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Ars Magica: Lumen Montis, A Covenant in the Alps [IC]
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<blockquote data-quote="Feir Fireb" data-source="post: 1185154" data-attributes="member: 14074"><p>After Samuel, Matteo stood to speak to his fellow magi, passing his gaze across the room, "Sodales, I feel you have said many good things thus far. To hear the issues of our covenant approached with foresight and circumspection is of great relief."</p><p></p><p>"While some of the obligations to Lemannus may seem irksome, I agree that they are on the whole generous, ones that we might accept as they are." His brow furrowed in concern. "A show of resolve and savvy is certainly useful, though in any negotiations we make we should be aware of where our strength lies, and of our delicate position. While we are seen as an investment and a resource, our continued development will be an advantage to Lemannus, as well as to any other covenants we should deal with in the future. And it will be easier for us to persuade Lemannus to new terms that are not in direct opposition to those they offer us."</p><p></p><p>"The vis obligation is a little painful, but probably not unbearable. Here it may be easier to bargain for a larger starting amount than for more lenient repayment terms. Correct me if I am wrong, but is not our vis obligation more along the lines of tribute than debt? Here a distinction was made with the repayment of vulgar funds, which had a limited term of repayment. I also suspect we may have greater success in pressing for leniency in repayment of vulgar funds, which are likely to be of less value than vis to a well-established covenant." </p><p></p><p>"The voting obligations are also of concern, but again as vassal we are naturally expected to be of some service to our liege. I need not speak further of the dangers of Lemannus' domination of our votes in some matter of great concern to us. To lessen this difficulty, perhaps we could persuade them to require no more than a set number of votes per motion, let us say half or less. We might also request a means of gaining their support before motions, such as a right of consultation or set voting support. I do not, however, think that any covenant in the Greater Alps would directly give rise to a potential enemy or rival." [In all terms of the agreement, Matteo will fight tooth and nail against anything that he ought to know would be either a potential deal-breaker or faux pas to Lemannus. Beyond that, he is willing to cautiously explore what advantages they can gain through further negotiation. Vulgar funds are the most promising, for the other terms he is middling]</p><p></p><p>"With regards to most internal matters of the covenant, I agree that we should show strength by coming to each other's aid. A mutual defense pact would serve the covenant well, so long as none of our members drags us into an unnecessary conflict or is in gross violation of the Code of Hermes. Likewise, a general prohibition of Wizard's War shows prudence. We should, however, consider our ability to police our own. The events of Silicia some time ago demonstrate the dangers that a rogue magus can bring to its covenant. The ability to effectively enforce our own rules is of great value to us as a covenant, and is as important to demonstrating strength and prudence to our neighbors as is solidarity against infighting." [Matteo is medium-to-strong in favor of a mutual defense pact and restrictions against internal Wizards' Wars and as long as it won't upset the other Quaesitores, which he is hard against. Balanced precautions against loose cannons are also particularly important--the primus and covenant in concert should be able to rein them in, possibly with a majority or supermajority.]</p><p></p><p>"I have no difficulty with the service arrangements proposed by our sodales, although it ought be no more than one season per year. A decreasing amount would also be favorable. Also, I propose that any new, non-founding member ought to have at least a year of service, and perhaps an additional year of probation before full membership. I see no difficulty in allowing a member to leave willingly, provided the magus owes no debts and is in good standing. It might be wise to require a few seasons' notice, waiveable by a simple vote, to prevent magi from dropping their troubles in the lap of the covenant. We might also require magi to remain in times of external conflict as judged by the primus, overrulable by a supermajority." [Matteo is flexible here, though he thinks a limited form of mandatory service is a generally good idea. His concerns about members cutting and running in times of trouble, though, go hand-in-hand with enforcement needs and mutual cooperation.]