Charter

The Charter of Mons Obscurus
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=Article the First: Of the Dedication=
1.1 This Covenant is forthwith dedicated to the pursuit and exchange of knowledge, the advancement of the Hermetic Arts and excelling in the execution of magic, and to the fostering of unity amongst the magi of the Order of Hermes. This dedication is not made in name only, but represents our highest aspirations, and shall be the guiding principle of our lives together. May the Order of Hermes be preserved and may our efforts add to its continued growth and strength.
=Article the Second: Of the Oath=
2.1 All magi who join the Covenant shall swear aloud the following: "From this day forth, upon the Ars Magica and upon my Oath, according to my ability and judgement, I will keep this Covenant and this stipulation - to reckon my sodales as dear to me as my own life, to look upon my sodales as brothers and sisters, and to celebrate with them the gift of magic. I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of this Covenant and the Order of Hermes, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. With purity and with wisdom I will pass my life and practice my Art. Into this Covenant I enter for the benefit of all, and will abstain from every voluntary act of maleficium and corruption. Whatever I see or hear in the life of my sodales that ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I continue to keep this Covenant unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the Art, respected by my sodales, in all times. But should I trespass and violate this Covenant, may the reverse be my lot!"
=Article the Third: Of Membership =
3.1 Each Member of this Covenant shall be a member in good standing of the Order of Hermes. In the event that a magus is renounced from the Order, they shall be cast out from this Covenant also, without any delay.
3.2.1 A magus who wishes Membership of the Covenant must be sponsored by one of the current Members, who shall present them to a Full Council of the Covenant. If under a Greater Vote their request for Membership is approved, they shall be welcomed into our fold and immediately granted Membership of the Covenant, with all attendant Rights, Privileges and duties. 
3.2.2 A magus may be sponsored to become a Provisional Member, which shall be decided and presented in a like manner to a Full Member in Full Council and passed by a Greater Vote. If passed the magus shall immediately be granted Provisional Membership with all attendant duties and limited Rights and Privileges.
3.2.3 A magus who has passed the full of his apprenticeship at the Covenant may petition the Council without sponsorship. If under a Simple Vote their request for Membership is approved, they shall be welcomed into our fold and immediately granted Membership of the Covenant, with all attendant privileges and duties. 
3.2.4 On joining as Full Member or as a Provisional Member, a magus must donate at least once season's work to the Covenant, as decided by the Council. This task shall be in line with the yearly task required as a Member's duty to the Covenant as outlined in Article Five, Paragraph 2, Section 2, but shall not replace that Member's duty. This shall include a Provisional Member joining as a Full Member.
3.2.5 On joining, each magus shall donate a compliment of laboratory texts to the Covenant which represent their studies during their years of apprenticeship. Spells learned after apprenticeship or once a member of the Covenant shall be considered their own property. This provision may be waived at Council's discretion, by a Simple Vote.
3.2.6 After two years of Provisional membership, a Provisional Member must apply to the Council without sponsorship to join the Covenant as a Full Member. If under a Greater Vote their request for Membership is approved, they shall be welcomed into our fold and immediately granted Membership of the Covenant, with all attendant Rights, Privileges and duties. If not, their Provisional membership shall be revoked.
3.3.1 Any Member may relinquish their Membership in the Covenant at any time simply by informing the Council. If the Council decides that they owe no outstanding debts or services to the Covenant, then they shall be relieved of their Oath and Membership, and all attendant privileges and duties thereof. 
3.3.2 Any Member who does not attend a meeting of the Council for a period of seven years may be deemed by the Council to have voluntarily relinquished their Membership. In this case, they may be relieved of their Oath and Membership, and all attendant privileges and duties thereof by a Simple Vote of the Council.
3.3.3 In the event that a Member commits crimes against the Covenant or the Order of Hermes, they may be cast out and relieved of their Oath and Membership, and all attendant privileges and duties thereof. Such a decision shall require a Greater Vote.
3.4.1 In issues of seniority amongst Members, the current Princeps shall be first. In order thereafter, seniority shall be dictated first of all by length of time as a Member of the Covenant. Secondly by Hermetic Title where appropriate - Praeco, Primus, etc... 
3.4.2 If two magi are of equal Hermetic status and have been Members for the same length of time then they may decide the issue of seniority between themselves if they so wish. If there is no agreement between two parties, certamen shall be the final decider.
