Agreed. I'm rather lost as to what the headcount is now as well. Are the new players starting as covenant members for example? I don't recall.
An official count and tally of what we need would be helpful. And, in my laziness, it does seem easier to ask the GM here than delve through the archives. 
We do have a charter. I wince at the idea of writing it out. The old original charter is simple in style, followed by a set of Old Laws that used to govern the covenant (with all the weird bits like membership staus and odd titles), which have been replaced by the new By Laws that we operate under. It is complicated, and involves cerimonial rigmarole and yadda yadda yadda. I can make it more complicated if you want. As it is right now, everything is effectively majority rule of a council of equals. There are quirks and exceptions, but they are few and played down.
The new players are not starting as members. They can apply though. I don't think you need many votes, 3 or 4 maybe, and I don't know of anyone who opposes either of you. However, Carmen will pout and insist she gets to be a member also.
I understand completely the desire to operate under the KISS principle. My only critique of that is that the lack of definition can make it harder for the legalistic and scheming types to have loopholes or firm rules to wield/hide behind.
I gladly would bow the troupe's desire in this instance. Arguments over charters can kill games, and that would not be good. 
Actually, it would help if someone had a copy of a super old charter laying around. Something for an old covenant from an earlier edition. I can use that as a template and go from there.
Something I wrote a few years ago for an old PBEM game I was in that regrettable died. It may be a bit more exhaustive and 'traditional' or whatnot for some people. It may also not jive with the new code material from true lineages in some places, I don't recall and haven't reviewed it since that books release.
Charter of the Covenant of the Council of Lorethmaar, founded in month of X of the year X in the Age of Aries, the year 1015 in the month of Y by the reckoning of Mundanes. Established lawfully under the Code, in the Tribunal of Stonehenge, we claim as our lawful demesne the grounds within the following bounds. Bounds to be marked thus X, Y, Z.
Lorethmaar shall be a Covenant established in the spirit of strength and growth. In that spirit it's purpose shall be the furtherance of the Knowledge and Power of it's Members and the Order of Hermes at large. The foremost Duties of the Council of Lorethmaar shall be the protection of it's Membership, the Unified Furthering of All of Their Interests, and the Maintenance of the Code in it's constituency.
May the Covenant of Lorethmaar thus grow Hale and Strong, and so doing further the Order.
No Magus not a Member in Good Standing of the Order, not Having a Lawfully Acknowledged Sigil in Keeping with the Traditions of Their House, nor Approved by a Unanimous Vote of the Council of Lorethmaar shall be admitted into the Status of Full Membership in the Council. Any applicant for Membership must be Sponsored by an existent member in good standing with the Council.
Magi may deal with and decide to Sponsor any Magus of the Order of Hermes, of a lawfully acknowledged House, for any reason they see fit not to be judged or impugned in their prerogative by any other Member of the Council in this matter.
It shall be the clear understanding that acceptance into the Council of Lorethmaar shall be akin to an Oath of Fealty. Lorethmaar shall have accepted the Magus into it's Brotherhood, acknowledging the duties therefore placed upon them, and so shall the gaining Magus acknowledge that his new Brotherhood is in turn owed duties as well.
Membership in the Council of Lorethmaar may only be revoked in response to the Conviction of a Magus in question for High Crimes against the Code. This requires a Unanimous Vote of all Other members of the Council. It is highly encouraged that such proceedings be presided over by a Quaesitor to advise the Council, in it's function as a Minor Tribunal, to be in keeping with established precedents in the Code. This decision shall be the Declaration of that individual's Renegade Status. Such a decision shall, in the traditions of Minor Tribunals, be the lawful declaration of Wizard's March for their High Crimes. Their Strength and Knowledge shall be reclaimed for their Covenant and thus for the Order.
May the Covenant of Lorethmaar thus grow Hale and Strong, and so doing further the Order.
In the event of a Member being convicted of a Low Crime against the Code, the Council of Lorethmaar reserves the right to level additional punitive means against such a delinquent member for the damage done unto their Dignitas by association. The Penalty leveled shall be by assent of the Majority of the Council, other than the offending Magus. It is highly encouraged that such proceedings be presided over by a Quaesitor to advise the Council, in it's function as a Minor Tribunal, to be in keeping with established precedents in the Code.
