The Council 1222

==Winter Solstice Council of 1222==
Vis distribution - the tally of Vis from the year 1221 is:
*Creo 3 - Discovered by Ambrosius, who gets a bounty of 2 pawns.
*Muto 2 - Mnemnosyne gets a bounty of 1 pawn.
*Rego 4 - Marcus may claim two of these as discoverer this year only.
*Rego 3 - Bartleby mentioned this to Longinus who is entitled to two pawns. Bartleby gains no bonus since he is not a "member," but gets a vote of thanks.
*Animal 2 - source discovered prior to charter, so no "bounty."
*Corpus 6 - Bedo claims 3 pawns bounty.
*Vim 2 - predates the Charter, so no "bounty."
Thus for this year, we have after the bounties are paid a total of: 12 Vis. The split is six to covenant and six to distribute. Clearly, the covenant needs to be able to cast the Aegis of the hearth, requiring six pawns of Rego and/or Vim vis. However, the stock available has only three Rego and two Vim available. Marcus offers to exchange one of his "bounty" pawns of Rego for a pawn of Corpus, allowing the Covenant distribution to be four Rego and two Vim - enough to power the Aegis. He notes, that this will not be an issue in future years since the bounty will not be due. Thus the budget proposal is (unless I've made mistakes in my assumptions above):
*less one Corpus and gain one Rego in trade with Marcus
*4 Rego and 2 Vim for the Covenant
*1 Creo, 1 Muto, 2 Animal and 2 Corpus for distribution
Bedo remarks that this is a generous offer by Marcus, for which Marcus should be thanked, given the normal rates of exchange for vis tenta - vis associated with a technique when compared with vis forma - vis associated with an art.
::Ayes; Marcus, Mnemosyne, Longinus, Bedo, Ambrosius, Phaedrus 
::Nays;
::::Approved/denied
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Vis Distribution - Part II Magi choose vis. Princeps gets first pick. Clashes resolved by seniority.
: I know I'm being dense here, but we have only six pawns, right? Which six? --Tim 13:31, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
::Listed above - 1 Creo, 1 Muto, 2 Animal and 2 Corpus.
* Marcus selects another Corpus pawn.
* Mnemosyne selects Creo.
* Ambrosius selects Animal.
* Phaedrus selects Animal.
* Longinus, Corpus
* Bedo selects the remaining pawn, Muto
----
*Phaedrus proposes to write a tractatus on Magic theory as service this year.
::Ayes; Ambrosius, Mnemosyne, Longinus, Phaedrus, Bedo and Marcus
::Nays;
:::Accepted/denied
----
*Mnemosyne proposes that she spend her season of service for 1222 - most likely Summer - journeying between the three closest Covenants (Should be Blackthorne, Cad Gadu and one other) to establish proper cordial relations within the Order, to promote the Covenant and to discuss issues of potential trade. If this is acceptable she invites the Council to advise her on orders of business which should be fulfilled, as well as individual member requests for action.
::Ayes; Mnemosyne, Longinus, Phaedrus, Bedo 
::Nays;
:::Accepted/deniedPresuming Marcus votes as per usual
Orders of Business are discussed here
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*Phaedrus notes that Bartleby probably won't be able to copy fast enough. We might want to make it a priority to find some apprentices for him. We might even benefit from finding a "simple" child, as long as it has a steady hand.
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*Ambrosius notes that, due to the extraordinary and unpredictable situations to which the Princeps must respond, and the time that he or she must use to address the duties of said office that might otherwise be used for their own personal agenda, that the position of Princeps has upon it an inherent level of service. Given this information, Ambrosius would present a motion that any magi in the position of Princeps be relieved of the responsibility of providing a season of service to the covenant for the duration of their possession of said responsibilities. 
Discussion on this motion may be found here.
::Ayes; Ambrosius
::Nays; Mnemosyne, Longinus, Phaedrus, Bedo
:::accepted/denied This motion fails with two opposing votes, as it constitutes an ammendment to the Charter, under Article 12 
----
*Phaedrus offers to train one of the Covenfolk in Magic Theory while setting up his laboratory.
Further discussion of this can be found here.
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==Spring Equinox Council of 1222==
*Jocelin the Redcap addresses the assembled magi. "It is my duty to present this notice before the assembled council of Mons Obscurus to the effect that in this year, the 1361st year of the Age of Aries, there shall be held in the Stonehenge Tribunal, a regional Tribunal whereat representatives of the Covenants may give their opinions and vote upon matters of import. The Tribunal is to be held at Blackthorne Covenant, six months, two weeks and a day hence, in mid-Autumn. I have no other notices or letters addressed to the covenant itself, but I have some personally addressed post I shall distribute after this council. Thank-you for you time."
----
*Mnemosyne asks that Marcus confirms her right to represent the Covenant, under Article 4, paragraph 10, of the Charter during her dealings with Blackthorne, Cad Gadu and Ungulus.
