[color=red]Yes we can talk in my chambers. I have a studio that is secluded. We can talk there if you wish. Both Aelianus and Diodorus shows the way and are prepared to guide the way.
Reginald meets with Aelianus and Havlard privately to explain himself. In Societates, the Tytalus section makes mention of various cabals for intrigues. One specifically is geared towards helping others, as odd as that may seem. It is called the Cabal of the Lance. Reginald is a Tytalus magus whose secret mission is to see that Novus Mane survives and prospers. Novus Mane is an old covenant, and was one of the corerstones of the tribunal back in the day. Reginald organized the pirates to keep the flow of income and food coming in the village and covenant, and then when new blood came along, he was to make sure that the relaunch succeeded and that the new Spring would blossom into a new Summer. He has the Gentle Gift, and does not bother to use a disguise of any sort. Reginald is the one who pumped cash into the economy through Walter, though Walter does not know it. Walter is indeed a banker in the employ of the Tremere, but the latest dealings are not the work of the Exarch after all. They are through Reginald’s cabal. The magical house that was commissioned, it is for him. Right now he has a makeshift lab in the basement of the VanHalen house. Reginald was planning to create a new alternate identity as a representative of the exarch and work out of that house. He has been up to lots of other stuff too, all for the benefit of Novus Mane (and making a decent personal profit as well). He claims to have not violated the code at all, he has not tapped any of your resources (other than the magic aura of the town, which is only half of what it is at the covenant), and he leaves it up to you whether he should stay or go.
I will post the NPC character sheet for Reggie in the appropriate sticky thread 
So, how do you react to this?
Diodorus who sits on the armchair of Aelianus chair places his ears backwards and looks suspicious at the magus. Aelianus speaks. [color=red]Why have you not identified your self before? I have to say that this dodgy operation of yours is not putting you in the best of terms with us. I need to hear an explatation from you that holds. Why have you not idenifies your self and applied for membership if you wish to work for the covenant? Aelianus looks the magus straight in his eyes.
[color=green]Reginald Montclair (aka Amphoraxius of Tytalus): [color=red]I am explaining myself in good faith, but I cannot give away all of my secrets. However, I am surprised my cover lasted this long. I thought for sure that teleporting Ulrich to get help when we were hijacked was a dead give away. Look, I can't let these guys know I am a magus. They think I am one of them, and that's the only way this can work. I am glad to aid and assist your covenant, but honestly, I have no interest in joining. Your council rules are undemocratic. You, as senior magus, make arbritraty decisions and act like a supreme ruler. That doesn't work for me, and in case you never noticed, that is why Novus Mane became the run down shadow of its former self to begin with. This incident today is a direct result of that. You arbitrarilly decided to radically alter the existing social order, without confering with the ones who serve you nor even with your covenant mates. Your sodale Wirth will be quite upset with the way "his men" have been scorned and dislocated. And after all they have done for you. Look, you need to find some way to placate and satisfy them. The village ran lawless for more than a generation. You can't come along and say you are their overlord overnight. You are a land owner, not a legal authority.
In any case, I am already part of another covenant. Not one defined by land mass or location. Rather, one defined by membbership and alliance. The Cabal of the Lance. It is in the best interests of the Normandy Tribunal that Novus Mane survives and succeeds. I am going to keep on helping you whether you like it or not, in one guise or another.
By the way, that Dragor fellow is creepy. I don't think he has been such a good influence. He is brainwashed by Tremere docterine. They are nothing but wolves in human form you know. Never trust the Tremere.
[color=red]I does what I know is best for this covenant. Food, prosperity and not ending up in the gallows should be good for anyone. My hand have been tied to my back during the decline but now I have the power to change and even our covenfolk must see the wisdom in becoming prosperous. I have given my soldaes a great deal of influence, as you might know I did not write these rules. When I was an apprentice here the senior magi did not even ask the junior ones. I ask my soldaes and I spend my resources as I wish. We have also decided things together. I am not a despot. Aelianus shows of a grin as he is suddenly accused for being a despot.[color=red] I don’t need to explain myself to you but we appreciate your support of our covenant.
Diodorus rolls his eyes.
[color=red]Of course, you don't need to explain or justify anything to me. It is your covenant. I am just explaining why I would not be interested in membership. My goal was to help you survive up until this point, and seeing how you have progressed so far, perhaps the work of Reginald the pirate is done. But before I go, some words of advice. The village isn't yours, you only rescently started bbuying up land there. Don't be so radical with your changes. Scale back your ambitious construction project. Otherwise, you are interfering with mundanes. Also, as you yourself recognize how disfunctional the rules here were when you were younger, you should see the wisdom in changing things to be more egalitarian. But it is your covenant.
I will take my leave now. I will try to convince some of the more unruly pirates to come with me and set up shop elsewhere. Tell Wirth goodbye for us, and to live well & fight well. May life, love, and laughter always smile upon him.
[color=blue]OCC - Fixer, do not panic or lament this loss. There is still more to the pirate story yet to come 
Once the magus has left Aelianus and Diodorus returns to Aelianus sanctum. Before he goes Aelianus turns to Havlard. [color=red]We will talk about the new information over dinner. I have a few things to attend to.
Once in the sanctum Aelianus sits down at his desk and Diodorus lies on top of the desk.
