Valeria presents her proposed Charter
After Valeria finishes speaking, she reaches for an elegantly-crafted silver scroll case which dangles from her girdle. Uncapping the case, she removes several sheets of parchment and, still rolled, holds them aloft before the assembled magi.
"I have drafted a proposal for our covenant charter which I would like to present for your perusal. My proposal covers the many details that I feel we must be concerned with. Though it is extensive, it is not exhaustive, and there may be many points I have not covered, or not covered in sufficient detail. However, I believe this to be a good basis with which to initiate our discussions."
Valeria unrolls the parchment and places it upon the table before the magi.
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A PROPOSAL for the CHARTER of the COVENANT of TENEO
ARTICLES
Article I – Oath
Article II – Dedication & Disclaimer
This Charter for the Covenant of Teneo is hereby established as the legal and binding document to which all Members shall take oath, in which all rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities shall be outlined. No other benefits, inferred or implied, shall be guaranteed by the Covenant or its Senate.
This Charter does not supersede the Code of Hermes or the Peripheral Code. Where any condition, stipulated or implied, is found to contest the Code of Hermes or the Peripheral Code, the stipulated or implied condition shall be disregarded.
Article III – Membership
Section I – Good Standing
All Members of the Covenant must be in good standing with the Order of Hermes and the Rhine Tribunal. Any Member no longer in good standing with the Order of Hermes or the Rhine Tribunal shall automatically and immediately be expelled from the Covenant. Should Wizard’s March be justly declared upon a Member by a legally convened Tribunal, all Members of the Covenant shall vigilantly march against the expelled member.
A Member is in good standing with the Covenant and entitled to all rights, permissions, and benefits unless explicitly declared not in good standing by the unanimous consent of the Senate, exclusive to the Member. No Member may be declared not in good standing without the Senate acknowledging the Member’s transgression, punishment, and actions necessary to redeem the Member’s standing.
A Member not in good standing with the Covenant is still subject to all duties, responsibilities, and obligations.
Section II - Applicants
Membership shall not be restricted by House affiliation, Hermetic lineage, or Gild allegiance.
Membership shall not be granted without the unanimous consent of the Senate.
The Senate may enact requisites for membership for each applicant on an individual basis. Each Member of the Senate may establish one or more requisites. Successful fulfillment of a Member’s requisites shall constitute consent on the part of that Member. All requisites for membership must be established and consented to by the applicant before the applicant is expected to fulfill any requisite.
Section III - Expulsion
No Member in good standing with the Covenant shall be expelled from the Covenant.
Any Member declared not in good standing with the Covenant shall not be expelled from the Covenant before a full lunar cycle has passed. During this period, the Member may petition the Senate and may procure – at the Member’s expense - the counsel of a recognized Quaesitor of the Rhine Tribunal to advocate on his behalf.
No Member may be expelled from the Covenant without the unanimous consent of the Senate, exclusive to the Member.
Article IV – Covenant Structure
Section I – The Senate
The Senate shall be the supreme ruling body of the Covenant.
The Senate shall consist of all Members in good standing with the Covenant.
Section II – The Office of the Consul
The Office of the Consul shall be appointed to a Member in good standing by the Senate on an annual basis, to serve for the duration of one year. The Consul shall be held responsible for overseeing the day-to-day affairs of the Covenant, both mundane and magical, and for reporting on the state of the Covenant to the Senate. The appointment of the Consul shall be held during the meeting of the Winter Solstice.
The Consul shall have the authority to make any and all decisions necessary for the continued and normal functioning and well-being of the Covenant and its Members, but shall be held accountable for his decisions by the Senate, to whom the Consul must report.
The Consul shall hold the keys to the Vaults and shall bear responsibility for allocating all stores, both magical and mundane, to Members, pursuant to the rights and entitlements of the Members and the needs of the covenant. The Consul shall also bear responsibility for the harvesting of vis from all Covenant sources.
The Consul has the right to call an emergency meeting of the Senate to discuss imperative issues of concern to the Covenant or the Office of the Consul.
Should the Consul no longer be in good standing with the Covenant, the Consul shall immediately be stripped of the Office of the Consul. The Senate shall then appoint a new Consul in an emergency meeting.
Section III – The Proconsul
Should the Consul require an absence from the Covenant that will impede his ability to carry out the duties of his office, a Proconsul shall be appointed in the interim, with full authority and responsibility, until the return of the Consul. The Consul shall call for an emergency meeting of the Senate and the Proconsul shall be elected by the Senate.
