Winter Provence 1207: the tribunal

The crusader style swords in front all match each other of the same model.
"More crusaders than crusading magi, I sell one sword per year to mundanes through my Veditores, which helps with mundane funding. The nobles as well, when they come back from crusading want to arm their men with swords they are familiar with. I have sold a few though to the Templar magi as well, though most magi buying swords want a bit more originality to their design."

The dressmaker shakes her head "I will not teach an equal. If you seek my wisdom, even if just in a craft, then you acknowledge me as a teacher. Otherwise ask a grog to teach you."

Gerard will purchase two sets of sword and shield, crusader style, with defensive Qualities (+3 block single attack for the swords, +4 protection for the shields)

Is there chainmail available or does it have to be ordered? (he is looking for Quality of +7 protect wearer; assuming that adds to soak rolls, if not Defense.)

The swords and shield are available, nobody has chainmail on display, one of the armorers explains that most verditius with a high enough skill in the runes to make that have stopped making items of quality, but his previous instructor is capable if you can persuade him it is worth his time.

Gerard shrugs. "I take it just more vis is not sufficient? I don't know what else I have that he would want."

The man shrugs back "I could not say, and he is not here today, but if you are interested his name is Liberatus de Verditius, at the Overholt covenant. he redcaps can deliver your message with that."

Gerard repeats the name a couple of times to cement it in his memory, then goes on to mingle and wait for Tribunal to get underway.

The schedule begins with a discussion and debate on a response to the Church and it's actions against the Cathars. There is also a matter for deprivation of magical power against a Petre de Bonisagus, accused of killing the apprentice of Newman of Flambeau, Petre insists he was taking the apprentice for his own, but the lad chose to try and fight instead. There is also a case for interference with mundanes in which a conflict between a covenant and a local merchant was escalated due to the merchant having debts owed to them by a noble, which he offered to forgive in exchange for the noble interceding with the covenant.

Gerard is not a fan of Bonisagus apprentice thievery, much less from a Flambeau, so he intends to vote for censure, and will argue for it if opinion seems to be going the other way.

He is also a big proponent of covenant self-defense, and views the latter situation as one in which the covenant can't be blamed since they didn't bring the noble into the mix, and will argue accordingly.

Getting to these issues is an exercise in patience, as the entire first day of the tribunal hearings is spent debating how to handle the church and their oppression of Cathars, who make up a significant portion of the local population, as well as being covenfolk for multiple covenants. Some magi support joining the church in enforcing their dogma on an individual basis, other support defending the Cathars, pointing out that the Order's Mithras cult and other organizations could be targeted next. The loudest voices however seem to be arguing that non-intervention is the route required by the code, and that the Order should simply set this out.

Gerard is another proponent of the neutrality view. However, he will not speak, only vote, because he doesn't want to attract the attention of his estranged wife.

His wife speaks on behalf of supporting the church, but around midday she departs and is not seen again for the remainder of the conference.

When he realizes she is gone, he will check on the boys.

The boys are fine, and undisturbed.

He realizes he never did this, and should have, and gets a lock of hair from each of them; then heads back into the tribunal meeting.