his be the charter of the Covenant of
Corvus Saxum, founded in the year of our Lord 1196, in the Duchy of Steiermark,
of the Grand Duchy of Austria. This charter was written and signed under
the auspices of the Magus Eumenius of House Quaesitoris, valued for her
wisdom.
This Covenant is hereby dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, to the advancement and mastery of the magical Arts, and to the fostering of peace among the Magi of the Order and the powers both Secular and Divine of the kingdoms of Man.
Each member of this Covenant shall be a member in good standing of the Order of Hermes. A Magus who wishes membership in the Covenant of Corvus Saxum must present themselves to a full council of the Covenant (quorums are unacceptable). A unanimous vote must be achieved in order that the new Magus be admitted as a member of this Covenant. Conversely, a Magus must be voted against unanimously by the other members of Corvus Saxum that he be cast out of the Covenant.
A non-Magus may be admitted to the Covenant without the necessity of a vote, but at any time a vote may be called to either admit or accept a current non-Magus member. A majority vote will suffice. A member banished by said vote must depart within one day, and shall not be allowed to enter the Covenant grounds again.
The Magi of the Covenant of Corvus Saxum shall be granted the following rights and privileges for as long as they remain a member in good standing: the right to vote in any council meeting (each vote counting equally), to call a vote on any matter of concern, to be entitled to an equal share of all vis collected on Covenant grounds, and to call a council. In all matters not pertaining to Hermetic Tribunals, the Autocrat of the Covenant shall also be granted a vote. Additional non-Magus members may also be granted the right to attend and vote on issues not related to Hermetic Tribunals at Councils. Conferment of this privilege requires a unanimous vote of current members in good standing. Any non-Magus bestowed with this voting privilege shall be be granted an honorary sigil with which to present their vote. All voting members of Corvus Saxum are considered members of the Council.
The members of the Covenant are granted the following rights and privileges, for as long as they remain a member in good standing: the basic rights of the food required for good health, shelter from the harsh seasons, and the right to attend and speak at the annual Council of the Covenant.
Councils shall be called by the lighting of a ceremonial candle, placed in a lantern on the south end of the temple roof. Sentries shall be instructed to immediately inform each member of the Council of the candle's presence. Yellow shall signify a meeting the next day (at dusk), white a meeting at midnight, and red a meeting as soon as possible (within the hour). All Council meetings are mandatory, though a quorum of no less than three members must be present to make the meeting valid. Except as mentioned in this charter, all votes shall require but a simple majority. Council members may request the attendance of any other members of the Covenant they deem pertinent to matters discussed at the Council.
Councils shall take place in the temple unless otherwise specified. All votes must be accompanied by presentation of the Magus' sigil. At least two Council members must agree to raise an issue that has previously been decided before it can be discussed once more.
An annual Covenant meeting shall be convened each year on August 1st, in which the state of the Covenant's affairs are discussed; At dusk a meeting shall be held in the courtyard that all members attend. This meeting will convene with a declaration of the state of affairs of the Covenant. Worthy members shall be honored, Questions answered, and Grievances shall be heard. At midnight, the Magi shall convene a Council to discuss the following matters; condition of the library, vis supplies and treasury, Hermetic relations, secular relations (both noble and Divine), the condition of the turb, a review of the previous year, and a discussion of the coming year. Further, a feast shall be prepared for all members in good standing on this day.
If three moons have passed without a Council convening, the Autocrat shall convene a council within one week of the third moon's passing such that the Magi retain their informed and cooperative spirit.
The position of Autocrat shall be filled by a unanimous vote of the Magi, and only another unanimous vote can banish the holder of the position.
The Covenant shall perform the traditional Aegis of the Hearth, as taught to the Order by members of House Carpandus, on the Winter Solstice of each year. All members of the Covenant must be present, and the Magnitude of said Aegis must not fall below three. The Aegis shall be centered in the Temple.
All vis available on the grounds of Rabenstein shall be divided evenly among the Magi, who shall spend equal number of seasons attending to said vis collection. The Covenant shall hereby establish a treasury of vis. Half of all collected vis, from any sources, must go to this treasury in the event it falls below the amount of 25 pawns. In the spirit of cooperation and generosity, any vis collected on expeditions away from the Covenant, whether they be of personal nature or Covenant business, shall be divided evenly between the Magus leaders of the expedition and the Covenant treasury. The treasury of vis shall be supervised and administered by the Autocrat. Magi must convene a Council to receive permission by vote to use any vis in the treasury that would take the amount of vis below 25 pawns.
Each Magus must spend no less than one season per year writing the knowledge of their Arts, arcane talents, or mundane knowledge into the library of the Covenant. Magi must inform the Autocrat of the nature of their work prior to beginning, who may call a Council to vote on the worthiness of said endeavor.
This page last modified on 8/16/97.
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