All Matters of Mundane Justice and Jurisprudence shall be categorized as to High and Low Crimes. This codex of Mundane Criminal Law and Precedent shall be the Seneschal's duty to maintain, under the guidance of the Council. Low Crimes shall be judged by the Seneschal. High Crimes shall be judged by the Council. Appeals from the decisions of the Seneschal may rise to the Council. If the Council affirms the decision of the Seneschal the penalty he mediated will be doubled if possible as a further penalty to the Offender for drawing the Magi from their Studies. If it is impossible to double a given penalty the Council will decide and affirm by a majority vote an additional penalty. If the Council overturns the judgment of the Seneschal, the penalty is waived for the Accused and an immediate vote of confidence for the sitting Seneschal must be called for. Passing the vote of confidence is a matter of a simple majority vote. Failing vote of confidence necessitates a new vote for the establishment of Seneschal. The sitting Seneschal may very well be re-established at this time.
Conviction in the case of a High Crime is a matter of majority vote. Penalty to be established upon conviction of a high crime is the purview of the Primus, to be ratified by the Council by majority vote. The Primus may not place forth the same proposition repetitively and so eliminate the effect of ratifying his judgment. As a Covenant of Magi, exile is forbidden as a penalty. There is too great a risk to the Covenant at large to allow a known person of low moral fiber and yet intimate knowledge of us to be sent forth with such a reason to do us ill.
Offenses committed by a Magus against the Mundane Vassal of another Member are offenses against the property of that Magus. The offended Magus is entitled to payments of damages, making good the damage caused plus a penalty, and if applicable a replacement of his Vassal from the constituency of the Offender. A Magus' conduct towards his own Mundane Vassals is his own affair, not to be interfered with by the Council. A vassal slain by a Magus outside of the proper jurisprudence of the convened council shall count as a damage against the covenant unless substantiated and the explanation accepted by a two thirds majority of the Council.
No member of the Council may lawfully relinquish their membership, and the duties thereof, without the unanimous assent of the Council of Lorethmaar, and the payment of forfeiture to be determined by the Council at such an unfortunate time. The Gains of the Individual partaking in Membership should be repaid to those who remain Loyal. No Member shall be allowed to relinquish their membership in a shorter span than ten years.
Concerning the Powers and Duties of the Council
The Provincia of the Council begins where the individual rights and prerogatives of the Magi of the Covenant End. The Council in no way may interfere in the individual affairs of a given Magus, so long as those affairs are conducted within the bounds of the Code. A Magus may not abuse his right to autonomy to neglect his duties unto his Brothers. The Council of Lorethmaar reserves the right to require Service from All of the Members, for the good of the Covenant at large. Such required service shall be evenly dispersed in burden, and in accord with a Council Directive. It shall not be seen as an excuse for younger Membership to exact superior works from the elder, and so disrupt their studies.
Disputes regarding personal matters, of irrelevancy to the Council, between Members may be settled by Certamen.
Access to the communal Covenant Stores of Vis, Invested Devices be they Major or Minor, or resources mundane, shall only come with the assent of a majority vote from the Council of Lorethmaar.
The Affirmed Directives of the Council of Lorethmaar, Lawfully arrived at by a Majority Vote of the Council, shall establish the priorities for Labor, and Resources both Mystical and Mundane. It is only in compliance with such a Lawfully Affirmed Directive that the Council may Compel Service from it's Membership. In the keeping with the Founding Spirit of the Covenant, such Directives are to be established with the Priority of Establishing, Maintaining, and Furthering the Knowledge and Power of the Council of Lorethmaar. It is the Council's prerogative, in keeping with the Code, how best this may be achieved.
The Council shall meet, at a minimum, once every Five Years in it's entirety to discuss and determine the status of new and past Directives, or to deem them complete. It is within the purview of the council at such times as a Directive is deemed complete above and beyond the service that was called for to reward such efforts and works on the behalf of the covenant by their members as they see fit. Such exceptional rewards should be affirmed by a majority vote of the council.