:"A reasonable thought," says Marcus. 
::Princeps approved/denied.
----
*Ambrosius notes that;
It is Given: The ruined covenant of the Hockestow forest was warded upon the arrival of the mages who later formed Mons Obsurus, and
It is Given: The site was investigated by magi that were, are the time, bound for membership in Mons Obscurus, and
It is Understood: The Hockestow ward was broken in the course of that investigation, and
It Would Appear: The destruction of said ward allowed for a creature of unknown nature, to escape
Ambrosius proposes that, despite having no legal responsibility to address this problem, it is the duty of the covenant, as a good neighbour and steward of mysteries for the region, to investigate the potential escape and address it in whatever way is within the power of the council. To address this, Ambrosius proposes the following:
During the summer, the council enlist Warren Osborn and his selection of armsmen and travelling companions to travel the areas and villages around the Hockestow, seeking information on unusual occurrences that might be tied to the breaking of the ward. That he gather back here but the summer council meeting and present to the council any evidence that he uncovers. At that time, the council may then better judge what action, if any, the magi should take in relation to the escapee, if one even exists.
Discussion on this motion may be found here.
::Ayes; Ambrosius, Mnemosyne, Longinus, Phaedrus assuming Warren has been approached., Bedo and Marcus
::Nays; 
:::accepted/denied
----
*Library changes and clarifications
"Sodales," said Marcus. "We are blessed with a surprising number of literati and that number should only grow as the school takes shape. Given that fact as well as the mere existence of the school, I feel that our single library is not well suited to our situation. The Library, as defined in our charter, has access limited to full members of the covenant, by definition magi. While this is perfectly appropriate to the arcane texts, it is not so for some of the purely mundane texts which we own and which we shall acquire in the future. At the moment, any texts acquired by individuals must either be kept and controlled by them in an ad hoc fashion or surrendered to the library which in the case of mundanes would deny them access. I propose the establishment of the Bibliotheca Scholae a formal designation for those texts which should be made available to the literate members of the covenant who may have need of them. Magi, naturally, will have priority access to the books, but by appointing some of the faculty of the school to administer the Bibliotheca and control access to it, we would not ourselves have to meet in council to decide, for example, if Llewys should be able to spend some time studying his Donatus or if Alicia might be allowed to review that text preparatory to teaching her class. I suggest also that our copy of the Bible be moved from the Covenant Library to the Bibliotheca Scholae.
Note that I roughed out such an outline on The Library page. Alicia would not surrender her Donatus to the Library if that means she would lose access to it, so whether or not we have a formal Bibliotheca Scholae, we will need someplace to track the books ...
::Ayes; Mnemosyne, Longinus, Ambrosius as Marcus proposed the motion, he violates his general practice and votes yes, Bedo.
::Nays; 
:::accepted/denied
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*If the previous motion passes, Mnemosyne notes that such a situation realistically requires additions to the Charter for long term use, and asks if Marcus would like her to put together a proposal for Charter amendment for the next meeting of the Council, or would he prefer to put something together himself?
No vote required.
As Mnemosyne is our legal expert, Marcus would be most gratified if she would undertake that task.
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*Marcus's Covenant Service for 1222
Marcus proposes to spend the Summer travelling the area drumming up students for the inaugural trimester at the Schola Strettonis, to commence in the Autumn of 1222. While on the trip, he will also do such diplomatic and mercantile tasks such as are needed to maintain the smooth flow of supplies and good relations with our neighbours and technical overlords with specific effort toward having the land occupied by the Schola granted to us in perpetuity for free or for a nominal rent. He asks if this is sufficient to discharge his covenant service for 1222. (This assumes, oh all seeing GM, that the school construction will be in good enough shape to begin classes by fall - at least for a small student body.)
::Ayes; Mnemosyne She also notes that if Marcus is planning to not be present for the Summer Council, he may want to make arrangements to delegate certain responsibilities, unless he is planning on 'popping' back using his travel magic, Bedo, Phaedrus (Provided that we have at least one more teacher besides Alicia to carry out the work, and some "baby sitters" to run the order and physical part of the school), Longinus, Ambrosius. 
::Nays; 
:::Accepted/denied
----
*Mnemosyne notes that as she will be absent for the Summer Council, she will be leaving her sigil and voting rights in the care of her proxy, Ambrosius. She will also produce a proposed amendment to the Charter, in regard to the School library and that her absence should not be taken to affect the need for a Full Council to pass this particular proposal.
No vote required.
----
*Mnemosyne asks the Council whether or not it would be a good to idea to take some of the Covenant vis stocks with her for trade for texts during the summer.
::Ayes; Bedo, Longinus, Ambrosius, Mnemosyne, Phaedrus, and Marcus.
::Nays; 
:::Accepted/Denied
----
<< I just re-read the Covenfolk Winter council... >>
* Phaedrus notes that the Covenfolk requested some more people on their council. Should we ask them to give sugestions for speciffic people we can recruit to the steward? If we actually ask them for it, they might think of, and dare to sugest, things they would not otherwise. 