3.5.1 A member of the Covenant who enters twilight has their rights and duties adjusted for the duration of the twilight since they are unavoidably detained. Unless they are applicable in this special situation or provided for ahead of time all rights and duties except those mentioned in the following section are suspended.
3.5.2 A magus currently in twilight retains his current membership status and keeps the rights detailed in this document under Article four, paragraphs two, four, seven and eight.
=Article the Fourth: Of Rights and Privileges=
4.1.1 A Member of the Covenant shall have the right to call, attend, speak in and vote at meetings of the Council.
4.1.2 A Member must make all reasonable attempts to notify all Members of the upcoming meeting.
4.1.3 A Member may not be barred from or otherwise deprived the Right to attend any meetings of the Council, so long as they hold Membership with the Covenant.
4.1.4 A Member has the Right to address the Council on any and all matters laid before the Council, in an orderly and civil fashion and must be recognised by the Princeps as having the Right to speak. A Member may speak uninterrupted for the length of one quarter hour, after which other Members may request and be given the floor with the Princeps permission.
4.1.5 A Member has the Right to vote in the Council, as described in Article Six.
4.2.1 All Members shall have the Right to be fed, clothed and sheltered in a fashion commensurate with the resources of the Covenant. Such basic standard shall not fall below the basic minimum of that needed to maintain good health and well being. 
4.2.2 This is a Right held by Provisional Members.
4.3.1 All Members shall have the Right of access to the common areas of the Covenant. The common areas of the covenant shall be specified by the members and may vary from time to time. However the common areas shall always include a meeting chamber, a library and a dining chamber, the passageways and routes between these places, and the outside areas within the Covenant lands.
4.3.2 This is a Right held by Provisional Members.
4.4 Each Member shall have the Right to a licence to use an area within the Covenant lands as a sanctum. This area shall be of the Member's choosing but the Member must give each other Members at least one season’s notice of any proposed site. The Council may veto such a proposed site by a Simple Vote. This licence once given cannot be revoked unless the member is expelled from the Covenant or the site becomes outside of the lands of the Covenant.
4.5.1 A Member shall have the Right of access to the Library as detailed under Article Eight.
4.5.2 This is a Right held by Provisional Members.
4.6 A Member shall have the Right to a portion of the Covenant's vis income as detailed under Article 9.
4.7.1 A Member shall have the Privilege to protection from those who wish to cause them harm and may claim the protection of the Covenant.
4.7.2 The protection of the Covenant shall be a shield and not a sword and shall be used to protect the Member from persecution and casual violence or harm. It is not intended to allow the Member to strike out at their enemies with impunity, expecting the Covenant to protect them from just retribution. Bringing harm upon the Covenant by inequitably presuming upon the good will of the Covenant's protection may be grounds for censure. 
4.7.3 This is a Privilege held by Provisional Members.
4.8.1 A Member shall have the Privilege of working laboratory and the mundane supplies and services required for their studies. The quantity and quality of these are subject to available Covenant resources but all basic needs for study shall be considered to have priority over non-essential needs, even in respect to Member seniority. If two Members shall have equal need for Covenant resources, priority shall be assigned by seniority.
4.8.2 This is a Privilege held by Provisional Members.
4.9.1 A Member shall have the Privilege of calling upon the services of the covenfolk and grogs who are in the employment of the Covenant on a limited basis. Each season, a Member may call upon a shield and a specialist, or a shield grog and two common covenfolk, without permission from the Council.
4.9.2 A Member may requisition the services of a shield grog from the employment of Covenant for a season as a bodyguard, man-at-arms or for some other purpose fitting with the goals and ideals of the Covenant. For service which is longer than a single season or requiring the abilities of more than one shield grog, the permission of the Council must be gained through a Simple Vote. In the case of more than one Member requiring the services of the same grog, seniority shall prevail.
4.9.3 A Member may call upon the services of a specialist, currently unoccupied with service to another Member. If they are occupied, then the Member may add their single season task to a waiting list for the specialist to complete in due course. If two Members wish to call upon the specialist's services or add their task to the waiting list at the same time, priority shall be determined by seniority. A Member may have have but one task on the list at any one time. 
4.9.4 The Covenant's need for the covenfolk and grogs shall take precedence over any Member's personal tasks. If there is Covenant business to be attended to, as decided by Simple Vote, then this shall come before the Member's business.