In the Compelling of Service, each member of the Council of Lorethmaar shall be expected to give or provide an equal portion of a given Task. The Lawfully expected service from a given Magus within a one year span should not exceed a Season. Should a Magus undertake a task which requires Vis, for the benefit of the Covenant, in accord with a Directive, that Vis should be provided by the Covenant's own Stores. Should Magus undertake a task, which by it's nature requires more than a single season to complete, such as the construction of a Golem, than his Service shall be counted complete for as many years ahead as extra Seasons were required of him to complete his given Task.
All Matters Concerning Diplomacy with Other Covenants or the Order at Large are solely the purview of the Council of Lorethmaar in it's entirety, and may not be undertaken by any individual Magus, unless authorized by the Council. Any decision reached by such a delegate must by ratified by the Council upon their return. Magi remain free to deal with others externally in matters that concern them alone and not the Covenant as they see fit without answering to the Council in any regard.
The Council may Declare Any Person, Organization, or Entity an 'Enemy of the Council'. No entity such declared may be dealt with by any Member of the Council in any fashion save a violent one, within the bounds of the Code. No Such Entity shall ever be allowed within the bounds of the Covenant Aegis, mush less given an invited Status, by any Member. Any Such an Act of collusion would be considered a High Crime. To Declare an Enemy of the Council requires a two thirds Majority Vote, and then necessitates written notification of the declared party within two seasons. Rescinding an Individual as an 'Enemy of the Council' requires a unanimous vote of the Council. Any Hostilities must await the written notification.
The Council may Declare Any Person, Organization, or Entity an 'Ally of the Council'. This shall necessitate written notification of the declared party within two seasons. No Member may then initiate any manner of hostilities or harassment of such a declared individual without this Status first being rescinded This also shall necessitate written notification of the declared party within two seasons. The rescinding of such a Status shall require a two thirds majority vote.
The Council, by unanimous vote, may alter or dissolve this Charter in any way it sees fit.
On the Structuring of the Council, and Offices thereof
A meeting of the Council has no right to make decisions unless there is the necessary quorum, which shall consist of at least half the living members of the Covenant. Without such quorum, no decisions can be made. Matters which are not time sensitive must be deferred to the next meeting of quorum or at worst to the next full meeting of the council in it's entirety. Matters of Emergency or Immediate Import may be decided as necessary, subject the review and revision of a meeting with quorum. Decisions of the Council in it's Entirety may only be overturned by a similar meeting of the Council in Entirety, not by a lesser meeting of Quorum.
The Primus of the Council shall be appointed by at least a two thirds Majority vote. The Primus shall preside over council meetings, having the authority to structure the meeting and the order and precedence of topics to be discussed. The Primus will call and count the votes when and how they see fit. The Primus' may vote on all matters, just as any other member, with the exception that should there ever be a tie in council matters of simple majority, a lacking of one vote to achieve a two thirds majority, the Primus may elect to cast a second deciding vote. They are not however compelled to do so. Removal of a sitting Primus requires a unanimous vote, excepting the sitting Primus.
The Warder of the Council shall be appointed by at least a two thirds Majority vote. The Warder shall be entrusted to perform regular inspections of the grounds and demesne of the Covenant when not occupied with their own studies. This shall be at minimum one season of each year, and shall fulfill their obligations for Service save in exceptional circumstances. Their concern is not Mundane Security, yet Mystical. Their provincia shall be that of ensuring that all manner of mystical defenses of the Council shall always be in state of good repair, kept hale and strong. The removal of a Warder requires a two thirds vote, excepting the sitting Warder.
The Keeper of the Council shall be appointed by at least a two thirds Majority vote. The Keeper shall be entrusted with the proper care and maintenance of the Covenant's Library and Magical Resources. The accounting and caretaking of all Magical Resources, to include Tomes, Vis, and Invested Devices of both Major and Lesser power falls under this auspice. The Security to be provided for these possessions shall be a divided Provincia between the Keeper and the Warder. In any such matter where the two cannot reach a consensus, the Council Primus shall mediate and his mediation shall be binding. Removal of a sitting Keeper requires a two thirds vote, excepting the sitting keeper.