Should the Consul suffer calamity or misfortune of a physical, mental, or spiritual nature - magical or mundane - that impedes his ability to carry out the duties of his office, an emergency meeting of the Senate shall be called on behalf of the Consul, and the Senate shall elect a Proconsul, with full authority and responsibility, to serve in the interim, but for no longer than the remainder of the Consul’s term.
The Proconsul shall be treated as the Consul in all respects while the office is held.
Section IV – Mundane Offices of the Covenant
The mundane Offices of the Covenant shall consist of:
• A Regent, whose responsibilities and duties shall include the necessary and luxurious provisioning of the Covenant Proper, as well as the Sanctums, Laboratories, and Persons of the Members. Secondary responsibilities of the Regent shall include overseeing the provisions and stores of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk.
• A Captain, whose responsibilities and duties shall include the defense of the Covenant Proper and its Members and the training of the Custos and Grogs on whose lives the Magi shall depend. Secondary responsibilities of the Captain shall include overseeing the maintenance and repair of the Covenant’s physical walls and structures and maintaining the Written Law of the Covenant.
The Offices of the Covenant shall answer directly to the Consul on all matters, both magical and mundane, and indirectly to the Senate.
The Offices of the Covenant shall be acceptably literate in Latin, as well as the local vulgar language, hereby specified as German.
Article V – Senate Meetings
Section I – Quorum
A Senate quorum shall consist of all Members in good standing, or their chosen proxy. Any Senate meeting, with the exception of emergency meetings called by the Consul, shall not be considered valid or binding unless a quorum is present.
Section II – Annual & Seasonal Meetings
The Senate shall convene annually on the day of the Winter Solstice. The Meeting of the Winter Solstice shall see to the annual casting of the Aegis of the Hearth and the appointment of the Office of the Consul.
The Senate shall convene seasonally, on the Summer Solstice and on the Spring and Vernal Equinoxes, to discuss Covenant business.
Attendance at the annual and seasonal meetings is mandatory for all Members of the Covenant unless the Member is away on Covenant duty or his absence is excused by the Senate.
Section III – Emergency & Impromptu Meetings
The Consul may call an emergency meeting of the Senate to discuss imperative issues of concern to the Covenant. Attendance at emergency meetings is mandatory, unless circumstances prevent a Member’s attendance. The Consul shall be held accountable for wanton misuse of this power. Emergency meetings do not require a Senate quorum if necessity dictates decisive and immediate action, but any decisions made without a quorum may be revoked or rebuked by the Senate when it next convenes.
Any Member of the Covenant may call an impromptu meeting of the Senate to discuss urgent or important business that cannot await the next seasonal or annual meeting. Such impromptu meetings are not mandatory, but do require a Senate quorum for validation.
Section IV – Admittance
No Member in good standing with the Covenant shall be denied admittance to a Senate meeting, nor shall his vote be disregarded, nor shall his voice be silenced.
The Officers of the Covenant are entitled to sit at Senate meetings, should their expertise or opinions be desired by any Member, unless such attendance is opposed by the Senate.
Visiting Redcaps, Quaesitor, and Magi may sit at Senate meetings with the consent of the Senate, though such consent shall not infer any right to speak or vote upon matters presented before the Senate.
Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk who do not bear Officer status shall not sit at Senate meetings unless called before the Senate to give testimony or advice on specific issues, and then only for so long as necessary to give that testimony or advice and satisfactorily answer any and all inquiries posed by the Senate.
Section V – Procedures & Protocol
Senate meetings shall be held in Latin, exclusive of the specific need to accommodate the testimony or counsel of Custos, Grogs, Covenfolk, or outsiders to the Covenant in their own vulgar language. Translation of vulgar languages, whether through mundane or magical means, shall only be accepted with the consent of the Senate.
Section VI – Voting
Each Member of the Senate shall have one - and only one - vote on all covenant matters, to use as he sees fit.
No Member’s vote shall be coerced by any means, magical or mundane, including Certamen.
A Member may call for a vote on an issue at any time, but no vote may be taken until all Members wishing to speak on the issue have had the opportunity to do so, nor until all inquiries posed by the Senate have been satisfactorily addressed, to the best possible degree.
Voting shall be of simple verbal means.
Lawfully absent Members may vote by proxy, entrusting their sigil to a fellow Member of the Senate.
Section VII – Consent & Unanimous Consent
Consent of the Senate shall require a simple majority vote of all Members present and forming a quorum.
Unanimous Consent of the Senate shall require the vote of all Members present and forming a quorum.
Article VI – Rights & Permissions of Members
Section I – Respect & Well-Being
All Members are entitled to due respect from all other Members and Covenfolk and shall not suffer indignity, ridicule, or insult; nor shall their rights as a magus be infringed; nor shall their lives or the lives of their apprentice or familiar be maliciously imperiled.