4.9.5 This is a Privilege held by Provisional Members.
4.10.1 A Member may be awarded the Privilege of representing the Covenant with groups or individuals outside the Covenant and apart from the Order. This Privilege may be awarded by the Princeps, usually if it is felt that the Member would better represent the Covenant in a particular situation than the Princeps due to some special skill, knowledge or contact with the concerned group or individual.
4.10.2 This Privilege shall allow the Member to enter into bargains and binding contracts with outside agencies, providing they do not contravene the Code. Such bargains and contracts must be confirmed by the Princeps at the earliest date possible. If they are not confirmed, then they may be overturned by a Simple Vote of the Council. If, however, they are confirmed by the Princeps, then it shall take a Greater Vote to overturn such a decision. Any such decision must be reached within a season of the Council learning of the details of the bargain or contract, or else stand. 
4.10.3 A Member may act as representative for the Covenant in a situation where it is impossible to gain the Princeps appointment in time and the Member believes that they must act directly and without prior permission to secure some clear advantage for the Covenant. In this case the Princeps may, with the support of a Simple Vote of the Council, retroactively declare that the Member was acting in the role of representative of the Covenant.
4.10.4 The Princeps must bear the burden of any consequences resulting from their appointment of a Covenant representative, prior or retroactive. A Member who acts without prior permission on the Princeps and is not retroactively approved shall bear the burden of any consequences resulting from their actions.
4.11.1 A Member has the Privilege of requisitioning resources from the Covenant for the training of an apprentice.
4.11.2 A Member may requisition reasonable mundane resources from the Covenant and the services of covenfolk. These may be in addition to any that the Member requires for themselves personally, but shall be subject to availability and shall never take precedence over any Member's needs, nor be part of any waiting list.
4.11.3 Only texts not required by any other Member may be requisitioned using this Privilege and the Member shall be responsible for the continuing good condition and prompt return of the text.
4.11.4 No vis shall be allocated or given to any apprentice for any reason. If a Member wishes their apprentice to have access to vis then they must provide it from their own personal stores.
4.11.5 If there arises a case when the same resources are requisitioned for two different apprentices or there are insufficient resources to support more than one request, then priority shall go to the apprentice whose parens has seniority.
4.12 A Member shall have the Privilege of inviting a single guest into the Covenant for a season. This guest shall be afforded the hospitality appropriate to their station within the abilities of the Covenant to provide, but shall respect the daily rules and regulations of the Covenant, in particular in respect to the sanctity of a Member's sanctum. This guest shall have no rights as a Member or even as covenfolk and their good conduct shall be the responsibility of the host Member.
=Article the Fifth: Of Duties =
5.1.1 A Member has the duty to protect the Covenant, its buildings, property, goods and chattels, and its occupants, including the covenfolk.
5.1.2 A Member may not endanger the Covenant by their actions or inaction.
5.1.3 A Member is charged to fulfil this duty with all reasonable power and ability at their disposal, even if should bring risk upon themselves.
5.1.4 This is a duty held by Provisional Members.
5.2.1 A Member shall have the duty to dedicate a season of service to the Covenant once per year, for the benefit of the Covenant as a whole and its betterment.
5.2.2 The nature of this service should be agreed on by the Council in a Simple Vote before the service is undertaken to ensure that such a service is considered relevant and of benefit to the Covenant.
5.2.3 In some circumstances a Member may request that the Council grant their agreement retroactively, where a Member has unexpectedly performed a long and significant task which has been in the interest of the Covenant, but agreement has not been obtained. In this situation, a Simple Majority Vote from the Council shall declare the relevant season already past as the Member's annual service.
5.2.4 A Member who undertakes an especially lengthy, of at least two seasons, and demanding task for the benefit of the Covenant, may in extraordinary circumstances be granted dispensation that these seasons may count against future year's services. This shall be decided by the Council by a Greater Vote.
5.2.5 A Member who misses their season of service due to absence from the Covenant shall owe the Covenant the missing season's of service upon their return, or forfeit all rights to vis held in trust during their absence and may be penalised by the Council.
5.2.6 A Member may choose which season they wish to dedicate in service to the Covenant, but if they do not perform at least one season's worth of service then they shall be considered in breach of this duty and shall be dealt with by the Council appropriately.