Aelianus: [color=red]Now what?
Diodorus: [color=red]Well you should keep out of trouble with the law. That will slow your masterplan.
A: [color=red]Yes your right my friend. [Sigh] [color=red]I will have to slow down the pace of the construction and make it voluntary for the covenfolk to join. I give them an offer. Join the fishing fleet, pay no taxes for a year, get a boat and a new house outside of the walls. How about that?
D: [color=red]That should work. You are a genius my pet magus. Diodorus blinks his eyes.
A: [Smiles] [color=red]I’ll write a letter and consult with a Quesiatoris lawyer. It will cost but better to be safe than sorry. I have to pay for the construction work anyway. The project is underway.
D:[color=red] Yes you will have to. At least it won’t affect anyone poor. [Rolls over on his back]
A: [Starts scratching Diodorus belly]. [color=red]You are right. I have an idea about the governance of the covenant. I can’t lower myself to a status beneath me. That would be beneath me.
D: [Rolls his eyes once again] [color=red]Yes…
A: [color=red]I have to elevate the others to senior magus status. We will be equal [sighs] [color=red]but perhaps it is for the best. But on the other hand no-one has complained so far on how things are for the moment.
D: [color=red]Yes they have not but it will be better to receive complains and perhaps threats of moving to another covenant before you implement that order? [Diodorus places his paw on Aelianus hand as to mark that he should stop scratching and rolls up once Aelianus removes his hand].
A: [color=red]You are right [sighs again]. [color=red]But first things first. I will assemble the people so that I can speak to them. But first I write a letter.
Aelianus writes a letter about his planed project and ask about it’s legality. Then he give a order that the villagers can assemble so that he can speak to them.
OCC - Does anyone know anything about the legal structure of our immediate area? I think there is a munane lord that actually would rule the land, but he has been neglecting to pay attention to us. The Tax Collector from earlier would have been his representative, but I had Dragor pull the ol' "there aren't the droids you're looking for" trick on him, buying us some time. And so you know, the people of the village are not covenfolk. They never were to begin with. But they soon can be, since the covenant is buying up all the land and building on it. The dissenters will bbe leaving with Reginald to carry on their Pirate careers. Except for Johan and his wife Betty. Johan is in Spain with the magi, he piloted the boat that took them there.
The Hermetic Architecture project is called off, but the Pillar of Hiram magus is still interested in purchasing items opened for enchantment from you. The masons also take charge of the housing project. Even though it is carpentry instead of stone work, they can offer discipline and leadership to the rable rousing carpenters that were fighting with the villagers.
OOC: The legal structure is for the one who wish to decide. I assume that no-one has noticed Novus Mane in the decline years, but perhaps will if the covenant rise from the ashes. Perhaps a fair trade of, extra income gives extra mundane attention.
Now does Aelianus have something to worry about or does his project get approved? He tries to calm and offer the villagers a offer that they can refuse but is too good to refuse.
As I am not an expert on Flemish history and have no idea what the political lanscape would be, I defer to anyone who has greater knowledge. But I myself see no further obsticles. Any who would oppose are either bought in by the lucrative deal, or the are part of the pirate faction that Reginald leads away, or they are so in the minority that their opinoons are drowned out by the many who egarly accept the new offer.
I'm not an expert on Flemish history but I do know that this is a confusing era.
I suppose Aelianus is emerging as a Burgher. More appropriately, one of our companions should take this role. We are sort of forming our own little city here. Reminds me of the "Hermetic Towns" thread in the main forum. This shall be an interesting experiment.
A little bit, I'll look up my notes. It is in turmoil if I remember correctly as the Count of Flanders became the leader of the Crusader state in Constaninople and never returned, I beleive he is now dead and their is a power struggle between his daughters
Which would quite well explain our lawless and chaotic condition. Excellent.
Perhaps Diodorus could be the town leader, at least if Aelianus get his will.
LOL, interesting, but I doubt that would work. We need to learn to rely upon our companions more.
In fact, that pesky Tax Collector comes around again, looking for the Burgher. Dragor pulls the regular trick on him ("These aren't the droids you're looking for), and sends him on his way. But he informs Aelianus that he can't keep this up forever.
Most (but not all) of the pirates take the best ship in the harbor and depart to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Reginald leaves behing an Arcane Connection to the vessel. Fred leaves with them, but not Johan. That's because Johan is in Spain with Wirth, he piloted the ship that took them there. He has no idea what happened at home. Betty, his wife, still pals around with Veronica and still has a drinking problem. She claims to have seen Ugly Pete again, standing on the breakwater rocks yelling at the sea.
Both Aelianus and Diodorus visits Betty and ask her of any details about the Ugly Pete appearance and tries to see a pattern if Diodorus can see one in the tales. For example a place too look for the revenant in. If needed Aelianus employs Mentem magic to see through the drunken clouds in her memory or at least help her jog her memory.
When you visit her, though she has been drinking that day, she is not yet drunk. She also denys ever being fully drunk. Tipsy maybe. But that doesn't change what she saw.
[color=red]Come with me, I have something to show you...
And if you ask David (who is now an NPC), he has the corpse of Ugly Pete preserved and stored, to be animated by his necromancy as he needs. He will even show you, and offers to animate him and bring him out for a little show.