My saga is seeing a quaesitor-led expedition to Waddenzee covenant to investigate the claims that they deliberately target ships hired or run by Hermetic mages. Has anyone played/guided this story before and if so, got any ideas or words of wisdom?
thanks
I haven't played this, but it seems to me that you have to decide what the point of the investigation is.
a) have the Waddenzee magi broken the code by attacking/harming/etc other magi?
b) have they broken the code by interfering with mundanes?
Take a look at 'Lion & the Lily' about the raiding practices of Normandy magi - as long as they attack other magi's stuff, but without damaging their ability to do magic or actually harming them personally, they would be much better off as far as any investigation is concerned than attacking purely mundane ships, although even that would only be a problem if they 'bring ruin upon their sodales'. (Or could be outvoted enough at tribunal to be found guilty - in which case evidence or lack of it is not terribly important.)
For neophyte players (particularly if one is the (neophyte) quaesitor), it could be run to show how tribunal politics work: Yes, they find blatant evidence, but Waddenzee can't be prosecuted because they haven't broken the code!
Gilarius
Gilarius
thanks for the thoughts. The Quaesitor is a novice, more so as a player than as a character. We did the Rhine Tribunal in 1222, when Oculis complained yet again and ANOTHER Quaesitor (the PC) was ordered to be sent, which is why nearly 2 years later he's actually going. Waddenzee IS guilty under Rhine peripheral code, if not under that of Normandy (which is of course irrelevant).
I do indeed intend to make the evidence hard to find, and proving guilt even harder.
I was just am still wondering if anyone else had taken this GotF storyseed and run with it.
I'm still completely unsure of why Waddenzee are in the clear on the crime of 'Deprivation of Magical Power', when they steal another magi's magical books, vis and invested devices which are clearly stated as being part of the magi's power in HOH:TL. To me that means that the only theft they can get away with from other covenants ships is of entirely mundane goods, wealth and non enchanted ships.
The fact that no witnesses survived, and that no magi were on board seems to be stated as excuses. But that is only in terms of the mundane authorities aren't aware so no Endangering Sodales by bringing the wrath of the mundane on them. The magi victims have plenty of knowledge who performed the theft.
Confused here. 
Coming from a game where 'Wadenzee' is quite prominant, I can perhaps throw a few ideas into this mix
- If an Archmagus explodes in the forrest and no one sees it to make a formal charge, has a high crime been committed.
Simple answer.... no. Unless someone complains by means of formally publishing a case, then there is NO high crime
- Is seeing Believing
Again no. You need to Prove your point. Just because someone claims to have seen something does not make it so. Afterall a 3rd party could be framing Wadenzee... or Wadenzee could just be claiming it's a 3rd party.
- You can prove that Wadenzee did it...
Fair enough, at the next tribunal, wadenzee bribe or blackmail enough of the tribunal to find in their favour. Even if not, then they are probably ordered to hand the stuff back (maybe with a hefty fine) however if it's books, they could have copied them already, if it's magic items then they've already had use of them.....
A
Thanks for the useful input: I think some of the mundane pirates might be a good source of information about the events past.
The story has been sidetracked as, due to some very overt use of magic by a Flambeau (yes, PoF), the Quaesitorial party was refused further transportation on the ship they had taken passage on and they are now in Utrecht, looking for another ship.