5.2.7 This is a duty held by Provisional Members.
5.3.1 A Member shall have the duty to attend a quarterly meeting of the Council, a meeting called by a Member as their Right under Article 4, Paragraph 1, Section 1, or an Emergency Council.
5.3.2 This duty may be waived if the Member so chooses, however if it is possible for the Member to attend the Council, or if they fail to designate a proxy, and do not attend then there it shall be implied that the Member has chosen to waive their Right to vote.
5.3.3 A Member may designate another member to hold their proxy vote and use it as they see fit, if they are unable to attend any meeting of the Council.
5.3.4 This is a duty held by Provisional Members.
=Article the Sixth: Of the Council=
6.1.1 The Council shall be a gathering of all Members of the Covenant as outlined under Article 5, Paragraph 3.
6.1.2 The Council shall meet in a safe and common place as outlined under Article 4, Paragraph 3.
6.2.1 The duly elected Princeps shall chair all Council meetings and shall maintain order through such meetings.
6.2.2 The Princeps shall propose the main agenda for the meeting. Once the main agenda has been attended to, any Member may propose any other business.
6.3.1 Each Member will have one vote on the Council and shall be counted on production of the magi's sigil.
6.3.2 A Member may proxy their vote to another Member of the Council, who must also produce the proxy sigil as well.
6.3.3 A vote must be registered as 'Yay', 'Nay' or an abstention.
6.3.4 The Princeps shall direct voting process and Members shall register their votes in the order so directed.
6.4.1 Votes shall be of two types. A Simple Vote, and a Greater Vote.
6.4.2 A Simple Vote shall need more than half of the Member votes presented as a 'Yay' to have the motion passed. Abstentions are not counted.
6.4.3 A Greater Vote shall need at least and including two thirds of Member votes presented at a 'Yay' to have the motion passed. Abstentions are not counted.
6.4.4 A motion which would require a Greater Vote to be taken cannot be presented unless the entire Council is present in fact or proxy. A Greater Vote may still take place if the missing Member or Members if despite having prior and adequate knowledge of the meeting and opportunity to attend have chosen not to and their Right to vote is waived as under Article 5, Paragraph 3, Section 2. A Greater Vote may also take place if the Member absent has been so for at least two seasons since an attempt to contact them was made.
6.5.1 An Emergency Council shall be be one called by a Member when there is insufficient opportunity to warn all Members of a meeting called, and that meeting is for the express purpose of dealing with a pressing issue which could, through either action or inaction, result in a detriment to the Covenant.
6.5.2 Only motions which directly pertain to the emergency at hand may be passed. All such motions shall be considered Simple Votes.
6.5.3 Any actions taken by the Emergency Council must be approved of by a Full Council and a Greater Vote at the earliest possible opportunity.
=Article the Seventh: Of the Princeps=
7.1.1 The Princeps shall be the first amongst equals in the Covenant. They shall be considered the senior member of the covenant in all issues pertaining to the covenant while holding the position, with no regard to actual age, status or seniority otherwise held in the Order. 
7.1.2 The Princeps shall have a number of privileges and duties beyond those of a standard Member.
7.2.1 The Princeps shall be elected by a Simple Vote. Any Member may propose a candidate, including themselves. Providing another Member seconds the proposal, the matter shall then be voted upon.
7.2.2 The Member proposed as a candidate may refuse the position if they so wish.
7.3.1 In Council matters the Princeps shall chair the meetings whenever present.
7.3.2 The Princeps shall choose the order of voting.
7.3.3 In the event of a tie in a Simple Vote, the Princeps will decide the issue.
7.4.1 The Priceps shall represent the Covenant in matters outside the Covenant first, in matters both inside the Order and without, unless they delegate the task to another, as described under Article 4, Paragraph 10, Section 1.
7.4.2 The Princeps may enter into bargains and binding contracts with outside agencies, providing they do not contravene the Code. The Council must be made aware of such bargains and contracts at the earliest date possible. At the next full or quarterly meeting of the Council they may be overturned by a Greater Vote of the Council. Any such decision must be reached within a season of the Council learning of the details of the bargain or contract, or else stand. 
7.4.3 In matters of representing the Covenant, the Princeps shall consider the well being and prestige of the Covenant above that of them self or individual Members, but must still respect the Rights of all Members and the Articles and spirit of this Charter.
