Octavian,
Rodrigo has more than one thing to talk to you about. But foremost is the membership revision that is being proposed (btw I edited in the changes suggested and altered some other things to make it more code abiding)
Foremost is the membership issue. And he reveals to you the long term plan [color=red]We do want to start a chapter house. Andorra is a tiny country, but the many mountains contain a great deal of hidden space. This covenant has endured the cycles of ages and grown wealthy because the resources here are more than abundant. And, as you like to point out, our legal status is questionable to say the least. If a band of strong magi wanted to set up their own covenant in another parish, we can moan and complain all we want but there is realistically little we can do to stop them. We want to maintain control over as much of the resources as we can. And the best way to do that is create a second covenant that we control.
I know, you have concerns about our official Tribunal status. I actually sympathize with your anxieties. But it is best to bargain from a position of strength. No one has forced our hand as of yet because of the wealth we control. And our unaffiliated status has been to the benefit of magi in both the Iberian and Provencal Tribunal. Our members were able to act free and independently in a time of crisis when everyone else’s hands were bound by treaties and regulations. We provided a safe haven for the assets during times of unlawful taxation. We have kept the lines of communication open when hostility and suspicion would have kept all quiet, and we have facilitated the migration of magi between Tribunals.
Yeah, there is a sudden large influx of petitioners. This has happened before, such as several years ago when you joined. There were four other magi, two travelled onward to other covenants, the third was Jason who was only a member for two short years, and the fourth was you. Octavian of Jafariya, the hero of the Shadow Wars that no one trusted. Others judged you unfairly, but we saw your true potential. And I would say this, you are one of the pillars of this council. If it wasn’t for you, these magi would follow whatever crazed whim crossed their mind at the moment. Antonio would just wave his hands as long as it didn’t interfere with whatever half-cocked scheme he was up to at the time.
As you know, I wasn’t here for seven years. Things would be different if I were. But now that I am returned, I need to plan for this covenant’s long term future. Magi may defeat age, but Twilight makes mortals of us all. The next may be my last, and I need to think about who will succeed me. Change your mind, come with me to Harco in the spring, I would like to show you some of the inner workings of Hermetic politics.