Solomon is not Mr. Elastic, he just reads things as they are written, not how people want them to be read
And on this, he would disagree with Vocis. Sa Dragonera is by definition part of the Andorra covenant. If it were not, we would be required to provide sanctums for each journeyman at Andorra proper, which we are not.
So Solomon would argue that any policy that applies to sanctums at Andorra proper must also apply to Sa Dragonera sanctums. Now, he could stipulate that books may only be transported via magical gateways or teleportation so that they never leave "covenant grounds".
Is the problem with the wording of the policy (i.e. 'covenant grounds') or the policy itself (i.e. 'can't take books to Sa Dragonera without permission')?
The issue is that if you're going to allow magi to remove the books at the library and take them to their sanctums at Andorra proper, you must also allow magi to remove the books and take them to their sanctums at Sa Dragonerra. Otherwise you are not treating Sa Dragonerra as part of the covenant.
That's tough because of the the disparate nature of the quarters in the Balearics. What Lucas was planning on is doing what he would have done moving books for House Mercere (they know a lot about the book trade). He would take the gateway to Mallorca, then turn into a falcon (book and all) and fly straight to his lab, minimizing the chance of interruption in between the two places. That's what members of the Milvi Antiquiti do when they're moving books between covenants.
In fact, one of Lucas's jobs as Librarian (My understanding is that Lucas would gain the title "Librarian" while Vocis would become "Chief Librarian") could be to transport books to the other quarters from the gateway in Mallorca.
The only person who really causes a problem in all of this is Acutus, since his quarters are underwater.
All of the regios of Sa Dragonera are connected via magical gateways to a spot on Sa Dragonerra. This spot is connected to Andorra via a magical gateway (at least as I understand it). So everyone in Sa Dragonera can travel from Andorra to their sanctum via magical gateway.
Hmmm...if we're nitpicking, this only holds true if they can travel from the library to their sanctums without leaving the covenant grounds. If the Mercere Lodge is not considered to be part of the covenant, they can't access the portals without leaving the covenant, meaning they can't get the books to their sanctums without leaving the covenant. Teleportation would allow it, but I don't think any of them know Leap of Homecoming.
That is potentially a valid point if the Mercere Lodge is not considered at part of the covenant grounds AND the portal is in the Mercer Lodge. Are both of those true statements? I'm not clear on that.
Removal of books: Masters may remove books from the library for study, but may not remove them from the Andorra covenant grounds without permission from the Chief Librarian. Journeymen, pledges, and guests of the covenant are not permitted to remove books from the library without the permission of the Chief Librarian.
This doesn't change the reality of the situation at all (except in Kesara's case), but it avoids the question of what is and is not part of the covenant grounds in the case of journeymen.
Another option is to review the idea of an Exclusive "Master's" Library. Books from the exclusive collection cannot be removed from the library at all with out permission of the chief librarian, and access is restricted to Masters and those the masters allow.
The General collection could contain copies of everything, plus lesser quality books. These can be checked out and studied at home, be it here or there.
So I've reread what I believe is the "most final" version of the Redcap Quarter here. According to the follow on discussion between PB and Marko, it sounds to me like the Mercere Lodge is within the grounds of the covenant, covered by the covenant aegis, and they essentially "rent" the property. If that's the case, then what I proposed would work.
Looking at that thread, I can see that there were a lot of details we never fully hammered out or just handwaved. But yeah, I remember that is why Carmen made a stink about the Mercere having to pay some sort of rent in cash currency, symbolizing the fact that this is still our property. The Loge pays rent equal to 10% of their portal traffic income, converted and paid as silver. The portals and the property they are on belong to us.
So, now that we know all of that, Solomon's recommended rewording would be (note I also added a section for apprentices):
Removal of books: Masters and journeymen may remove books from the library for study, but may not remove them from the Andorra covenant grounds without the permission of the Master Librarian. Pledges and guests of the covenant are not permitted to remove books from the library without the permission of the Master Librarian. Apprentices may remove books from the library for study only within the confines of their masters' sanctum, and only upon endorsement from their master.
If Vocis feels the need to explicity mention Sa Dragonera, it could read:
Removal of books: Masters and journeymen may remove books from the library for study, but may not remove them from the Andorra covenant grounds without the permission of the Master Librarian. The Chapter House of Sa Dragonera and all associated Baelric Isles sanctums are considered Andorra covenant grounds and books may be transported to these locales for study via direct magical gateway or magical teleportation. Pledges and guests of the covenant are not permitted to remove books from the library without the permission of the Master Librarian. Apprentices may remove books from the library for study only within the confines of their masters' sanctum, and only upon endorsement from their master.
We could say that, though access to the library is unrestricted, no one can remove books to their sanctum without permission, unless they are a Master.
Solomon is fine with people removing books to their sanctum. But that's not really his call. He just wants to make sure the rules are consistent. And while making it Masters only works for now, what happens when a Master takes up residence in the Baelric Isles, or one of the journeymen out there becomes a master?