7.5.1 The Princeps shall serve a three year term.
7.5.2 No Member may hold the position for more than two consecutive terms.
7.5.3 The Princeps may resign at any meeting of the Council.
7.5.4 The Princeps' tenure may be cut short by a Greater Vote from the Council.
7.5.5 The final act of an outgoing Princeps is to oversee the election of the new Princeps, who will then take over the position immediately.
=Article the Eighth: Of the Library =
8.1 The Library shall be a collection of books held in trust by the Covenant for the Members and shall include a physical place of storage and study which shall be safe from fire, theft and accidental damage. The Library shall also refer to any of the texts or documents entered into the Catalogue, whether they be physically present in the this physical place or not.
8.2 Only Members shall have access to the Library. Others may be given permission on a temporary basis to have access. This permission must have a time limit of no longer than a year, though may be renewed when the permission expires.
8.3.1 Books may not be removed from the Covenant grounds without the express permission of the Council, given by a Simple Vote.
8.3.2 Books removed from the Covenant are the responsibility of the Member who proposes the motion. 
8.4.1 A Member may borrow books from the Library and remove them from the common area to their sanctum or other area of the Covenant. No Member may borrow more than one book at the same time. The Member borrowing the book is responsible for it's safe return.
8.4.2 No Member may borrow a book for two or more seasons consecutively and not for longer than a single season, if any other Member expresses interest in the same book themselves. If no other Members wish to borrow the book, the first Member may continue to borrow it.
8.4.3 If two or more Members wish to borrow the same book at the same time, seniority decides who shall have preference. The other Member shall be receive the book on subsequent seasons, in order of seniority providing they still wish to use the book and are available. If a mage wishes to borrow a book for which there is an existing waiting list for, that mage goes to the bottom of the list, regardless of seniority.
8.4.4 No mage may borrow more than one book a season from the library without permission from the Council via a Simple Vote.
8.5 Once a year, at the winter solstice Council, the Council shall be presented with a catalogue of the Library and all its contents, the condition of its texts and their current locations. If any texts are damaged or missing, the Member who removed them or damaged them will be responsible. Otherwise, the Princeps shall held to account.
=Article the Ninth: Of Vis=
9.1.1 All vis sources which do not stem directly from a Member or which were not in private possession of a Member prior to joining the Covenant and which can be harvested legally by the Covenant laid down by the Code shall be considered the property of the Covenant.
9.1.2 Vis extracted in a Member's sanctum shall be their personal vis and shall not be part of the Covenant income or affect any distribution of vis by the Covenant.
9.2.1 A new vis source, replenishing or otherwise, which is discovered by the Covenant shall be the property of the Covenant.
9.2.2 Any amount of vis discovered by the Covenant shall be divided equally between the Covenant and the Member or Members who discover the vis. If the vis is a replenishing source, then this division shall occur only during the first year of harvesting and thereafter the vis shall be distributed as detailed in Paragraph 3. In the event of the amount of vis not being able to be split equally, the greater share shall go to the discovering Member or Members.
9.2.3 The vis gained by a discovering Member shall be a gift from the Covenant to the Member in recognition of their services. It shall not prejudice their claim on any or all other vis allocations for the year. This gift can however be withheld if the immediate need of the Covenant is considered greater than the need of Member. This shall be decided by a Greater Majority Vote. If the Covenant withholds its gift, it shall seek to compensate the Member at the earliest possible convenience.
9.3.1 A Member shall be entitled to a yearly vis allowance from the Covenant's vis income of one equal part of half the Covenant's income.
9.3.2 The Covenant shall allocate half its yearly income to the Covenant stores and half to the Members. If this division cannot be equal, the Covenant shall receive the greater share. All Members must receive an equal allocation to all other Members. In the event that there is an amount of vis in the half of the yearly income allocated to the Members which cannot be divided equally, then the portion which cannot be divided shall revert to the Covenant and shall enter into the Covenant stores.
9.3.3 The Covenant shall take the first half based on its needs to maintain the Aegis of the Hearth or any other ritual magics, stores of vis needed for emergencies and keeping a balanced variety of vis in stock, as decided by the Princeps and voted on by the Council in a Simple Vote.
9.3.4 In allocation of the Members' half of the yearly vis allocation, providing there is enough vis for each Member to have at least one pawn each, Members shall each choose a single pawn of vis, in order of seniority until each Member has a single pawn, then shall they choose a second and so the process shall repeat itself until all vis has been allocated.