The Seneschal of the Council shall be appointed by at least a two thirds Majority vote. This officer is to be chosen from amongst the mundane Covenfolk of the Covenant, to speak for them and voice their concerns to the Magi at Council meetings. Their duties shall be to enforce mundane Directives amongst the Covenfolk and to see to the mundane Security of the Covenant. These duties shall be divided, One Season to be spent upon security, a second upon seeing to the needs to the Covenfolk at large. In all things the Seneschal shall be treated as Apprentice to the entire Council, befitting status and respect to opinion thereof, yet not to be confused as the status of a Full Magus. Accordingly, as an Apprentice by Honor, the Seneschal is not allowed a council vote. They do however have the right to speak on any matter the council discusses, and may not be censured for their voiced opinions in any way, to include loss of Office. In matters where the Seneschal's Directives for Mundane Security conflict with the Warder's Directives for Mystical Security, the Primus shall mediate and his mediation shall be binding. Removal of a sitting Seneschal requires a majority vote.
No mundane other than the Seneschal shall attend Council meetings unless invited to do so by the Council. Mundanes invited to attend do not count for quorum, may not vote, and may not address the Council save at it's invitation. The Seneschal has authority to both invite such an individual to attend, and to invite them to speak on a matter. Under such circumstances the Primus shall not allow Hermetic matters to be discussed. The only exception shall be if such matters are what the individual is present to testify concerning.
Any individual may abdicate their Council Office at will, without repercussion, for any reason.
Privileges and Rights of the Membership
Membership on the Council confers directly the right to attend, call, and vote within Council meetings as the individual's Station and Office allows. Any effort to abridge these rights shall be seen as a High Crime against all other members. Attendance is not compulsory save at the mandated five year council meetings which dictate the Council must meet in it's entirety.
A Member of the Council is entitled to an equal share from any Registered and Communally administered Sources of Vis, as detailed in the section of this document describing the apportioning of resources. Any abridging of this right shall be seen as a High Crime against all other members, in the province of the denying or damaging of another Magus' magical power.
Once every two years the Keeper shall present a tally of the amount of Vis collected since the last accounting and the amount present in the Covenant stores. They shall also declare the amount available for personal use, that sum to be arrived at according to their own discretion, though not to exceed half that which has been collected in that time nor a fifth of all within the Covenant stores, whichever is greater. Any member who declares their intention openly shall be free to take what Vis they desire from the available pool. Disputes may be resolved by Certamen. The Council has the right to reserve Vis if there is a shortage or special need, and to deal with each type of Vis separately or the whole collectively if it so desires.
All Members are entitled to protection without question from any mundane threat. In accordance with the Code this is not a license to interfere with Mundanes, and should this protection be abused, the offending party will be censured by the council as the Code dictates. Yet in the same light, nor do the Mundanes have any right to interfere with the Covenant, and the Council of Lorethmaar reserves the right defend it's Members from Mundane aggression.
Any attack or violation committed against a single Member, or group of Members not consisting of the entirety, of the Council shall be viewed as an act committed against the Whole and responded to accordingly. Should an individual Member be targeted by a Wizard's War, In the Same Breath shall the Council declare it's intent to defend it's Brother. Exception to this shall be allowed for a Member suffering the fallout of a High or Low Crime they have committed. Any Wizard's War to be Declared by an individual member must first be presented to the Council of Lorethmaar to judge it's merits. Should the Council Lawfully Affirm it's Merits, all Members must aid the Declaring Member in some fashion in during it's prosecution, and testify at any subsequent Tribunal that the Council did find the Cause Sufficient. Should the Council Deny the Merits of a given Declaration, the Member is free to prosecute the matter on their own, unsupported as is lawful. It shall be the Council's duty to testify at any subsequent Tribunal that they found the Cause Wanting.
