((Cygna will go, but she still wants to hear/read the Pledge of Loyalty before she takes it.))
((not sure where Tek falls in this. He's not a member of GF, yet. He's voting for Blackthorn indpendently as a means of fostering his research...into what I dunno, yet.))
They aren't telling you in advance. They will line you up and say, "Repeat after me."
Sinmore is following along carrying the basket with the egg. "Where are we going now?"
((For the record, Sinmore gave her sigil up for the covenant's use, if they're voting to go with Blackthron and speak the oath, Sinmore's vote was for that as well))
Aulus ushers the magi of Duos Flumen along through the bowels of Blackthorn, with the aid of a grog. (The caverns are pitch black and only those with Faerie eyes can see their way.)
Aulus presses a sigil embossed into a stone door, and Iudicium answers it. "They've decided to accept our offer," Aulus announces.
"Rather late in the game for that, is it not? The offer expired last night."
"If you please, monsieur quaesitor, extend it anew?"
He relents, and permits the magi entrance. Within, Goliard and Draag are seated at a round table.
The magi of Gallus Florensis are lined up. "Repeat after me, with your name in place of my own," Iudicium says. "I, Iudicium scholae Guernicus," he pauses for your repetitions, "born Ioan ap Emrys," pauses again, "do hereby pledge my loyalty to the Blackthorn covenant." He pauses, waiting for it to be repeated. "Blackthorn's needs are my needs, her troubles are my troubles, her fortunes are my fortunes." He waits for it to be repeated.
Goliard says, "The aegis tokens we hand out to Tribunal participants will all crumble to dust after five days," she explains. "On that note, I revoke your invitations to enjoy the protection of our Aegis," and the magi feel their Parmae Magica being knocked down. Goliard then stands and hands everyone a silver coin embossed with a bear's head on one side and a mailed fost on the other. "I invite you to enjoy the protection of our Aegis, with these tokens which will not expire until the current Aegis does."
((Anyone with Mentem scores greater than 15 will feel their Form resistance repel an effect, during the time their Parmae are down. Those with less do not feel anything.))
"We will need your other members to come pledge their loyalty as well. We will provide Arcane Connections if desired. Any members you add within the next seven years will need to do so as well," Goliard states.
((Tektonius notices that Iudicium looks quite tired after the pledges are made.))
"Do we get new tokens annually, or is it just for this year?" Tektonius asks with a measure of academic curiosity.
When he gets away to discuss with the magi of GF, away from Blackthorn, "What just happened there? Did we just get something cast on us to compel our loyalty since my Parma was down and I can't even comprehend casting Bitter Taste of Betrayal, I haven't a clue. Did anyone else see how tired Iudicium looked? This was unexpected..."
"We will be happy to grand new tokens annually," Goliard states. "We cast our Aegis on the vernal equinox."
Cygna smiles and greets Draag politely.
She repeats the pledge, a little uncomfortably. This sounds suspiciously like it supersedes her Oath of Covenant, but she knows that Blackthorn would never do that. So, as long as Blackthorn's and Gallus Florensis's needs, troubles, and fortunes don't conflict, she should be fine. She thinks.
((Hunh...I didn't know that Aegis quashed Parma.))
Cygna scowls at this, but doesn't say anything at the time. She does make a note to talk to Draag at her earliest opportunity.
[color=red]"I did feel something dash itself against my knowledge of Mentem," Cygna says, [color=red]"but I doubt that they would do something so crass as to compel our loyalty. Perhaps something like Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie to be sure that we're not taking a false oath. I'm going to speak with my cousin as soon as I can to try to find out."
Sinmore seems unperturbed as she strokes the egg in the basket. "Didn't feel a thing. You think they'll have me kill anyone? That's what Geirlaug had me do until she released me from my oath to her."
Need I remind you that Iudicium, not a day and a half past, put Cygna on the stand and affected her with a severely invasive glamour spell to make her adore him and want to do anything to please him... When Frosty Breath would have sufficed.