9.3.5 If a Member is absent during the distribution of vis their portion shall be set aside in trust for their return. Unless a proxy has been declared they shall forfeit their choice and their portion shall be allocated from the remainder.
9.4 A Member may petition the Covenant for additional vis beyond their personal allowance in the interests of the Covenant business. The Member must prove to the Council's satisfaction that their intended purpose is Covenant business and gain a Greater Vote to be granted additional vis. Once the business is accounted for, the use of vis must be accounted for any surplus must be returned to the Covenant's stores.
9.5 All vis distribution described in this Article shall take place in the Covenant grounds and during Council.
9.6 Once a year, at the Council of the winter solstice, the Council shall be presented with a tally of all current vis stocks, sources, income, and an accounting of Covenant expenditure and allocation through the year. If the tally and accounts do not match, it shall be considered that there has been theft or mismanagement. In the case of theft, the offender shall be responsible. In the case of mismanagement, the Princeps shall be held to account.
=Article the Tenth: Of the Covenant=
10.1.1 The Covenant shall maintain a store of cash drawn from its assets and shall be used for the maintenance of the Covenant.
10.1.2 The yearly profits of the Covenant shall be split into two equal parts. One part shall go to the Covenant's stores the other part shall be divided equally amongst the Members as a yearly stipend.
10.1.3 A tenth part of a Member's private incomings from investments or labour which arise after joining the Covenant shall be given to the Covenant's stores as a part of the Covenant's yearly earnings as a tithe, in recognition of the role of the Covenant in sheltering and supporting the Member in all things and for the continued health and prosperity of the Covenant.
10.1.4 In the event of treasure of non-magical nature being discovered, the value shall be split with one half part going to the Covenant and one half part to the finding Members, calculated in the favour of the finders.
10.1.5 The store of cash shall be overseen by the Seneschal and accurate records shall be kept. These records may be examined at any time by a Member and shall be presented at least once a year to the Princeps.
10.2.1 Not more than half of the turb grogs shall be away from the Covenant or its grounds at one time, except by a Simple Vote of the Council.
10.2.2 Any Member leaving the Covenant grounds shall be entitled to at least one shield grog to accompany them, providing this does not violate the preceding paragraph.
10.3.1 A Seneschal shall be appointed to attend to and oversee the day to day running of the mundane affair of the Covenant, such as provisioning, supplying, organisation of servants, managing of finances, maintenance of the mundane buildings and all the essential tasks inherent is such a position which are beneath the day to day attention of the Members.
10.3.2 The Seneschal shall report to the Princeps and be under his jurisdiction. In the event that the Covenant is lacking a Seneschal, the Princeps shall assume his duties.
10.4.1 A Turb Sergeant shall be appointed to oversee the turb grogs and organise training and day to day routines, including security, scouting and other such mundane military matters. 
10.4.2 The Turb Sergeant shall report to the Princeps and be under his jurisdiction. In the event that the Covenant is lacking a Turb Sergeant, the Princeps shall assume his duties.
10.5.1 Commonly owned goods shall be the property of the Covenant and their use and distribution, unless otherwise described within this Charter, shall be overseen by the Seneschal in mundane issues and the Princeps in those magical.
10.5.2 These commonly owned goods shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, furnishings and decorations in common areas, tools and the like, weapons, arms and armour and magical items to improve the Covenant's processes.
10.5.3 Anything associated with the defence of the Covenant or the Aegis of the Hearth, not privately owned or already discussed elsewhere in the Charter, shall be considered the property of the Covenant for all time.
10.5.4 All buildings and adjuncts of the Covenant shall be the property of the Covenant, including all attendant grounds and lands.
10.5.5 These commonly owned goods do not include lab equipment or permanently assigned goods, such as clothing. In the event of any question, the Council shall decide the issue in a Simple Vote.
10.6.1 In matters of Members' inheritance, the Covenant shall be the first beneficiary. This provision shall form an implied last will and testament, which may be over-ruled by a separate and specific will and testament of the Member in question.
10.6.2 Regardless of the specifics any last will and testament, actual or implied, any documents, lab texts or books previously in the deceased's possession may be copied for the Covenant's library before they are passed to the beneficiary.
