Arachné yawns. For an instant, she looks as if she's gonna say something, but then, she stays silent.
(OOC: You do realize this kills our profit margin? 7 pawns (or 3 and an Aegis) times six magi equals 42. Our cut at Sa Dragonera is half a queen per year. 50 pawns. Figure in operating expenses and we may well come up at a minor loss.)
Solomon stands to provide his input, “I understand both Carmen and Vibria’s points, but I think we have to remember that Lucas is still young and quite eager. He likely doesn’t understand the particular nuances of the Resolutions of Charter and simply took away the need to perform three valuable services for the covenant in order to be considered for the status of Master. Might I recommend that at the next council meeting we reiterate the nuanced explanation that Carmen has provided and ensure the journeymen that they will be considered based on their merits when the time is appropriate. To ‘chase’ master status is probably not in their best interest.
As for whether this particular donation qualifies as a ‘valuable service’, I would defer to our Librarian.”
“I do not agree with providing any more ‘special compensation’ for the journeyman located at the Chapter House. As it is, they were provided ‘fast-track’ status as journeymen explicitly due to the austere locations they are residing in. Therefore they have already received compensation for their situation; and this includes the lack of an aegis. That said, the vis at Sa Dragonera must be harvested once a year, and that duty will fall upon the journeymen at the Chapter House. As that is a service to the covenant, any journeymen who participates in said harvesting would be provided 3 pawns of vim and 6£ of silver, according the Resolutions of Charter.”
(OOC: Hey, I'm not the treasurer. 8) Drop the Aegis payment. It sounded like they can somehow use one Aegis to cover all their sanctums via the regio network, which I wasn't aware of and don't understand, but it alleviates the need for individual Aegises. Instead, they can pool their new income to cover the cost if they so choose.)
And none of that should be ooc' we have bad habbits. Carmen would have pointed out the problem after you didn't catch on to her sarcasm 
...so you see the flaw in the accounting, right? As it is, we give Barcelona a 40 pawn share, we pay each Journeyman 3 pawns of vis and a pawn's worth of silver for a total of 24 pawns for six magi, leaving us with a profit margin of 38. Figure in further expenses and we make maybe 30 to Barcelona's 40. If we give the Journeymen a raise, and I think maybe we should, I want Barcelona to split the cost with us. We each put in six and pay them 4 pawns vis and 2 pawns worth of silver.
And as far as this book donation goes, let Lucas know we are grateful and look forward to seeing further contributions in addition to further service. What are his scribing skills like? Should we introduce him to Sigmundo?
I'm afraid I'm confused. You seem to be saying we already pay each Journeyman 3 pawns per year. We don't currently pay them a vis salary of any kind. They receive 3£ silver per year, plus 6£ more if they serve as a deputy. Their vis income options are to borrow 3 pawns a year or spend a season in service in exchange for 3 pawns and 6£ silver.[sup]1[/sup]
His scribing skills aside, I would prefer a decision on the matter at hand before telling Lucas anything. Will this be considered one of his three services per the by-laws? And if we intend to interpret that portion of the by-laws differently, I would ask that we revise it in such a way as to avoid this issue in the future.
[sup]1[/sup] I'm pulling this from the Resolutions of Charter thread. If that's not right, please point me in the right direction.
Chapter House of Sa Dragonera & the Balearic Islands
Rights & Privileges
Carmen flips through the logs and writs and realizes she is incorrect.
Well, that doesn't seem right. Itsays here we pay their basic expenses, which runs about 30£ per magus for themselves and their staff, and Lab Upkeep up to 3£. The Sa Dragonera magi are considered Deputy Officers and get another 6£ per year. That equals 39£, times six magi equals 234£. At an exchange rate of 12£ silver to a pawn of vim, that is an expense of roughly 20 pawns. Figure in cost overruns and we can call it 20 pawns. Out of a Queen that leaves 80, split in half that is 40 for us and 40 for Barcelona.
Hummm.
If we split it in thirds, 33 pawns clear for Our covenant and for Barcelona, that leaves a budget of 34 pawns for Sa Dragonera. If we give each Journeyman 44£ silver that equals about 22 pawns. Give them each two pawns Vim as a stipend that equals 34.
Now, as far as qualifying as service goes, I think you missed my meaning. Working to improve the library is a service, yes. The book donation is a start. He has to keep doing it for a while, and his collected effort will be examined in retrospect to evaluate the quality of this service. Serving at Sa Dragonera for a few years, this qualifies as a Service. All of you who are Masters, you have been here several years now and have performed many multiple services. There is no resting upon laurels at this covenant. Greater achievement leads to greater respect and greater expectation.
