Ionas spends a fair bit of time studying what the other children do. «Duh, Ioannes, are you going to spend all day tugging that old hag's skirts,» he says mockingly when he Leukothea steps away for a moment and he feels certain that she does not hear.
to Ionas "You will live for the next 14 years with your parens and the parens will responsible to protect you from other mage and to teach you how to use magic! In return you have to assist your parens to the best of your ability, at last so I heard."
«Duh ... all work and no play makes Ionnes a dull boy,» says Ionas before he runs away to look for something more exciting to do, just before Leukothea returns to Ionnes.
more mumbling to him self when Ionas moving away "Does he not feel the negative effects of the gift? I really envy him! I also would like to play around but all the negative emotions toward the other gifted when not protected ..."
Xene stands in front of the assembly nervously, then closes her eyes and silently prays, "Lord, please allow your perfect justice to guide these proceedings and my hand in them." [OOC: This is not a prayer for a miracle] and breathes deeply to calm her nerves feeling the touch of God holding her steady. Then speaking loudly that the whole assembly might hear,
"We have all heard the long-running rumors that Meghia deals with demons, how she has been accused time and again, escaping the justice of this body likely by the machinations of demons. but this time she has gone too far. By her own admission, while under the effects of Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie administered by me, she freed a demon from one who had bound them, allowing him to kill the summoner. Meghia also displayed a knowledge of the the limits of Frosty Breath of the spoken to call her testimony responses while under the effects of that spell into question. Dealing with demons is never acceptable but the possibility that this act could have brought the order to ruin was amplified because the sinner was not merely a sorcerer trucking with demons but a Patriarch of the Orthodox Church under his holiness the Patriarch of Constantinople. This flagrant disregard for the safety of all Magi of The Order must be punished. The first witness I would call is my master, Minos."
[Xene is using Artes Liberales as attack and Leadership as defense in the first round. Attack Roll 8. Rolled 0 on defense roll, unsure how many botch dice.]
you don't need a defense roll- this "opening round" is simply a matter of your attack and her defense, which determines whether or not it goes to sentencing, where archons will engage in full debate.
You finish your presentation and step down, to see a young man who seems equally nervous stepping up to follow you. He replies "Yes, many times we have heard the rumors that Meghia deals with demons, we know that the heritage of her line has a history of such, and may well have provided her with unusual knowledge of how to handle them. Knowledge that she is not merely well within her rights as a magus to withhold, but which serves the interest of the tribunal to not be shared, for if this knowledge were more universal, surely diabolism would be more widespread. But this suspicion comes not from her actions, but that of her heritage. If she were, in fact, to put all she knows into a tractatus, and share it with the whole tribunal, would that then make us all guilty of diabolism? Even the sisters of Oikous tou Eleous would come under suspicion of other tribunals. After all the diabolist, the only known diabolist in this case, which she defeated was a member of the clergy, ordained by the church. If knowledge alone is condemnation then would any of us escape condemnation if she were to publish such a tractatus? Set aside then, the rumors of blackguards and let us deal, instead, with the actual charges laid before the tribunal. Meghia acknowledges she released the demon, and also that she closed it's route from hell to return to the world. If sealing demons in hell is dealing with demons then every exorcist and banisher employed by the church is guilty of the same. She neither spoke with nor aided the demon.
So let us now consider the second charge- interfering with the mundanes. I could argue the technicality of that provision, thus bringing ruin on your soldales, and point out that what she did is not traceable to the Order. More fundamentally though, she did not interfere with a mundane. She interfered with a sorcerer, one practicing dark arts. She interfered explicitly with his magic, and he was ultimately killed by his own spells when he lost control of them."
The vote is taken, and Meghia is overwhelmingly found innocent of both charges. A shard is issued to the individual who brought the complaint, and the matter is closed. Minos informs you that despite the loss you argued well, and have passed your gauntlet. " The true importance was not in the outcome of the trial, but in your ability to see, and argue, both sides of the issue, including the aspect you did not agree with. Personally I agree with your original assessment, and feel that the verdict in this case was correct, but if you do end up arguing law before the tribunal you may not have the luxury of always arguing the side you agree with, and it is important to the process that you be able to do well whether you agree with the position you are called upon to present or not. Tomorrow I will give you the secrets that I have hinted at throughout your training, after you swear the oath publicly, so that you may comprehend your parma. Afterwards we shall discuss your future, and what your options are as guernicus, and possibly quaesitores."
