[color=red]So lets be clear then. Only if material is marked by another member of the Order then it is returned. Otherwise your pirates can plunder and raid to their heart's content.
Is that correct?
[color=red]They are free men. I do not command them, I do not rule them. Whether I care or not doesn't matter. My Oath binds me to not deprive my sodales of their magic nor attempt to do so. It is clear that this is the property of a magus. This is not ambiguous. Take the silk, you deprive him of materials to make his magic cloak. Take his spices, you deprived him of his magical herbal brew.
What if he was a magical woodcarver? (glances at Aelianus) [color=red]He has his ship clearly marked, and he is importing what otherwise seems to be mundane timer. But it is from a special forest. What then?
[color=red]So when you train your men you will kill the bandits and pirates? Even if they benefit Novus Main?
[color=red]Non-sequiter. Stop trying to derail the debate at hand, which is soley and only "What shall we do with the ship and cargo that clearly belongs to another magus". I shan't be distracted by hypotheticals or side debates. Clever use of rhetoric, but let us focus on this sole issue.
[color=red]Does the cargo belong to the mage? I understood the Sigil is on the ship. Was any of the cargo marked with the Sigil?
[color=red]All the cargo is his until it is delivered to where it supposed to go. For all you know, that cargo is all meant for enchanted items. There is no way to sift what is mundane or magic, what is for the magus or mundane material. No matter what though, it is an investment of time. Time that could e spent in the Lab. Steal it, you steal his time, and you steal his magic.
But use common sense! The man is obviously a wealthy and infuential Jerbiton magus, better as a friend than an enemy, would you not agree? Tribunal issues aside, it is the wiser course of action for use to earn the man's graditude and respect. I believe that, in the long run, it would bbe more profitable to earn his respect and favor.
[color=red]Your augment for enchanted items would work if the cargo is of the highest quality. Items used to make enchantments, if I understand the process correctly, must of of the finest sort (looks at Aelianus for confirmation). These things look like they would be sold in a Flanders market.
And a ship may be hired to transport cargo. It does not mean that the cargo belongs to the owner of a ship.
The only thing that has made any sense at all is using the cargo to curry favor with the Mage. I will go along with your plan if you agree that Novus Main should have no part of banditry or pirating.
[color=red]Wool could be for anything, but the spices and silks are of the finest quality indeed! I do think the wiser action would be to curry favor with the elder magus. As for the activities of these seamen, they are free and I am not their master. I cannot tell them what to do. Let us take things one step at a time.
[color=red]On one hand you say that they are free men and at other times you call them our men. Our they freemen who are committing acts of piracy and just happen to hand over their cargo and ship to us? Or are they Coven folk?
[color=red]Cards well played sodale 
They are not covenfolk. Remember I wanted to annex the town and you all said no? They work with us, not for us. They used to be fishermen. The only reason they turned to piracy is because the covenant neglected the covenfolk, their families, and the town that supported them. They had to feed themselves. I am all for encouraging them to find a new means of sustience, as merchants or mercenary marines. But we can only encourage what is good for them, we cannot mandate what is good for them
Roberto is generations ahead of the curve in Political Science. He just invented Libertarianism! (I quoted John Stewart Mill in his essay "On Liberty").
[color=red]So if this one time act of piracy if forgiven and the cargo returned, we can have them move to becoming sailors on a merchantman. I would be for that. But if they are coven folk who are operating for our profit then, as much as I dislike it, we should operate within the rules of the Tribunal.
[color=red]Indeed. One thing we haven't thought of though. We should find out who this magus is first. Maybe he is a pirate himself. We need more information. Let us ask Eric the Redcap.
Aelianus draws breath and speaks. [color=red]Personally I think that we should not engage in piracy, personally I think that such conduct is beneath any self respecting mage, but if you look at the magi of this tribunal one cannot expect anything other. For the love of the gods, there is a tournament at the tribunal. Magi pretending to be mundane noblemen… Has no one understood how silly that makes us look. Mundanes should look up to the magi and not the other way around.
Aelianus pauses for a moment. [color=red]But now back to the subject at hand. If I remember this correctly that goods belongs to Triamore that is in the Rihne tribunal, right? They does not apply to the same laws as they are another tribunal. Any way we need allies and not enemies. If anyone should ever try to steal from us then we must retaliate, swift and decisive. We magi of Verditius has always strived for peace, prosperity and trade rather than war, banditry and pretending to be mundanes.
[color=red]And to answer your questions. Yes the creation of magical artefacts require the most perfect goods and yes there could be some material in the cargo that is not intended for the market but rather for the creation of items. Roberto I could assume that you can see the difference between a fine quality sword and a regular but serviceable sword, when I can not. But can you see the difference between a tree that should be used for construction of a town house and a tree that could become a wand? I am no clothier magus so I can not see the quality of different fabrics as our soldae in Florum can who happens to be a Verditius weaver. Regarding sheep farming, if such an affair suits either of your preferences. We do not own much land around us so that is out of the question. This is Flanders and someone owns everything. Besides the fishing industry that I have commissioned there could perhaps be sufficient space for a workshop but then I think that we are out of space. That is if we does not want mundanes in our sanctums.
((Back by the road))
[color=green]Marcello:
[color=red]
Dragor! Apologize to the Magus and lets be one our way with our wagon.
Jan, lend a hand here and help me move this wagon back to the road. We should not detain Magus Jacques any longer.
Marcello goes to one side of the wagon and lifts it up while waiting for Jan to get the other side.
Dragor sneers, then comes up with one of those phases he often used to placate angry Tremere overlords.
This is meant to send a signal to the men-at-arms ( a.k.a bandits). These two "men" will pick the wagon from the ground and move it to the road. They may remember it in the future when they may meet again.
FDP! (Flagrant Display of Power)
Often a good strategy.
Personally, I think the one guard should kill the other guard later in his sleep or using poison. One thing or another. Dragor is a venemous and vindictive man when he has been vexed. I should force him to give me an Arcane Connection, but I think we pushed this magus to the limit already.
I'm sure, once Dragor settles down, that we can think of ways of payback.
Dragor cant help but to react like Markoko. Remember, I'm the guy who got into a fight with a pair of gangbangers last year. Got my front teeth smashed out but I kept my wallet and chased them away. My uncle asked me about a month ago, what was so impotant in my wallet that I didn't just give it to them. My simple response, "My Dk". Giving up my wallet would have been like handing that over too. So, I naturally lapse into this "you're gonna have to kill me" mentality. It would have been more appropriate for Roberto than for Dragor, but we are moving past it now.
[color=red]Then that is three votes we have in favor of returning this cargo.