</p><p></p><p>"The sharing of at least some of our resources is as prudent a way of strengthening our covenant as requiring at least some service from all of our members. Laboratories, certainly, should be held in common. Requiring that copies of every book written or acquired be contributed to the common library seems to me a matter of undue burden, unless the copying were to count as the magus' required service, in which case it would be less objectionable. Or, as an alternative, we might require that all privately held books be available for common use should they not be immediately required by their owner. We might also grant a right of priority to those who contribute books to the common library in order to encourage initiative in such contributions beyond required service. Vis found on the covenant's lands ought to be held in common, although individual magi ought to be permitted to keep Vis gathered from elsewhere, such as personal sources and from the magical aura. And I agree with Daniela's suggestion of a system of exchange for seasons of service. Such arrangements should be strictly enforced by the vis custodian, primus and, indirectly, the covenant." [Matteo strongly believes that the covenant should have a good balance of shared resources and private resources to encourage intiatives involving both sorts. He would be happy with either a codified system or one entrusted to responsible management, though there should be checks against careless expenditure of the covenant's resources.]</p><p></p><p>"Unanimity-minus-one is a good standard for the most far-reaching decisions in a small group, such as admission of a new member, revision of the charter, dissolution and matters of exceptional discipline such as expulsion. So here I agree with Daniela, Marcus and Fionuala: unanimity-minus-one as the standard for these matters, with the minus-one not including one who is the subject of internal discipline. Although we might wish to consider a three-quarters supermajority as a functional equivalent, should the covenant grow or shrink enough to make the unanimous-minus-one impractical. [Matteo is somewhat flexible here, so long as the more long-term decisions require great consensus and the more short-term decisions afford flexibility to the primus and covenant votes] </p><p></p><p>"I agree that we need a primus to act as leader and representative in matters of group concern. In the matter of choosing said leader, the methods of lots and rotation have their virtues. But if we are to elect our leader, we should do so in a manner that encourages rotation, so as to prevent concentration of power and to represent all interests of the covenant. We should also give the primus enough power in simple decisionmaking so as not to render his position meaningless or to leave us adrift. I would be in favor of his appointing lesser positions, such as vis custodian and librarian. Other positions would also be useful, such as head of buildings maintenance and improvement, laboratories administrator, and such positions as the primus sees necessary. The primus or one thereby appointed also ought have the ability to lead our defense in times of difficulty. The primus ought also have say in the service that is needed with at least some consent from individual magi. But even though the primus needs flexibility, such power should not be overwhelming. Perhaps a simple majority ought be enough to overrule the primus' decisions, or to force a decision in favor of or against the primus' judgements and negotiations? This would also be true for other offices of the covenant. I further suggest any simple motion ought have at least a second before coming to vote, to prevent frivolous votes" [Matteo is flexible here, and is most strongly committed to striking a balance against too weak or too strong a primus. The primus should have initiative, but be answerable to the covenant.]</p><p></p><p>"To combine the advantages inherent to both long and short terms of the primus, I suggest that we have a 5-year term as Daniela proposed, but that we also choose the next primus 5 years in advance of their term as a sort of vice-primus. The vice-primus can, in this time, follow the policies of the primus and prepare for their own term of office, perhaps with some lesser administrative powers. Upon the vice-primus' succession, a new vice-primus is elected from the group of magi who were neither primus nor vice-primus in the previous term. This will allow for both continuity and fluidity. I would also suggest that neither the primus nor the vice-primus be allowed to select the new vice-primus except in the case of ties, so as to prevent small but stable cabals from dominating the politics of our covenant. Likewise, magi ought not be able to vote for themselves. [Matteo could go with either lot or election for primus, but is enthusiastically pushing this as a compromise to different important concepts. He is most strongly in favor of guaranteeing some rotation of power. Any such election should require at least a strong plurality--runoff voting to narrow things down to 3 cantidates? He could go for a slightly longer term, but not by much.] </p><p></p><p>"Those who least desire the burdens of responsibility may under certain circumstances be best suited to handle them, for magi as well as for bishops and nobles. If the covenant requires service in this matter, the individual should not refuse. [Matteo thinks this prudent, but will not force the issue]</p><p></p><p>[CP, please correct me if I'm wrong wrt Quaesitors and Tribunal here--I'd think I'd know this] "There are a few things that Polybius did not mention which we should also address, and which will be issues for our covenant whether or not they are covered in our charter: In matters of the Code of Hermes, the