The Charter of the Magi of Saulés Vartai

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Saulés Vartai Charter:

Membership:

• Full Magi (Start with 2 shares/vote and get an additional share/vote each decade they have been with the covenant. Form the core of the council.)
• Probationary Magi (Only get one share/vote, can attend council)
• The Voice of the People (One share/vote, can attend council) This is held by one person representing the Covenant staff and villagers. They can decide who holds this role by whatever method they see fit.
• Protected Guests (No share/vote, cna only attend council if invited to do so)

To become a member you must first be a probationary member for 7 seasons. Probationary membership can only be granted if:

• The applicant is not a member of another Covenant
• A unanimous vote of the council.

They become a full member if they complete the full 7 years and perform a significant covenant service in that time.

Governance:

• More than half of the full magi need to be present for a council session to be quorate.
• Council has a petty meeting once a season at the equinox/solstice to discuss immediate issues. Attendance is desirable.
• At each Summer Solstice, attendance is required except in exceptional circumstances as this is when we cast our Aegis and when the most important matters are discussed. .
• All matters are decided by vote. With each full Magi having 2 votes (Plus 1 for every 10 years of covenant membership) and probationary members and the Voice of the people having 1.
• One member of the covenant shall be elected chair for a duration of one year retiring after the Summer Solstice meeting. They can set the order of the agenda and break any ties.

Resources:

• Every covenant member must perform a task each year that takes no more than 7 days and is low-risk (usually this entails collecting Vis sources, assisting with running resource generating businesses, dealing with locals or similar)
• Each summer solstice, collected Vis and money is gathered. All expenses are paid first,
• Somebody capable of doing so is selected to cast the Aegis, whoever casts the Aegis is paid the cost of the Aegis ritual plus one additional pawn for their time, skills and the risks of rituals.
• Each Summer Solstice, every member is awarded 1 pawn of Vis from communal funds per vote they have (max 5) and the expenses required to run their laboratory.
• After this any remaining Vis is pooled and may be spent by vote of the council.
  • Primarily the council can use this pool to give additional rewards for those who promise to do some task that is required which will either be high risk or take longer than a season. (e.g. scribing books, creating magic items for the covenant, teaching, erecting additional defences or training grogs etc…)
  • Any unspent Vis is placed in the vault for next year. With an eye to having enough in reserve to address unforeseen circumstances and to be able to react to new opportunities.
  • If for any reason a windfall is to be paid out, it is done by proportion of the number of votes/shares.

Rights

• All members of the covenant must defend one another in case of attack.
• Their sanctums must remain inviolate and their personal property respected.
• All members are entitled to free healing. Protected Guests will be treated if needed but are expected to make a donation.
• People who are not members or protected guests will be healed at the covenant’s expense, but must either pay for the healing, or if they are unable, will be bound to give to the covenant the first thing that they acquire that they did not expect.
• Any Magi who finds a new source of income, a book, a vis source or similar, must offer it to the covenant, but must be given a suitable reward for doing so, for Vis sources this is the first year’s production of their Vis source.
• A magi may keep 50% of any one-time windfall they receive with the remainder (if applicable) going to the covenant. If it is indivisible like a book, then it is given to the covenant, but the covenant will provide a suitable reward by council vote in the summer.

Responsibilities:

• As mentioned previously, magi must perform at least one minor duty per year and may be required to do more as long as it is not more than 7 days a season.
• They must report potential code breaches (e.g. molesting the faeries, any suspected deals with demons, interference with mundanes and so on).
• Adhere to and support the Code of Hermes.
• Respect and support the majority decisions of the council.

Censure:

• A mage who is found guilty of a crime at Tribunal, may be censured by the council. This is to help avoid sentencing from outside forces. If we can assure the rest of Tribunal that we are capable of meeting out suitable punishments internally, they will not need to.
• Penalties include but are not limited to:
  • Expulsion - This can only be done by a unanimous vote of the other magi.
  • Demotion - One or more decades can be struck from the record of the magi’s time served or they can be returned to being a probationary member if the circumstances warrant it.
  • Confiscation of some or more of the magi’s possessions including but not limited to;’ magic items, Vis, books, a familiar, talisman or similar. Particularly if the item was used in the commission of a hermetic crime.
  • Death - Only for the most grievous crimes where both the Tribunal has found them guilty and the Covenant votes unanimously in favour.