=Article the Eleventh: Of Penalties=
11.1.1 Any Member who is accused of breaking an article of this Charter shall be judged by the Council and a penalty, if any, shall be decided by a Simple Vote. In the event that a Member is accused of breaking an article which also contravenes the Code of Hermes, the Code shall have precedence and all judgements, penalties and so forth shall be determined by the Code.
11.1.2 Penalties for those found guilty of breaking an article of this Charter, but not the Code of Hermes shall be detailed in this Article subsequently.
11.1.3 Wherever so possible, a penalty shall fit the charge and be both fair and proportionate to the misdemeanour. In more serious or complicated matters, more than one penalty may be used.
11.1.4 A record shall be kept of all punitive judgements made by the Council to aid in their guidance in future judgements as well as for the benefit of Hermetic Law as a whole.
11.2 Removal of any or all privileges shall be a valid penalty imposed by the Council in situations where a Member is abusing a Right or Privilege or is not meeting a duty.
11.3 Compensation shall be a valid penalty imposed by the Council in situations where a Member deprives another Member, or the Covenant of something, which can be replaced by something alike or something of equal value.
11.4 Service to the Covenant shall be a valid penalty imposed by the Council in situations where a Member has caused the Covenant as a whole wrong either through actions or inactions or has ignored their duties to the Covenant.
11.5 Casting Out shall be a valid penalty imposed by the Council in the gravest and most serious infractions against this Charter, its Members and the Covenant. This penalty requires a Greater Vote by the Council. In addition it must be shown that the infraction was indeed a serious one and presented a real danger, was a truly serious act, or was a less serious charge - but the latest in a long line of repetitions and lesser penalties have been imposed multiple times before. It should be noted that ignoring the judgement of the Council and any penalty it imposes is in itself a serious act.
=Article the Twelfth: Of Amendments=
12.1 This Charter shall only be amended by the Full Council of the Covenant. If no more than one Member votes against an amendment, it shall be passed and take effect immediately.
=Article the Thirteenth: Of Definitions=
13.1 In the interest of clarity, certain terms in the Charter shall be defined in this Article.
13.2.1 Charter - This document and the Articles detailed within it.
13.2.2 Code - The Code of Hermes.
13.2.3 Council - A gathering of the Members for the purpose of discussion and decision as detailed in Article 6.
13.2.4 Covenant - The Members' fellowship and pact as defined by the Charter as well as the physical lands, buildings, people and goods which make up their home.
13.2.5 Full Council - A gathering of all living Members, without exception, for the purpose of discussion and decision as detailed in Article 6.
13.2.6 Greater Vote - An official vote by the Council requiring a majority of at least two thirds to pass the motion.
13.2.7 Hermetic Title - In order of importance, Praeco, Primus, Archmagus, Quaesitor.
13.2.8 Library - The Covenant's collection of texts, as defined in Article 8, Paragraph 1.
13.2.9 Member - A magi of the the Order of Hermes who has signed this Charter. Unless otherwise stated, this shall only be a Full Member.
13.2.10 Order - The Order of Hermes.
13.2.11 Princeps - A Member who has been elected to represent and lead the Covenant.
13.2.12 Privilege - A Privilege is a benefit accruing to a Member which may be abrogated, either as stated in the Charter or by a Simple Majority Vote of the Council.
13.2.13 Provisional Member - A magi who is accepted into the Covenant as more than a guest and less than a Full Member. Only references explicitly to a Provisional Member within this document shall be taken to have this meaning. All other references to Member shall be taken to mean a Full Member only.
13.2.14 Right - A Right is a benefit accruing to a Member which may not be abrogated, save by amelioration of the Charter.
13.2.15 Simple Vote - An official vote by the Council requiring only a majority of over 50% to pass the motion. 
=Signatories=
In Full
On the Twenty-Fifth of June, in the Year of Our Lord, Twelve Hundred and Twenty.
Mnemosyne filia Hironius ex Guernicus
Marcus Severus filius Julius Parvo ex Jerbiton
Ambrosius filius Galfridus ex Verditius
Longinus filius Mercantus ex Mercere
Bedo filius Caelicus ex Bonisagus
Provisional
On the Twelfth of April, in the Year of Our Lord, Twelve Hundred and Twenty-Two.
Caprice filia Arcturus ex Jerbiton
Kelydon filius Belidonis ex Bonisagus