Quaesitores are expected to act as investigators and judges. In some circumstances, certamen may suffice in lieu of a Quaesitor, and any Quaesitor's decisions may be appealed to a more senior Quaesitor. However, dealing with infractions of the Code of Hermes without recourse to Quaesitores outside the covenant will be to our advantage. As in enforcing our own rules, our ability to enforce the Code of Hermes and to peaceably and self-sufficiently settle disputes will aid us in gaining the respect of our fellow covenants. To this end, I will do my best to judge fairly and responsibly, although I cannot guarantee that my decisions will please everyone. Likewise, I cannot prevent anyone from turning to other Quaesitores for appeal, but I should warn of the dangers of allowing other, more powerful, magi to intrude upon our affairs. [Most of this is non-charter advice, but Matteo is trying to make sure that the charter not be too out-of-line from standard interpretations of the code. Also, while he thinks it best that matters of dispute never get so bad that the aid of a Quaesitor is needed, he feels strongly that his role ought not be neglected or obscured.]</p><p></p><p>"Another matter that Polybius did not address explicitly is representation of the covenant at tribunal. If memory serves me correctly, only a handful of us, typically about three, would normally represent the covenant at tribunal. This may be a matter best addressed in Tribunal years, but we should at least give it some thought. I would think that the primus ought to lead the delegation as chief representative of our covenant. We should also have at least one representative who is selected explicitly for the task. Here, we might have a similar rotation system to the one I proposed, but one based on the seven-year tribunal cycle. Or we might have one representative elected with no constraint upon terms of election, with the third representative to be the vice-primus." [Matteo is mostly testing the waters here, but he genuinely thinks it a good plan, especially if his plan for primus election flies].</p><p></p><p>Here Matteo's smile brightened in satisfaction, "For a name, Brigitta's selection of 'Lumen Montis' seems just right to me. It is a beacon of light far and wide, and a tool of communication. Even as it speaks to our purpose, so also it tells of our place." [Matteo likes this better than 'Lumen Summum', but is willing to go with the latter]</p><p></p><p>"And I, too, agree that Polybius' requests ought to be granted. The Redcaps are one of the vital bonds of our Order, and our hospitality to them should be unquestioned as far as the Code permits. And a journal of candor ought be a great gift to our posterity."</p><p></p><p>With that, Matteo passed his gaze over the room once more and took his seat.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Feir Fireb, post: 1185154, member: 14074"] After Samuel, Matteo stood to speak to his fellow magi, passing his gaze across the room, "Sodales, I feel you have said many good things thus far. To hear the issues of our covenant approached with foresight and circumspection is of great relief." "While some of the obligations to Lemannus may seem irksome, I agree that they are on the whole generous, ones that we might accept as they are." His brow furrowed in concern. "A show of resolve and savvy is certainly useful, though in any negotiations we make we should be aware of where our strength lies, and of our delicate position. While we are seen as an investment and a resource, our continued development will be an advantage to Lemannus, as well as to any other covenants we should deal with in the future. And it will be easier for us to persuade Lemannus to new terms that are not in direct opposition to those they offer us." "The vis obligation is a little painful, but probably not unbearable. Here it may be easier to bargain for a larger starting amount than for more lenient repayment terms. Correct me if I am wrong, but is not our vis obligation more along the lines of tribute than debt? Here a distinction was made with the repayment of vulgar funds, which had a limited term of repayment. I also suspect we may have greater success in pressing for leniency in repayment of vulgar funds, which are likely to be of less value than vis to a well-established covenant." "The voting obligations are also of concern, but again as vassal we are naturally expected to be of some service to our liege. I need not speak further of the dangers of Lemannus' domination of our votes in some matter of great concern to us. To lessen this difficulty, perhaps we could persuade them to require no more than a set number of votes per motion, let us say half or less. We might also request a means of gaining their support before motions, such as a right of consultation or set voting support. I do not, however, think that any covenant in the Greater Alps would directly give rise to a potential enemy or rival." [In all terms of the agreement, Matteo will fight tooth and nail against anything that he ought to know would be either a potential deal-breaker or faux pas to Lemannus. Beyond that, he is willing to cautiously explore what advantages they can gain through further negotiation. Vulgar funds are the most promising, for the other terms he is middling] "With