So tell the guy whatever you want. I think the conversation is utterly inappropriate at this time and should wait until the time has passed and we are ready to discuss his contributions as a whole.
(Trying to work with you here, I just don't see a way to circumvent the situation and maintain versimilitude)
Solomon frowns, “Why are we giving them anything extra at all? They are journeymen, and should be treated as journeymen per the Resoultions of Charter. They have already been compensated for their hardship at the Chapter House by being made journeymen immediately. No additional compensation is or should be required.
Now, as I said, those journeymen who participate in the harvesting of the vis every year should be awarded the standard 3 pawns of vim and 6£ for completing a service to the covenant per the Resolutions of Charter.”
I understand your point. I am just trying to assauge Vocis' new found egalitarian sentiments. But I have an ulterior motive or two. The Sa Dragonera magi are essentially magi of Andorra. What they recieve is to our common benefit. This proposal would also result in Andorra, as a whole, reaping two third the gross yield of the vis source.
And there is a motivation to make the Journeymen feel that they are accomplishing something. I do appreciate the library donation, but I don't like the implied presumption behing inquiring about it. I want to shut that down yet throw a bone so they don't get discouraged.
And like I said, what's good for them is good for us. Two pawns a year is not enough to discourage them from seeking to acquire vis through labor. But it a boost to help insure they craft thier own longavity potions on time and craft items of power that strengthen our united virtue.
At the same time, we got to make them feel like they earned a raise. Increase their responsibility and our expectations.
So what do you guys want to do?
Solomon raises an eyebrow in surprise, "I'm not sure how you think this will benefit us over Barcelona. The agreement that has already been made and copied in triplicate states that we will receive 60% of the vis harvested and they will receive 40%. The only way to change that would be to renegotiate with Barcelona. So, any additional vis we give to the journeymen would come from that 60%.
Also, the only way I will agree to giving the journeymen a salary of 2 vis per year is if we amend the Resolutions of Charter to state that all journeymen, regardless of where they reside earn said salary.
As I have already stated twice, but everyone seems to be ignoring, the journeymen are entitled to additional income when they harvest the vis. This is already a part of the Resolutions and needs no amending."
They are entitled to additional income when they spend a season in service to the covenant. I interpret that to mean they must devote a season to scribing or enchanting or something similar. Harvesting vis certainly isn't a season-long activity. Understand that I'm perfectly happy to pay them as you're suggesting, I just want to ensure the by-laws and your intentions are in agreement.
I tried my best Vocis. The rest is up to you.
Fleur approaches Carmen "I am considering taking on an apprentice, and as I cannot currently raise an apprentice, I was wondering if you might have any recommendations as to covenants where there might be an apprentice in need of rescuing?"
Interesting. I have been having similar thoughts as of late, in that I am now ready to train an apprentice of my own and am not sure where to seek. I am undecided as to what to look for. I have three traditional influences.
You wish to employ your perogative as a Bonisagus, eh? In a noble manner it seems. But I warn you, an apprentice "in need of rescuing" is likely to have a wrathful former master.
Hmmm...
What about...
No..., then there's...
I got it! What about you and I take a trip to Andalusia. Valencia to Granada. I would like to find a Jewish apprentice with a military bacground. We will try to find something for you to, but I am sure that our friends at Estancia Escarida would gladly enroll a junior of their lineage into the tradition of Bonisagus!
"That sounds like a wonderful idea. When would be best for you for making the journey?"
Vocis smiles. Of course, Antoine. Let's head to my tower. I suspect this will be a thirsty conversation. Assuming Antoine's amenable, they settle in with a bottle of wine and a very attentive Mica seated nearby. First, I want to share my relief at Isolde's safe arrival here in Andorra. Had such a thing happened to Amelia, I would have done things I'd surely regret. Not as much as the pirates would have, but still. Also, should a similar emergency arise, I am able and willing to cast Leap of Homecoming on others. I believe Arachne can do something similar. I can also recommend several spells that will allow you to stay in contact with her on a regular basis.