All Members have equal Rights to Access the Communal Library. No Magus may keep a Tome requested by another for a term greater than two seasons, after which time they must surrender possession for no less than an equal two seasons. Disputes over Library Rights may be settled by Certamen, though Certamen may not be abused to allow a Magus to retain possession of a desired Tome for greater than two seasons at a time. It may however allow a Magus to place himself before others in the list of any who desire a given Tome.
All Members have a right, and indeed a duty, to be present during the Ritual of the Aegis. Each Magi may present, have affirmed, and possess to use as they see fit two tokens for use in inviting parties into the Aegis. No Magus may question the use of another's tokens, save by attempting to have declared an individual as an Enemy of the Council. Presentation by an individual of one of an absent Magus' Tokens at a Council meeting shall infer that the bearer speaks for the absentee. Presentation of such a token, in a time of emergency, is sufficient for a non-member to call a session of the Council.
Any magical item that a Member wishes to sell, they must first offer to the Covenant Council for purchase to aid the Covenant as a whole, then Unto the Primus, Then the Keeper, and then Warder for purchase and personal use. Remaining members should be consulted in precedence of Age. Only after these offers have been met and refused may a Member sell magic outside of the Covenant. Exception to this policy shall be allowed for commissioned work that would not otherwise have been created. The Keeper is responsible for enforcing this measure.
Members of the Council may declare any given individual or creature to bear either the status of 'Protected' as it pertains to them. This officially only requires the formal declaration at a Council meeting of quorum. Ideally to be repeated to those not present during the next meeting of the Council in it's entirety. A Protected individual or creature may not be meddled with in any manner by any other Member of the Council without the leave of the Magus affording 'Protection'. Disputes of private interests involving the right of protection and conflicting affairs may be settled by Certamen.
On the division and apportionment of Resources
Any properly registered Vis Source, administer communally, shall have the collection of it's yield assured and protected by the Council. Any secret or private sources of Vis, kept apart and not registered unto the Council, are not protected, nor sponsored in Tribunal during disputes by the Council.
The Yield of Registered Sources of Vis, as befits their communal protection and collection, shall be apportioned. One fifth of all such resources' Yield shall go foremost into the Covenant's communal stores, to be rounded down. After this portion the remainder shall be divided evenly amongst the Members, with any unmanageable remainder being halved as best it may. One half of the remainder shall go again into the Covenant's stores, and the other with any lingering remainder shall be awarded to the Primus of the Council with the expectation that his works on the behalf of the Covenant shall be all the more mighty.
May the Covenant of Lorethmaar thus grow Hale and Strong, and so doing further the Order.
Mundane Resources and Monies shall be divided similarly, After the necessities of the Members and Covenfolk have been attended to, all Profits will then be apportioned in the same fashion as above.
The Covenfolk and Turb shall be divided in a similar manner. All shall wear the livery of the Council, and Swear their Oath of Fealty. One Fifth shall remain no further distinguished and in the Service of the Council in it's Entirety. The remainder shall be apportioned to the Magi as their Personal Guard, to wear any additional livery or insignia as they see fit, not to disrupt the Council's livery or insignia which shall take precedence. All Magi may command guardsmen in the service of the Council, though not to countermand any directive of the Council in it's entirety without dire need, and explanation. No Magus may command the guardsmen in the service of another, nor countermand their orders, without similar dire need and explanation to the Council. Treatment of Covenfolk and Turb in the service of a specific Magus shall lay entirely within their own judgment, not to be abridged by the Council without dire need and explanation... not a circumstance that can exist in perpetuity.
A Magi's Private Endeavors may be assisted by their own Turb and Grogs as they see fit, within the bounds of the Code. Should such private endeavors lead to the Death of any Turb or Grog they shall not be replaced save after five years, as a penalty to the reckless Magi who employed them. Any such loss deemed particularly damaging to the Covenant as a whole may result in censure or penalty levied by the Council. To pass such a measure will require a majority vote.
All Members are entitled to an equal share of the Land that lies within the Covenant's Demesne, and shall not abridge the Private demesne of another Member without leave, or dire need with explanation before the counsel. This shall not be construed as an extension of properly marked and identified Sancta, nor restrict the free travel of any member within the Demesne of the Covenant.
cool. I promise no immediate results. But i will tinker something together.
