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Message: <blockquote data-quote="redhound" data-source="post: 1165349" data-attributes="member: 14574">Marcus' Thoughts on the CharterMarcus spoke from his seat.  "I hope it will offend no one if I do not stand; my leg is not my most obedient servant."On the matter of Lemannus’ terms, I feel in principle that we ought to accept them.  They are fair, if not over-generous.  It might be tactically sound for us to seek to negotiate on some minor point, simply to make a show of strength -- more vis, perhaps, or longer terms for repayment.  But this should not be a substantive change, I think; it would not do to antagonize our liege covenant.  [Marcus genuinely means this; he feels that making an impression as a covenant not to be taken lightly is essential.  He would probably push for an extension of the deadlines for repaying the vulgar debt; it would make the point without touching the resources that most mages truly prize.]"I think Protractus is a good name, but I believe there is more to the Order than academic endeavor.  I would perhaps prefer that we take a name that expresses Daniela’s excellent sentiment in a more general way.  Accendo, perhaps -- "illuminate".  [To begin with, I got "Accendo" off an online dictionary; Marcus’ Latin is vastly superior to my own.  I’ll leave the appropriate formation to those who know more than me.  To the meat: Marcus is bringing to bear the full power of his sneakery to appear only mildly interested while in fact fighting tooth and nail for a name which encompasses a practical and secular view of the covenant’s purpose.  It need not be Accendo, which frankly sounds a bit like a management consulting firm.]"With regard to matters of mutual obligations, I believe that a covenant which is bound strongly unto itself is more successful in the long run.  I think forbidding intramural Wizard War is the least we should do; indeed, I personally would vote in favor of a codicil on mutual defense.  I disagree with the Traditionalist interpretation of the section of the Code regarding Wizard Wars that Polybius alluded to, but I think keeping our charter uncontroversial is to be recommended; a mutual defense pact should be sufficient.  It would also be wise to have some means for resolving disagreements, but I suspect that that depends largely on whether we have a primus and what that worthy’s powers are.  [Marcus is being pretty straightforward on this one; he wants a mutual defense pact and some means of resolving arguments.  As long as the charter accomplishes those things, the details are not so important.]"I do not feel that we would be best served by harsh personal obligations to the covenant.  I think we should require that vis used for personal research from the covenant stocks ought to be repaid somehow -- in service if not in vis -- and I think that we ought to require all the vis found within our domain go into the common supply.  Vis currently on hand or extracted in the lab should belong to the mage who has it or extracts it.  I think it might be fair to require all members to contribute at least a copy of any work they write or acquire to the common library -- if, as I’ve suggested, we establish a scriptorium, that should be easy enough.  [Again, Marcus is telling it like it is; he’s not excited about a communal setup, but feels that the charter ought to encourage mages to pool their resources (and Invade Belgium!).  He would like it if the charter produced an incentive for covenant members to support his scriptorium project, too.]"I think that selecting a primus would be wise, to permit us to speak to the world with one voice.  I also think, however, that at this early stage in our lives together, it would be imprudent to set the terms of those lives in stone.  I would therefore urge against a lifetime primus, or an autocratic one.  I would support a system of election or lot -- or both, perhaps, as in Venice.  I think certamen is appropriate if one intends a covenant to be a pack of wolves, governed by raw power, but I hope for a more collegial relationship among us."I feel a primus ought to be first among equals, but there is no reason our primus needs extraordinary powers within the covenant walls.  [Marcus would prefer the parameters he laid out, but the issues of duration and selection are more important to him than power -- especially selection.  He’ll fight hard against selection by appointment or certamen.]"Perhaps we might spread the tasks of authority among us.  We could appoint a librarian and a vis-keeper to administer those vital supplies in the way that a primus sometimes does.  It would be wise, of course, to give the council the authority to override them, but it would save us the trouble of convening a full council every time someone wants to read a book.  [Marcus sees this as a timesaver, but isn’t married to the idea.  If it doesn’t fly, he’ll drop it.]"I would vote for unanimous support for new members; we are already very large.  Though when the time comes, less stringent requirements for one of our apprentices might be appropriate.  A year or two of probation seems reasonable to me.  I think a unanimous vote should also suffice to expel a member.  Well, unanimous minus one, anyway."As I think of it, unanimous minus one might be a good standard for new members as well.  Otherwise, if a promising new mage is blocked by a single one of us, the temptation might exist to expel the recalcitrant socius to clear the way.  That would be unfortunate."For similar reasons, I would propose a standard of unanimity minus one to change the charter as well.  If it is lower, there would be an incentive to change the charter rather than assemble the votes to expel or induct.  [Marcus feels that all this is true, but is largely advancing it as a thought experiment in contract design.  He won’t oppose a strong push for majority rule, as long as it doesn’t run into similar pitfalls to the ones he discussed.]"And finally, I gladly embrace Polybius’ terms.  Aiding the Redcaps should be a privilege for a mage; they are the only hope we have for a unified Order.  And I do not begrudge a historian a clear accounting of his subject."</blockquote>

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