All Members are entitled to receive those sundries, stores, and equipment necessary to maintain them in comfortable means, equal to that of other Members, and befitting their status as Magi.
Section II – The Pursuit of Magic
All Members have the right to pursue magical study, research, and invention, according to their own nature, without interference from other Members, in so long as such study, research, or invention does not threaten to bring ruin upon the Covenant or its Members.
Section III – Sanctum
All Members are entitled to a personal Sanctum, to consist of a single structure or portion therein.
Section IV – Laboratory
All Members are entitled to a personal laboratory, provisioned to acceptable standards at the expense of the Covenant, if within the means of the Covenant. Laboratories of exceptional quality shall be maintained at the expense of the Member, subsidized by the generosity of the Senate.
Article VII – Duties & Responsibilities of Members
Section I – Covenant Duty
Members shall serve one season per year in service to the Covenant. Service shall be defined by the Senate or by the Member, with Senate consent.
With Senate consent, Members may perform multiple seasons of service in a given year in lieu of service in subsequent years, or for additional recompense as agreed upon by the Member and the Senate.
The Covenant shall, from Covenant coffers, reimburse Members for all vis or silver expended in the performance of Covenant duty, if such expenses are required for successful and effective completion.
Section II – Defense of the Covenant
Members shall defend the Covenant from all harm, both internal and external, and shall take no action to bring ruin or discredit upon the Covenant or its Members.
Section III – Dispute Resolution & Wizard’s War
Members shall seek to peacefully resolve disputes with other Members through negotiation, arbitration, Senate adjuration, or Certamen. Should peaceful resolution not be attainable, Members shall seek Wizard’s War only as a last recourse. Both parties shall dutifully notify the Senate and comply fully with the dictates of the Code of Hermes in regards to Wizard’s War.
Members engaged in Wizard’s War shall be held accountable for collateral damage suffered by the Covenant.
Section IV – The Aegis of the Hearth Ritual
All Members of the Covenant shall attend the annual casting of the Aegis of the Hearth, to be held on the day of the Winter Solstice. The absence of any Member shall not delay the performance of the ritual and subsequent raising of the Aegis.
Should an absentee Member desire a recasting of the Aegis of the Hearth, the Member shall provide all necessary vis and material expenses, as well as acceptable recompense for the valuable time of his fellow Members.
Article VIII – Library
Section I – Access
No Member in good standing with the Covenant shall be denied access to the Library.
Any Guest meeting and accepting the Conditions of Hospitality shall have access to the Library as though he were a Member of the Covenant.
Section II – Removal of Volumes or Works from the Library
Removal of volumes or works from the Library shall be overseen by the Office of the Consul, pursuant to the rights and entitlements of the Members, and beholden to the Senate.
Any Member may remove and retain, for personal research or study, any volume or work for the duration of one season.
Any Member wishing to retain a volume or work for a duration in excess of one season must obtain Senate permission.
If two or more Members desire access to the same volume or work in a given season, the Members shall seek to peacefully decide the issue through mediation, arbitration, or Certamen, else the matter shall be decided by the Senate.
Covenant duty shall take precedence over personal research or study in any dispute for access to a given volume or work.
Section III – Acquired Volumes or Works
Members shall surrender all non-personal volumes or works, both arcane and mundane, to the Covenant for inclusion in the Library.
If the volume or work was not acquired while in duty to the Covenant, or at covenant expense, the acquiring magus shall have preferential access to the volume or work for a period of five years, at the expense of other Members.
Section IV – Personal Volumes or Works
No Member shall be required to surrender any personal volume or work written, copied, or obtained by his own means, unless said volume or work is written, copied, or obtained in duty to the Covenant.
No Member shall be required to surrender any volume or work received in payment of services rendered, unless such services are rendered in duty to the Covenant.
Section V – Devaluation of the Library
No Member may sell, loan, or copy any volume or work from the Library, or through any means devalue the Library, without the consent of the Senate.
No Member may grant access to the Library to any non-member magus without the consent of the Senate.
Article IX – Vis Stores
Section I – Access
Access to the vis stores of the Covenant shall be regulated by the Office of the Consul, pursuant to the rights and entitlements of the Members, and beholden to the Senate.
No Member shall place at his disposal the vis stores belonging to the Covenant without the consent of the Senate.
Section II – Allotment
Members in good standing with the Covenant are entitled to an annual allotment of vis, in equal share, the quantity and Art of which to be determined by the Senate at the annual meeting.