regards to most internal matters of the covenant, I agree that we should show strength by coming to each other's aid. A mutual defense pact would serve the covenant well, so long as none of our members drags us into an unnecessary conflict or is in gross violation of the Code of Hermes. Likewise, a general prohibition of Wizard's War shows prudence. We should, however, consider our ability to police our own. The events of Silicia some time ago demonstrate the dangers that a rogue magus can bring to its covenant. The ability to effectively enforce our own rules is of great value to us as a covenant, and is as important to demonstrating strength and prudence to our neighbors as is solidarity against infighting." [Matteo is medium-to-strong in favor of a mutual defense pact and restrictions against internal Wizards' Wars and as long as it won't upset the other Quaesitores, which he is hard against. Balanced precautions against loose cannons are also particularly important--the primus and covenant in concert should be able to rein them in, possibly with a majority or supermajority.] "I have no difficulty with the service arrangements proposed by our sodales, although it ought be no more than one season per year. A decreasing amount would also be favorable. Also, I propose that any new, non-founding member ought to have at least a year of service, and perhaps an additional year of probation before full membership. I see no difficulty in allowing a member to leave willingly, provided the magus owes no debts and is in good standing. It might be wise to require a few seasons' notice, waiveable by a simple vote, to prevent magi from dropping their troubles in the lap of the covenant. We might also require magi to remain in times of external conflict as judged by the primus, overrulable by a supermajority." [Matteo is flexible here, though he thinks a limited form of mandatory service is a generally good idea. His concerns about members cutting and running in times of trouble, though, go hand-in-hand with enforcement needs and mutual cooperation.] "The sharing of at least some of our resources is as prudent a way of strengthening our covenant as requiring at least some service from all of our members. Laboratories, certainly, should be held in common. Requiring that copies of every book written or acquired be contributed to the common library seems to me a matter of undue burden, unless the copying were to count as the magus' required service, in which case it would be less objectionable. Or, as an alternative, we might require that all privately held books be available for common use should they not be immediately required by their owner. We might also grant a right of priority to those who contribute books to the common library in order to encourage initiative in such contributions beyond required service. Vis found on the covenant's lands ought to be held in common, although individual magi ought to be permitted to keep Vis gathered from elsewhere, such as personal sources and from the magical aura. And I agree with Daniela's suggestion of a system of exchange for seasons of service. Such arrangements should be strictly enforced by the vis custodian, primus and, indirectly, the covenant." [Matteo strongly believes that the covenant should have a good balance of shared resources and private resources to encourage intiatives involving both sorts. He would be happy with either a codified system or one entrusted to responsible management, though there should be checks against careless expenditure of the covenant's resources.] "Unanimity-minus-one is a good standard for the most far-reaching decisions in a small group, such as admission of a new member, revision of the charter, dissolution and matters of exceptional discipline such as expulsion. So here I agree with Daniela, Marcus and Fionuala: unanimity-minus-one as the standard for these matters, with the minus-one not including one who is the subject of internal discipline. Although we might wish to consider a three-quarters supermajority as a functional equivalent, should the covenant grow or shrink enough to make the unanimous-minus-one impractical. [Matteo is somewhat flexible here, so long as the more long-term decisions require great consensus and the more short-term decisions afford flexibility to the primus and covenant votes] "I agree that we need a primus to act as leader and representative in matters of group concern. In the matter of choosing said leader, the methods of lots and rotation have their virtues. But if we are to elect our leader, we should do so in a manner that encourages rotation, so as to prevent concentration of power and to represent all interests of the covenant. We should also give the primus enough power in simple decisionmaking so as not to render his position meaningless or to leave us adrift. I would be in favor of his appointing lesser positions, such as vis custodian and librarian. Other positions would also be useful, such as head of buildings maintenance and improvement, laboratories administrator, and such positions as the primus sees necessary. The primus or one thereby appointed also ought have the ability to lead our defense in times of difficulty. The primus ought also have say in the service that is needed with at least some consent