to have the most concern about how the office will be discharged, I nominate you to be disceptator for the interim from now until a year following the coming Tribunal. As the first disceptator amongst us new to Phoenix you can establish a precedent to be followed. Is there a second?"
[color=red]"Aren't we forgetting something?" Cygna says. [color=red]"Unless I'm mistaken, we already have a disceptator, do we not? Or was our disceptator lost at Las Navas?
"If, as I believe, Jaime Lannister is the disceptator, then we have no need to appoint an interim disceptator. And, since taking the mantle of disceptator is mandatory, the only way for him to pass on his duties would be for him to no longer be a Full Member...whether by censure or resignation."
"But you had said that was leaving. I'm not sure how he could execute the office of disceptator while not attending regular council meetings, since attending regular council meetings is a duty of the office. While he may be disceptator now, his plans to leave require we appoint a new one, do they not?"
[color=red]"When he does leave, yes. Unfortunately, the charter makes no provision for a disceptator who decides to take a sabbatical. Short of censure or resigning one's membership, I'm not sure what options there are in this situation, or if God forbid one like it should come up in the future. For example...what if, in thirty or forty years when I'm disceptator, my duties to my House require me to be elsewhere for an extended period of time? Perhaps a year or more? Would I be required to resign my membership and re-apply as a probationary upon my return?"
Cygna smiles. [color=red]"Of course, if Jaime isn't the disceptator (and really, how would we know if he said he wasn't?), this this is all merely an exercise in hypotheticals. Just something to think about."
"You raise some good points. However, just as the charter is silent on the matter on what to do, I believe the council members can decide on what to do in instances whent he disceptator isn't able to carry out his duties. However, if you'd like to submit an amendment to the charter that gives the disceptator the ability to appoint a deputy in the event of an absence due to duties to House or event he Covenant itself, then I'd second such an amendment."
[color=red]"To be honest, I'm of the opinion that we should refrain from amending the charter for a while...say, a year, to give us time to determine what works for us and what doesn't. I know we had said that the former members of the Phoenix had a different dynamic than we will, but I would like to give the charter as it reads now a try before we go changing it willy-nilly."
(edited to show that this was Cygna speaking in-character and not Peregrine musing ooc)
I'm generally of the same mind, with the exception of the unanimous vote thing I'd mentioned earlier. However, the disceptator position is sticky, especially if Jamie is it and can't be present for council meetings.
)