Charter of Witch Mountain
INTRO
We, the founding magi of the Witch Mountain Covenant and any who come after to join our number, do hereby swear to and ratify the bylaws, ideals, and procedures detailed herein. Let it be known that the highest purpose of this Covenant is to integrate any hedge traditions discovered into the Order’s magic and otherwise to preserve their knowledge for future generations. May the Arts themselves turn from any among us who violate this charter.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Cuairdaitheoir ex Miscellanea, of the Pralixian lineage
Cuairdaitheoir ex Miscellanea, of the Pralixian lineage
Boagane ex Miscellanea, of the Damhaidh-Duidsan
Gamayun ex Miscellanea, Mistress of Falcons
Lisovyk ex Miscellanea, follower of Crateuas
Cornelia ex Miscellanea, Maloccha and enchantress
OATH OF THE COVENANT
I, (Name), do by this oath bind myself forevermore to the pursuit and safeguarding of knowledge and to as great a mastery of the magical arts as can be mustered within me and furthermore to the preservation of peace between the members of the Order of Hermes. From this day forth, my life at the Covenant of Witch Mountain shall be ordered primarily by these goals. The knowledge of all magics, Hermetic or not, shall be precious to me, and even should their practice be too dangerous or costly to encourage, still will I keep that knowledge safe, though I shall keep it from unworthy hands. Towards the aims and goals of the Order and this Covenant do I hereby dedicate my life. I shall hold the bylaws herein most dear, and treat them as guiding principles. Should I fail in my duty, may the Arts themselves turn against me, and a fell curse fall on my name forevermore.
I, (Name), do by this oath bind myself forevermore to the pursuit and safeguarding of knowledge and to as great a mastery of the magical arts as can be mustered within me and furthermore to the preservation of peace between the members of the Order of Hermes. From this day forth, my life at the Covenant of Witch Mountain shall be ordered primarily by these goals. The knowledge of all magics, Hermetic or not, shall be precious to me, and even should their practice be too dangerous or costly to encourage, still will I keep that knowledge safe, though I shall keep it from unworthy hands. Towards the aims and goals of the Order and this Covenant do I hereby dedicate my life. I shall hold the bylaws herein most dear, and treat them as guiding principles. Should I fail in my duty, may the Arts themselves turn against me, and a fell curse fall on my name forevermore.
MEMBERSHIP
Cuairdaitheoir ex Miscellanea, of the Pralixian lineage (Realm Officer)
Cuairdaitheoir ex Miscellanea, of the Pralixian lineage (Realm Officer)
Boagane ex Miscellanea, of the Damhaidh-Duidsan (Treasury Officer)
Gamayun ex Miscellanea, Mistress of Falcons (Library Officer)
Lisovyk ex Miscellanea, follower of Crateuas (Local Officer)
Cornelia ex Miscellanea, Maloccha and enchantress (External Officer)
GOVERNANCE
Witch Mountain shall function primarily by democratic council, and the following principles shall be held as foundational.
Witch Mountain shall function primarily by democratic council, and the following principles shall be held as foundational.
—A majority of member magi must be in attendance, whether physically or remotely, in order to reach quorum. Elsewise the meeting of the council is to be considered illegitimate, except in cases where missing members are kept from attendance by outside forces.
—Once quorum has been achieved, one amongst the attending number shall be selected by lot to fill the role of disceptator for this council session alone. The chosen magus or maga shall receive two votes in any vote held during council, which they may only use in order to break ties. A disceptator using this second vote for any other purpose is considered in violation of the bylaws and must be replaced, again by lot.
—All magi shall receive but one vote besides the disceptator, and all shall be regarded as equal in council, with the disceptator being merely first among equals.
—All issues of concern to the covenant shall be referred to council: however, the council is encouraged to empower individual magi—hereafter referred to as “officers”—to handle specific issues and areas of concern on an as-needed basis.
—Officers of the council are empowered to deal with their appointed issues as they see fit—barring censure by council—but are required to in all matters respect the laws of the Order and Covenant. Officers who break these laws are considered to be in violation of the bylaws, and removed from their post by council.
—Officers are required to devote at least one season a year or equivalent effort—as decided by council—on their areas of responsibility. Officers who do not proceed as such will be removed by council.
—Officers who face emergency issues must immediately work to resolve them, foregoing all other concerns until the matter is resolved. Officers who fail to do this will be removed by council.
—Officers are required to report the progress of their work at the beginning of every council meeting, after the disceptator has been selected.
—All members of the covenant are required to submit to decisions made by council.
—The mundane covenfolk of the covenant are to be organized into a guild, by which they might raise their concerns to the council. The leader of this guild is to be the senior covenfolk—the longest-serving member—at all times.
—This guild may send a representative of their choice to council meetings, who will have some time allotted at the end of council to air concerns. These concerns may be addressed by council, but this is secondary to the safety and good order of the covenant.
—Once an issue has been voted on by council, it is considered to be settled. No new votes may be called on said issue until adequate evidence for need of such has been demonstrated, as decided by council.
—Finally, regular council meetings must be held at least once per season on the Quarter Days, and any magus or maga may call for a meeting as-needed.