from individual magi. But even though the primus needs flexibility, such power should not be overwhelming. Perhaps a simple majority ought be enough to overrule the primus' decisions, or to force a decision in favor of or against the primus' judgements and negotiations? This would also be true for other offices of the covenant. I further suggest any simple motion ought have at least a second before coming to vote, to prevent frivolous votes" [Matteo is flexible here, and is most strongly committed to striking a balance against too weak or too strong a primus. The primus should have initiative, but be answerable to the covenant.] "To combine the advantages inherent to both long and short terms of the primus, I suggest that we have a 5-year term as Daniela proposed, but that we also choose the next primus 5 years in advance of their term as a sort of vice-primus. The vice-primus can, in this time, follow the policies of the primus and prepare for their own term of office, perhaps with some lesser administrative powers. Upon the vice-primus' succession, a new vice-primus is elected from the group of magi who were neither primus nor vice-primus in the previous term. This will allow for both continuity and fluidity. I would also suggest that neither the primus nor the vice-primus be allowed to select the new vice-primus except in the case of ties, so as to prevent small but stable cabals from dominating the politics of our covenant. Likewise, magi ought not be able to vote for themselves. [Matteo could go with either lot or election for primus, but is enthusiastically pushing this as a compromise to different important concepts. He is most strongly in favor of guaranteeing some rotation of power. Any such election should require at least a strong plurality--runoff voting to narrow things down to 3 cantidates? He could go for a slightly longer term, but not by much.] "Those who least desire the burdens of responsibility may under certain circumstances be best suited to handle them, for magi as well as for bishops and nobles. If the covenant requires service in this matter, the individual should not refuse. [Matteo thinks this prudent, but will not force the issue] [CP, please correct me if I'm wrong wrt Quaesitors and Tribunal here--I'd think I'd know this] "There are a few things that Polybius did not mention which we should also address, and which will be issues for our covenant whether or not they are covered in our charter: In matters of the Code of Hermes, the Quaesitores are expected to act as investigators and judges. In some circumstances, certamen may suffice in lieu of a Quaesitor, and any Quaesitor's decisions may be appealed to a more senior Quaesitor. However, dealing with infractions of the Code of Hermes without recourse to Quaesitores outside the covenant will be to our advantage. As in enforcing our own rules, our ability to enforce the Code of Hermes and to peaceably and self-sufficiently settle disputes will aid us in gaining the respect of our fellow covenants. To this end, I will do my best to judge fairly and responsibly, although I cannot guarantee that my decisions will please everyone. Likewise, I cannot prevent anyone from turning to other Quaesitores for appeal, but I should warn of the dangers of allowing other, more powerful, magi to intrude upon our affairs. [Most of this is non-charter advice, but Matteo is trying to make sure that the charter not be too out-of-line from standard interpretations of the code. Also, while he thinks it best that matters of dispute never get so bad that the aid of a Quaesitor is needed, he feels strongly that his role ought not be neglected or obscured.] "Another matter that Polybius did not address explicitly is representation of the covenant at tribunal. If memory serves me correctly, only a handful of us, typically about three, would normally represent the covenant at tribunal. This may be a matter best addressed in Tribunal years, but we should at least give it some thought. I would think that the primus ought to lead the delegation as chief representative of our covenant. We should also have at least one representative who is selected explicitly for the task. Here, we might have a similar rotation system to the one I proposed, but one based on the seven-year tribunal cycle. Or we might have one representative elected with no constraint upon terms of election, with the third representative to be the vice-primus." [Matteo is mostly testing the waters here, but he genuinely thinks it a good plan, especially if his plan for primus election flies]. Here Matteo's smile brightened in satisfaction, "For a name, Brigitta's selection of 'Lumen Montis' seems just right to me. It is a beacon of light far and wide, and a tool of communication. Even as it speaks to our purpose, so also it tells of our place." [Matteo likes this better than 'Lumen Summum', but is willing to go with the latter] "And I, too, agree that Polybius' requests ought to be granted. The Redcaps are one of the vital bonds of our Order, and our hospitality to them should be unquestioned as far as the Code permits. And a journal of candor ought be a great gift to our posterity." With that, Matteo passed his gaze over the room once more and took his seat. [/QUOTE]
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