But I mentioned Arachne. The first project that comes to mind is something she and I discussed a few years ago. At the time, we were very concerned about another assault on the covenant and were looking for novel ways to protect ourselves. Vulcanus was involved too, I think. I seem to remember him offering to open the entire library tower for enchantment. I'm still can't decide if he was joking, boasting, or actually capable of it. Anyway, Arachne and I discussed various illusory tricks that might confuse or otherwise impede intruders. The focus was on the library due to my office, but other areas could be similarly protected. The plan was enchant a single item that would create various illusions within a room or structure. Making all the books look identical, cloaking an area with darkness, ghostly whispers behind the walls, semi-sentient illusory ghosts, illusory flames that feel hot, that sort of thing. My favorite was making the visual species of an entire room spiral quickly in a disorienting fashion. We ultimately never pursued any of this, but it may be worth reconsidering now that you're here. Let's speak with Arachne later.
The other idea that comes to mind is items for our grogs. Your specialty is jewelry, correct? A fine choice, in my opinion. He holds up his right hand, showing a ring made of multiple metals woven together. My talisman. Jewelry lends itself well to so many resonant materials and can be worn anywhere. A very flexible area to focus on. Anyway, items for grogs. The simplest ones would be rings invested with invisibility, Wizard's Sidestep, various influential Imaginem auras, or perhaps disguises using Imaginem or Corpus. Gift of Bear's Fortitude, animal transformations, or even flight would also be useful, though likely beyond even your skills at this point. Ah, and that leads me to my final suggestion.
You are technically a prospective member of our covenant. I don't anticipate any difficulty with your being accepted as a journeyman, but it won't hurt to spend these seven seasons making your sodales happy. Seeking opinions like this is a good place to start, especially from officers. For example, Arachne and Vibria are responsible for the defense of the covenant, though in different ways. I'm sure they both have further ideas for how you could make their jobs easier. However, there is one enchantment that is guaranteed to place you in our Pontifex's good graces. If at all possible, enchant a flying carpet. Carmen spent the last five years asking or even ordering Vulcanus to do so and he always refused. If you can give Carmen the flying carpet she's been seeking for so long, your elevation to journeyman status is all but assured.
Antoine is very amenable. Thank you. Ahh, this is a fine wine. You do well for yourselves here. Antoine chuckles. Reminds me of a scheme a couple of young mage friends of mine had for getting rich. They were going to take cheap wine, then use some simple Creo Aquam to make it of the finest quality, and sell it on. Of course, the magic would wear out - but if you made it last longer than the bottle would sit around, who cares? Heh. Don't think they ever did it, though.[sup]1[/sup]
Thank you for your concern over Isolde. I admit, it was a nasty fright. I think I do need to start considering magical ways of making sure she's all right, especially when she's still so new and isolated here. Your recommendations would be most welcome.
I like the way you think, Vocis! I must admit, I am not one for direct confrontation, but the idea of ghostly warders and such has my approval. That spiraling room idea? Genius. As you say, we can thrash this out with Arachne.
((I must remember that my talisman adds to spellcasting rolls...))
Ah, yes. Some of those ideas had crossed my mind. I especially like the idea of Invisibility or Sidestep for the frontline grogs. I'm sure we could come up with many imaginative uses of both Imaginem and Mentem for defensive purposes. Imagine if we could convince even a portion of an attacking force to forget why it's there, and decide to just go home!
Ah, hmm. A flying carpet, you say? Yes, Roberto mentioned that he'd like some more when we used it last season. He made a throwaway comment that he should get a Lab Text from Pyramids - I wonder if he ever did? Let me see, a flying carpet... wool, presumably, so Rego Animal. Not my best Form, by a long way, but still... I think it must be about a ... erm... 6th magnitude effect. It'd be close, but I think I could just about manage that. From a Lab Text, of course. Without one, it'd maybe take me a year, possibly more. But if it would advance my cause...
Tell me. You know Carmen. If I worked on the carpet, is she the sort of person who would appreciate being presented with the finished article as a surprise; or would she approve more if she knew it was being worked on?
[hr][/hr]
1: This is an actual scheme that some friends of mine tell me they used in an old ArM4 campaign...
I was RP'ing a discussion from Table Talk, where the alternative was quoted; calculation made it Level 30 with unlimited uses. Seems to match your numbers, but also have "Extra Weight" for +1.
Roberto's carpet is misstatted. It should be Base 1, +1 Conc, +2 unnatural, +1 speed, +1 carry a person, +1 extra weight, +1 extra stability; five levels maintain concentration, 10 levels unlimited use.
It is the premium deluxe version 
Ah, yes, welll, Roberto would need help being stable 
Seated in Vocis' office, Antoine sips his wine and ponders. All right, I have some good ideas for helping out the covenant. Now, about Isolde's safety; what spells would you recommend? I did notice a text for Summoning the Distant Image in your excellent library, but of course that is one-way only.