There is a charter in the Covenant book appendices, methinks.
Change of topic:
Who is still there? I am asking because I thought there was a fairy story starting which never did. So there is a council sitting and I have no clue who is actually sitting (what about our poor nonsense-talking comrade? Who is there?)
Decimus is at the council.
We are all still here. The faerie story was never resolved due to summer vacation confusion. Viola is still unable to communicate properly, but she is being discrete about it. I want to get the meeting over with and start new chapters 
After the meeting is done, I will move on to a new chapter. There is talk of a few magi taking a trip to Barcelona. Who is interested in this? I suggest Inigo and Lejla at least, one is our nominal leader and the other is a Recap that can facilitate much of the mundane interaction. Who else? I suggest half of you go on the trip and half of you stay here for the ever forewarned and yet to begin Faere Story 
Octavian is at the council. He will like to pursue the investigation on val-negra so will likely join the troupe heading to Barcelona.
So far, who remains among the magi period and not just the council? We've had a bit of player turnaround so it's somewhat confusing.
I believe that our numbers now include Antonio Perez of Flambeau, Rodrigo of Mercere, Xalbador of Flambeau, Octavius of Tremere, Dimir Taar of Verditius, Marie of Tytalus, and Viola of Merinita. Guest members include Carmen Perez of Flambeau, Decimus of Mercere, and Lejla of Mercere (I forgot Lejla, sorry!). Then there is also Ludovico of Tytalus, and Vare of Flambeau, visiting PC magi, and Fuego the npc visitor.
a charter write up is indeed forthcoming. I haven't had time to get to it lately. Be paitent, it is coming
I’ve been moving this past week. I’ll throw my hat into Chapter 3 tomorrow, but I have to both go to bed and catch up on the last few pages.
Guys,
I think Marko's done a great job in kicking off so far, but things are getting pretty busy so we all need to pitch in as a Troupe to make this work, particularly as the complexity rises through unfolding of the different plot elements and as the result of the excellent role-playing we've seen so far.
OK, looks like there are a few points of housekeeping to sort out, while Marko gets ready for the Chapter 4 threads and the Council winds up. I'm reasonably busy for the next week or 2 but I should be able to do some more behind the scenes development work etc to keep things moving and ease up the workload for Marko.
Let's all be patient - there will be something for everyone in these next threads and any input will no doubt be appreciated by all.
Let's take the opportunity to put the "house" in order a bit so we can all continue enjoying this most excellent Saga!
Can everyone try and address the following:
Vortigern, don't worry about all the spirits just yet - we'll sort that out when we get a bit more time, but we really need main character details up. I've almost got my head around the rules in Rop:Magic so I should be able to help generate Valkien & Co quickly enough but if you can email me where you're up to with your coterie of spirits.
https://forum.atlas-games.com/t/character-sheets-supporting-cast/3141/1
If you could also move the final version of the Jewish bonesetter here that would be great as it's too hard to find him in the 50+ pages of development.
If Scott gets a chance can he post the link to his 2 grogs here also.
I suppose Alessandro (Carmen's brother) should be move here but let's leave him where he is for the moment till I get round to tidying things up.
I'll concoct a brief summary of Barcelona shortly for those departing covering what people would know - it looks like the only character going to Barcelona with reasonable Iberia Lore or Order of Hermes Lore that would cover Barcelona Octavius (if we discount Rodrigo and Carmen, who is staying behind). I can't remember Leijla's scores, so all the more reason to have her posted thanks.
In the meantime note it is a Jerbiton run covenant that is highly integrated into mundane society so you're not going to be able to just rock up and throw PoF around without consequence or challenge - a fact Octavius should be aware of as a Quaesitor. Rodrigo's son, Florenzo is a junior member of Barcelona and filius of one of the covenant's now deceased elder members, Louis of Jerbiton, something which should be reasonably common knowledge amongst all the members that have been here for some time (Inigo, Octavius, Marie, Dimir Taar, Carmen) and would be known to Decimus. It is unlikely that any of you would have actually met Florenzo except perhaps Leijla the Redcap and he's not necessarily going to be well disposed to any of you unsophisticated Pyrenean weirdos...