Xene
"I did assume that, since both of us could not win the argument, success or failure was not the criteria. I do feel my argument fell flat and wish I had performed better despite agreeing with the verdict though that may be a glimpse of pride or envy which I do not wish to embrace. I am both excited and apprehensive to be out from under your wing, Minos. You have been a good and kind pater. I have some thoughts on where I might go initially... but that can wait until after the swearing of the code and everything else."
Apollon
Apollon quietly watches his Parens' chaotic horse trading with a keen interest, holding in the back of his mind that these sorts of tricks are ways to sow chaos and how they might be countered.
[OOC: I'm thinking of putting some of Apollon's XP into Intrigue and trying to think of a specialty in Intrigue more about defending against this sort of behavior than creating chaos but I'm unsure what it would be called. If anyone has any suggestions I'm open to them.]
That evening the gauntleted magi swear their oaths and are recognized as new citizens of the tribunal, taking their new names and revealing both their inherent sigils and being given their symbolic voting sigils, which are crafted on the spot by a Jerbiton magus, two being on hand, casting depending on whether the craft should be of wood or earth...
Xene’s inherent sigil is the sound of religious chanting though the words are unintelligible. In light of that she asks the sigil to be produced be a small statue of a nun singing in mostly white marble. Xene takes the name Iustina (yoo-steena) in memory of a fellow maga who stayed true to the path the Lord set for her.
Constantine takes the name Turpes ex Jerbiton.
His casting sigil is a sense of loss and melancholy.
He asks for a stone voting sigil, and asks to make it himself. The final sigil is the figure of a human man, misshapen and deformed, with a chain around its neck so it is a pendant.
go ahead and make a ReTe and finesse roll for your sigil, when you are done the redcaps make a recording not simply of the item but its arcane signature, so that it cannot be forged.
Minos takes Iustina aside after the ceremony and teaches her the remaining mysteries of Para (you now have 5 points into your parma ability) and discusses with her "Traditionally a newly gauntleted Guesrnicus is a quaesitor, which has different meanings in Thebes than other tribunals, as we have discussed. Due to the fact that Quaesitors in Thebes have less power over their fellow magi and use a different language, Magvillus is much more understanding of Quaesitors who choose to remain in this tribunal, but if you wish to travel a reassignment can be requested through Magvillus. I will also advise you that as a Quaesitor your primary source of tokens will come from advice you give, either in tribunal or to individuals. I would suggest developing a focus that will draw the attention of those interested in such advice, as I assume from the time we have spent together that you have no interest in becoming a hoplite. You have clear strengths and interests that I believe will help you in developing such an expertise. Finally I want to point out that while you are free to renounce the position of Quaesitor you should not do so lightly, a Quaesitor is more, and especially in Thebes than a mere judge or prosecutor of the code, but a recognized specialist in the rules which bind the order together. Now, having said all of this, what is your desire?"
Final Casting total is 10+1/2 aura which should be sufficient for Mom/Touch/Ind working stone.
Got an 11 on finesse.
"Following the Tribunal I would like to go on Pilgrimage to Antioch and Jerusalem," Xene begins, "but, after that, I discussed with Theocharista of Jerbiton joining her at Oikos tou Eleous. I believe I have some things to learn from her or her sister though I am unsure how long I would stay in Thessaloniki and whether I would choose to petition them to become a full member of their covenant. Speaking of legal specialties, the topics which interest me most are church relations, as a subset of mundane interference, or dealing with Infernalists within the order. I think you are correct though that my particular skills and interest in these things are not in the vein of a Hoplite, more a legal scholar or investigator. Except for the pilgrimage, I see myself at home here in this tribunal but one never knows what trials God will place before us or what sort of new thinking those experiences will create."
"Very well, I will write to Magvillus and explain that you are going on a pilgrimage post gauntlet and that you are putting off the decision until after that date, and that you wil write to them to let them know your decision. I wish you luck on your pilgrimage."
Xene
"Would it be best to have the message delivered to Thessaloniki where I will receive it upon my return or would a detour to Polyaigos on my way back be better?"
"I will indicate that you are expected to return to Thessalonika, though you might check in the covenant of Acre along your journey in case they send a response there."
8xp for all participants.
Xene/Iustica gets 1 confidence, Constantine/Turpes gets 2 confidence, Ionas gets 1 confidence, Ioannes gets 1 confidence, Apollon 0
Tx. Summer season?
OoH Lore 5, Area Lore 3 if that's ok.
I go with OoH Lore 4 exp and Classical Greek 4 exp for Ioannes (means 2 season of practice could bring Classical Greek to 4)
Edit: @silveroak Do you plan to play out the arrival at Aegaea? Wondering because of the "plays" arranged by Lucian.
Yes, summer season, I had not planned to play out the arrival at Aegaea.