[color=red]"Although, now that I think about it, Iudicium can be...a bit of a douche* sometimes," Cygna says, then crosses herself (Eastern style) and says a quick prayer of forgiveness for speaking ill of someone)
((*I have no idea how to say "douche" in medievalese.))
Less than an hour later, Tribunal reconvenes for voting. With Gallus Florensis' votes, Blackthorn ekes out a majority and all Fredegisa's proposals are overturned.
The next session then opens up. Iulia brings out conclusive proof that they registered GF's former vis sources legitimately, with triplicate registrations sent simultaneously to the Mercer House at GF, but also to the Mercer House at Fengheld, and to Magvillus. She declares that she has launched complaints of Mercere corruption with Magvillus, but Iudicium quashes it, stating that his brethren on the Magvillus Council have charged him with investigating those complaints and that his investigation is complete, with no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of the Redcaps of Stonehenge. Even with the overwhelming evidence against Gallus Florensis, the accumulated votes of GF, Blackthorn, Duos Flumen, and Nigrasaxa are sufficient to win the majority, and GF's vis rights are restored.
When the decision to go through with Blackthorn comes down, Iapetus will be silent, worried, and a bit perturbed.
Before saying the oath, Iapetus will want to know what the oath is (and will not be informed, damn.) The Iapetus will then ask, "If the oath is something I am unwilling to take, then what happens then? We are all magi, we are often creatures of many loyalties, and I cannot let myself be bound to conflicting desires, especially when there will be magical binding on the oaths. I am sure many of us will want to know what we're getting into, or at least knowing we can back out, even if it means leaving our covenant."
This part right here is where we're going to have a stopping point. Iapetus is going to want insurance that he isn't going to get bound to conflicting loyalties. He's read too many stories and legends about such things in his studies. He'll want to know what the price for being unable to fulfil the oath will be. After seeing the spells cast during the trial by Iudicium, he has NO doubts that there will be magical bindings attached to the Oath.
Iudicium says that the oaths will simply become a matter of Tribunal record.
The next day is set aside for charges and censure.
Rhodri, Attravere, Aequi and Sinmore are charged with depriving a magus of their magical power, but the charges are voted down.
There is more of a stir when the same four are charged with diabolism. Stellaluna of Bjornaer comes forth and gives testimony as to how she and Valten Flambonis were working to close a strange Divine regio, to trap an ancient evil the Flambeau had discovered was stirring out of a long slumber. The ritual was interrupted by the magi of Gallus Florensis, who intruded upon her sanctum and let the demon go free.
It seems that the charges are going to be simply voted down, but a foreign Redcap comes forth to give testimony. "I am Bereleyn bat Lieber, Redcap of Fengheld. We have been attacked by a demon matching the description of the one Valten Flambonis sought to seal away from our world. Horst is dead. Quaesitor Caecilius scholae Bonisagi is investigating the demon and anyone involved in its awakening. He will almost certainly wish to speak with these four magi. Perhaps the vote should be delayed, pending official Quaesitorial investigation." Iudicium quashes her suggestion, however, indicating that cross-Tribunal laws may allow Caecilius to investigate within Stonehenge and question British residents, but he holds no jurisdiction over the only tangentially related charges of wrongdoing. The charges against Gallus Florensis' magi are dropped, but there is a lot of outrage, and Blackthorn is now the least popular it's ever been.
Exactly what does that mean?
Sinmore seems a bit panicked at the charges and turns to her Covenmates. "When was this? Who brought these charges against us? Was it Valten?" she stops and tries to concentrate. "I...my memory is a bit incomplete about what happened that day...everything seemed to change after that..."
Generally it means that someone writes something down somewhere.
The case was presented by Trutina and the only witness was Stellaluna, as Valten hasn't been seen since he realized Scintilla wants to kill him and can legally do so until the next moon >.<