I'd note that none of the magi who've volunteered so far are Gently Gifted which will be a bit of an issue. Ludo (Blatant Gift) and even Octavius are pretty creepy, so you should all think about an accompanying grog, even Inigo/Xalbador. Someone separate should probably play Leijla since JeanMichelle has declined - perhaps Fixer as Dimir Taar is likely to stay at home and hasn't committed to either thread?
I suspect Octavius may wish to be accompanied by Marjolaine and play her as an extension, in which case some basic stats would help.
The default "shield grog" should be a member of the Andorran Guard and would suit Inigo but each of the players is welcome to develop a bit more personality than the standard template, either in play or through designing a short character sheet.
Ludo may be assigned a "shield grog" perhaps more to keep an eye on him than anything else as his usual servants are a bit more unusual, although if you want to "flesh out" the Terram aligned Jinni manservant you used in your introductory scene with "Donning the Corporeal Veil", he would be an interesting and appropriate travelling companion...
Scott's already developed his 2 personal grogs, and JeanMichelle has his bonesetter but those that stay behind may want to help by thinking about some of the covenfolk a bit more - a couple of Andorran guardsmen might be a good place to start. It might be helpful if Max fleshes out a few of the Mercere staff, now that he's got a bit more feel for the history of Andorra and Rodrigo's legacy/philosophy.
I have trouble keeping track of the forums during the week due to access issues (in process of resolving) so feel free to email me at:
if you want any suggestions/help with things.
Cheers,
Lachie
My comments on the vision and the Inigo/Octavian friction from Ch 3:
I disagree. “A creature of fire†is very open to interpretation. If Octavian was not entirely factual in his account of the vision to the council (ie he glossed over that Khyron was never actually seen in the vision), then Inigo might have reacted differently, but the impression I got from your post was that Octavian was trying to be as impartial as possible. Water under the bridge now, I guess.
Inigo views Octavian’s continual invocation of Grandmaster Perez as dismissive of him and his leadership, and Octavian’s concerns about Rodrigo (justified or not) add fuel to the fire. His use of language and strict adherence to procedure come across to Inigo as patronizing, pedantic, and scheming, especially in the give the relaxed command structure of Andorra. Viewed objectively, this is probably pretty standard Tremere stuff, but Flambeau aren’t always known for their objectivity, especially when angered. Anything that threatens his daughter is, of course, bound to rattle his cage as well.
Just wanted to make myself clear. I’m actually loving all this tension.
I love it to, as long as everyone is enjoying it. And actually, I see this as part of the classic Tremere/Flambeau didactic. They are both war-like houses, but they each interpret and manifest that aspect in totally different ways. Tremere focuses on unity and hierarchy, not necisserilly a bad thing (though we Yanks do chaff against such concepts). Flambeau focuses on the strength of the individual warrior, and emphisizes rugged indipendance. These are not absolure though. Tremere magi make sure to pull their individual weight, as in the logistic tradition of maintaining personal provisions. Flambeau magi draw upon the strength of their fellows quite often.
The conflict seems natural to me, not forced or artificial. And yet, considering the actual nature of the characters, very refined and mature as well. Octavius should bear in mind that Xalbador was chosen as Commander because of his dedication to honor and loyalty, and because he is probably the fiercest and most versitile warrior magus amongst all of you. Octavius on the other hand is indeed a natural leader. He earned his place here because he is a veteran of the Shadow Wars. That is how he gained his Prestige and Quaesitor status.
Having said all of that, I can't imagine that we can get more value out of beating Chapter three to death. Let us carry on. Meeting is over. Keep the tension for a story device if you want. I can see it being a very useful tool for stories 
How about Decimus and the others? Did we get membership?
Octavius blocked membership voting for now. The issue will have to be taken up in our summer meeting. In the mean time, I suppose you would be wise to work on making an alliance with Rodrigo and cozying up to Octavius.