:The covenfolk give a few good suggestions for people they know who might make good labourers, servants, or teamsters. The Architect suggests that a stonemason might be found in Sarop, or Bishop's Castle, though even an apprentice stonemason would be better than nothing. 12:06, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
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*Mnemosyne proposes that she take 3 pawns of Animal vis from the Covenant stores with her for the sole use of potential trading, during the trip to the three closest Covenants.
::Ayes;
::Nays;
:::Accepted/Denied
==Unscheduled Council of April 23rd, 1222==
Presuming that we convene a meeting on the same day as Caprice and Kelydon arrive, adjust the date if it differs. This meeting may also be played out, so this section could end up just being a reference record.
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*Marcus calls for a vote on Kelydon's application to become a Provisional Member of the Covenant, with Bedo acting as his sponsor.
::Ayes; Bedo, Ambrosius, Longinus, Phaedrus, Mnemosyne, Marcus. 
::Nays; 
:::Accepted/denied
----
*Marcus calls for a vote on Caprice's application to become a Provisional Member of the Covenant, with Ambrosius acting as her sponsor.
::Ayes; Ambrosius, Longinus, Phaedrus, Bedo, Mnemosyne, Marcus 
::Nays;
:::Accepted/denied
----
*Mnemosyne suggests that for his joining service to the Covenant, Kelydon search out and secure the Covenant an additional source of vis. With two extra mages at Mons Obscurus, the existing sources will be stretched thinly.
:Does Kelydon think this is a reasonable plan for the season? --Samuel<Talk> 13:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
::Ayes; Mnemosyne, Phaedrus, Kelydon(just showing agreement), Longinus, Bedo, Ambrosius, and Marcus.
::Nays;
:::Accepted/denied
----
*Mnemosyne suggests that for her joining service to the Covenant, Caprice search out and secure the Covenant additional Covenfolk. An increase in the number of farmers, common labourers and various other smallfolk who are essential in keeping the Covenant's finances in the black, would be a useful addition, and a Jerbiton should be perfect for the job.
:Does Caprice think this is a reasonable plan for the season? --Samuel<Talk> 13:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
::Ayes; Mnemosyne, Phaedrus, Bedo, Longinus, Ambrosius, and Marcus.</small> 
::Nays;
:::Accepted/denied
==Summer Equinox Council of 1222==
=The Covenfolk Council of Winter 1221=
==Opening speech==
Steward Isaac addresses those present: "I shall start by offering you all my praise for your labours during the inaugural year of the covenant. The year has passed without any unfortunate incidents or accidents of note, and fortune seems to have smiled on us to a greater extent. Now that the important tasks of providing for shelter, food, and warmth are accomplished, and the great work of the covenant is under way in earnest, we can now turn our attention from the fundamental needs of our settlement, to the concerns of the community it serves.
I have therefore called this moot so that we can gather and discuss the issues which trouble us, that we might find a solution to those issues, and thus make Mons Obscurus an even better place to live and work."
===Issues raised===
* Blathmac and Fergus request more labourers to work the land. They point out that the covenant spent a lot of money buying food this past year while good land has been going spare. 
* Geraldous, the Turb Sargeant, requested that the covenant purchase weapons and armour for the turb, and outfit of an armoury for use by the covenfolk at large in times of dire need. The turb claim to be making do with their own equipment at the moment, and wish to know when they will be equipped by the covenant. Regarding the armoury, the Turb Sargeant noted that with the planned construction of a wall about the covenant, even the purchase or manufacture of simple pikes would enable the general covenfolk to assist in defending the community against assault.
* Edwyn the Carpenter requests that the covenant hire a stonemason. This year he has, from time to time, assisted the architect with the building maintenance, but often as not the real problem originated with the stonework of a building as wooden frames, etcetera. Given the number and size of the stone buildings at the covenant, including those up above, it makes sense to get a proper craftsman in to see to them.
* There is a call from those assembled at large, raised repeatedly through the meeting for a higher wage. The covenant, they argue, is quite demonstrably wealthy, and the manner of their employment has such aspects as deserves better remuneration.
* Wirt requests a second cloth for use in the kitchen. He claims that the one he has been using all year for washing the dishes and scrubbing the floors is getting terribly abraded on the rough covenant flagstones. If he had a new cloth for scrubbing the floors with, he could employ the older one solely for the gentler task of washing the crockery.
* John Greenward asks whether there might be a festival or two this year. While he claims to have enjoyed the spectacle of soaring fire that Master Phaedrus did present the previous year at this time, it would have done better for a bit of music and dancing afterward.
* Several of the craftsmen raise the possibility of the creation of a guild in the future. The point is discussed for a little while, but fails to gather momentum.
===Closing remarks===
Steward Isaac thanks those who joined the meeting for their efforts, and formally closes the meeting.