Members may petition the Consul for an advance allotment of vis, should such a need arise prior to the annual meeting, with the Consul bearing sole discretion as to whether to grant the requested advance.
Members may petition the Consul for a vis exchange, should such a need arise prior to the annual meeting, with the Consul bearing sole discretion as to whether to grant the requested exchange.
Section III – Acquired Vis
Members shall surrender to the Covenant three out of every four pawns of vis harvested from previously unknown vis sources or stocks, retaining one pawn in four for the Member’s personal stock.
Members discovering a new vis source shall be entitled to receive one pawn in four from the source’s productivity for a period of five years, or until the vis source is exhausted, whichever comes first. This entitlement is in addition to the Member’s normal allotment of vis.
Section IV – Covenant Vis Sources
All vis harvested from existing vis sources shall belong to the Covenant, with the exception of that amount of vis entitled to the discoverer of a source, as stipulated above.
Section V – Procured Vis for Missions & Endeavors
A Member undertaking a mission or endeavor of concern to the Covenant may, with the consent of the Consul, procure from the Vaults one pawn in ten, or ten pawns, whichever is less, from available vis stores for disposal during the course of the mission or endeavor. Unused vis shall be returned to the Vaults upon completion. The disposal of procured vis by the Member is subject to the scrutiny of the Senate.
A greater amount of vis may be procured from the Covenant vaults with the consent of the Senate.
Exception I – The Aegis of the Hearth Ritual
All vis allotments and entitlements are suspended should such allotment or entitlement reduce the vis stores to below that amount necessary for the annual casting of the Aegis of the Hearth.
Article X – Magical Devices & Consumables
Section I – Access
Access to the magical devices and consumables of the Covenant shall be regulated by the Office of the Consul, pursuant to the rights and entitlements of the Members, and beholden to the Senate.
No Member shall place at his disposal the magical devices or consumables belonging to the Covenant without the consent of the Senate.
Section II – Acquired Magical Devices & Consumables
Members shall surrender all non-peronsal magical devices and consumables to the Covenant for placement in the Vaults.
If the magical device or consumable was not acquired in duty to the Covenant, or at covenant expense, the acquiring magus shall have preferential access to the magical device or consumable for a period of five years, at the expense of other Members.
Section III – Personal Magical Devices & Consumables
No Member shall be required to surrender any personal magical device or consumable crafted by his own means, unless said magical device or consumable is crafted in duty to the Covenant.
No Member shall be required to surrender any magical device or consumable received in payment of services rendered, unless such services are rendered in duty to the Covenant.
Section IV – Procured Magical Devices & Consumables for Missions & Endeavors
A Member undertaking a mission or endeavor of concern to the Covenant may, with the consent of the Consul, procure from the Vaults those magical devices and consumables deemed necessary to the successful completion of the mission or endeavor, to be returned to the Vaults upon completion. The loss, disposal, or exhaustion of procured magical devices and consumables is subject to the scrutiny of the Senate.
Article XI – Mundane Stores & Wealth
Section I – Access
Access to the mundane stores and wealth of the Covenant shall be regulated by the Office of the Consul, pursuant to the rights and entitlements of the Members, and beholden to the Senate.
No Member shall place at his disposal the mundane stores or wealth belonging to the Covenant, without the consent of the Senate.
Section II – Allotment
All Members are entitled to that amount of silver or kind required for the necessary and luxurious provisioning of their persons, to insure acceptable standards of health and comfort as befits their station.
Members in good standing with the Covenant are entitled to a seasonal allotment of silver or kind, the amount and specifics to be determined by the Senate, with which to subsidize their health and comfort, provision their laboratory, or otherwise dispose of as they see fit.
Section III – Acquired Stores & Wealth
Members shall surrender to the Covenant all mundane stores, sundries, and equipment not of immediate or functional use to the Member.
Members shall surrender nine out of every ten parts of acquired mundane wealth to the Covenant, retaining one in ten parts for himself.
Section IV – Procurement of Mundane Stores & Wealth for Missions & Endeavors
A Member undertaking a mission or endeavor of concern to the Covenant may, with the consent of the Consul, procure from the Vaults one part in ten, or ten parts, whichever is less, from available mundane supplies, sundries, equipment, and wealth, for disposal during the course of the mission or endeavor. Unspent stores or wealth shall be returned to the Vaults upon completion. The disposal of procured mundane stores and wealth is subject to the scrutiny of the Senate.
Article XII – Communal Laboratories
Section I – Establishment & Maintenance
The Senate may establish one or more communal laboratories, to be provisioned and maintained at the expense of the Covenant.
Section II – Access
Access to any communal laboratory shall be regulated by the Office of the Consul, beholden to the Senate. No Member shall avail himself of any communal laboratory without first acquiring the necessary permission.
Covenant duty shall take precedence to personal ambitions in all requests for access to any communal laboratory.
Article XIII – Duties, Obligations, and Responsibilities of the Covenant of Teneo
Section I – Visiting Redcaps, Quaesitori, and Magi
The Covenant and its Members shall extend due courtesy, respect, and hospitality to any and all Redcaps or Queasitori on official business, providing lodging, sustenance, and recompense suitable to their official capacity.
The Covenant and its Members shall extend due courtesy, respect, and hospitality to any visiting Magus or Maga not banned from the Covenant by the Council, striving to provide adequate lodging, sustenance, and recompense suitable to their deemed status and expectations, within the means of the Covenant.
Section II – Peregrinatores & Conditions of Hospitality
The Covenant, in accordance with the Peripheral Code, shall formally publish the following Conditions of Hospitality:
Hospitality shall extend for a period of three years.
The Guest must take an oath of fellowship with the Members of Teneo.
The Guest shall not establish a Sanctum on the grounds of the Covenant.
The Guest shall pay the Host a fee of three pawns of vis per year.
The Guest shall have access to the Library with the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as a Member.
The Guest shall provision a Laboratory at his own expense, else pay an additional fee of 1 pawn per year for use of a Laboratory provided and provisioned by the Covenant, if one is available.
The Host shall provision the Guest at the same level of luxury, comfort, and sustenance as that of a Member.
Section III – The Well-being of Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk
The Covenant and its Members shall meet the essential needs of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk who reside within the Covenant Proper. Essential needs include food, shelter, clothing, and protection.
The Covenant and its Members shall strive to provide the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk who reside within the Covenant Proper with comforts and luxuries, as befits their station, when such provisioning is within the means of the Covenant and is not detrimental to the well-being of the Covenant or its Members.
Article XIV – Custos, Grogs, & Covenfolk
Section I – The Right to Life
No Member of the Covenant shall suffer death upon any Custos, Grog, or Covenfolk without the knowledge and consent of the Senate.
Exception I – Militants in the Line of Duty
Any militant charged with the protection of a Member of the Covenant who endangers the life of that Member, either directly or indirectly, through cowardice or malicious wont, may be punished with death by the offended Member without notification or consent of the Senate. Execution under this exception is subject to the scrutiny of the Senate.
Section II – The Right to Religion
The Members of the Covenant shall tolerate the beliefs and convictions of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk in matters of religion and spirituality so long as such beliefs or convictions do not threaten the Covenant or its Members, nor interfere with the responsibilities and duties of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk, nor cause undue hostility or agitation amongst the Custos, Grogs, or Covenfolk.
The Members of the Covenant shall strive to accommodate the special holidays and observances dictated by the religious practices of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk so long as the holidays or observances do not interfere with the responsibilities and duties of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk, nor cause undue hostility or agitation amongst the Custos, Grogs, or Covenfolk.
The Members of the Covenant shall not publicly exhibit hostility, condemnation, or condescension towards the Custos, Grogs, or Covenfolk in regards to their religious or spiritual beliefs, conviction, observances, or practices; so as not to endanger the Covenant from external sources.
Section III – Settlement of Disputes, Low and High Crimes, & Customary Law
Disputes between Custos, Grogs, or Covenfolk shall be resolved locally, in observance of Customary Law, as witnessed and enforced by the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk, without the intervention or interference of the Members of the Covenant; this to insure peaceful harmony and tradition within the ranks of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk.
Disputes between Custos, Grogs, or Covenfolk that cannot be resolved locally shall be mediated by the Mundane Offices of the Covenant. Those offenses classified as Low Crimes against the Covenant shall be arbitrated by the Mundane Offices of the Covenant.
Disputes and Low Crimes that cannot be reasonably or amicably resolved by the Mundane Offices of the Covenant, and those offenses classified as High Crimes against the covenant, shall be arbitrated by the Consul or Proconsul, unless of such heinous or seriousness nature as to require a greater authority, in which case the dispute shall be judged by the Senate at the next seasonal meeting.
Low and High Crimes against the Covenant shall be detailed in the Written Law of the Covenant, as maintained by the Office of the Captain. The Written Law of the Covenant shall be maintained in the vulgar language of the Custos, Grogs, and Covenfolk, hereby specified as German.
Article XV – Ammendments & Addendums to the Charter
No Ammendment or Addendum shall be made to this Charter of the Covenant of Teneo without the unanimous consent of the Senate.
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