RESOURCES OWNED BY THIS COVENANT
—All books within the library are the communal property of the covenant. Books acquired or written by member magi are to be considered their personal property, but any works created on covenant grounds must be copied forthwith, the copy thereafter being considered part of the library in perpetuity. Damaged or destroyed books in the care of a member must be replaced by the responsible member, or a work of equivalent value, as adjudicated by council, must be given in its place. Failure to do so will result in censure. Finally, books may be removed and used from the library by member magi, provided that they have previously made a reservation for the time in possession with the Library Officer. These reservations shall be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
—All books within the library are the communal property of the covenant. Books acquired or written by member magi are to be considered their personal property, but any works created on covenant grounds must be copied forthwith, the copy thereafter being considered part of the library in perpetuity. Damaged or destroyed books in the care of a member must be replaced by the responsible member, or a work of equivalent value, as adjudicated by council, must be given in its place. Failure to do so will result in censure. Finally, books may be removed and used from the library by member magi, provided that they have previously made a reservation for the time in possession with the Library Officer. These reservations shall be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
—Vis discovered by member magi is to be considered their personal property, unless such vis is a renewable source, in which case it is considered to be owned by the covenant. However, discovering magi may use up to fifty percent of a renewable source’s vis yield during the first year after discovery, which does not count against their share of communal resources.
—Mundane funds acquired by member magi in the course of their business are theirs alone, save for a ten percent fee to be paid to communal stores. As an exception, funds gained through the use of communal resources, including the covenfolk, will instead incur a fifty percent tax. Covenfolk are not permitted to earn money outside of their covenant work, but the guild will disburse a yearly salary to them not below four pounds.
—Enchanted devices made for personal use are personal property, but all member magi must contribute two enchanted devices to the covenant within ten years of their joining, whether commissioned or personally built. These devices are to be communal property managed by the library officer and rented out on a similar basis as texts.
—All sanctums and laboratories are to be considered personal property of the inhabiting magus, while the rest of the covenant’s structures are to be considered communally owned.
—Covenfolk may not own property on covenant land, but are guaranteed housing, food, and drink as needed as long as they perform their duties appropriately, as assigned by the guild and the member magi.
RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COVENANT
All member magi are guaranteed the rights below, unless they face censure by council.
All member magi are guaranteed the rights below, unless they face censure by council.
—The right to food, drink, and shelter as required
—The right to a personal laboratory and sanctum
—The right to borrow and use books from the library, which is to be managed by a reservation system
—The right to command and use covenfolk to fulfill their needs, except where it might do them harm or violate agreements made between guild and council
—The right to vote in council
—The right to travel freely for up to two seasons at a time without being considered in violation of council duties
—The right to privacy and security in one’s own sanctum, barring Wizard’s War or March
—The right to protection by the covenant from hostile outside forces, regardless of their nature, unless as a result of Wizard’s War or March, or otherwise as a result of having violated
—The right to use up to ten percent of communal vis per season, calculated from the total yield of communal sources and usable stocks. More may be allocated at the will of the council.
—The right to use up to ten percent of communal mundane funds per season, as calculated from all foreseeable incomes and stocks. More may be allocated at the will of the council.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COVENANT
The responsibilities are as follows.
The responsibilities are as follows.
—All magi must attend at least one council meeting a year, although exception can be made in extraordinary circumstances.
—All magi must contribute to communal defense, as well as the defense of their sodales, from outside forces.
—All magi must contribute copies of lab texts and other books produced to the library.
—All magi must notify the council of the discovery of any sources of vis.
—All magi must consent to being made officers of the council, unless they can demonstrate to the council that another could better perform their assigned duties.
—All magi must abide by the decision of the council, even if the decision is not to their liking.
—If an issue between two members becomes irreconcilable, the two may engage in certamen to decide the issue outside the purview of the council. Regardless of the result, both parties must agree to abide by it.
—All magi must be willing to take apprentices in their tradition, and must contribute texts containing an overview of their unique practices to the library before five years have passed from membership.
—Officers must tend to their responsibilities, denoted below.
—The Treasury Officer is responsible for vis stores and sources as well as mundane funds. They must keep a proper record of these, as well as withdrawals made by members.
—The External Officer is responsible for mundane relations as well as with the local Tribunal and the Order overall. They must attend each Tribunal meeting, including the Grand Tribunal, and may vote in the stead of non-attending members, with those members’ consent.
—The Library Officer is responsible for the library and the store of enchanted devices, and must ensure these are upkept in usable fashion, in addition to keeping account of withdrawals.
—The Realm Officer is responsible for maintaining relations and dealing with any beings of the four realms that the covenant is faced with, and is reminded to be mindful of the Code in their dealings. This includes hedge magi, although this responsibility is shared with the External Officer.
—The Local Officer is responsible for relations with the covenfolk, as well as maintaining and improving structures, mundane income sources, and quality of life overall.
—Other offices may be appointed as needed. Failure to abide by any of these responsibilities will result in censure.
CENSURE OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COVENANT
Censure is to be handed out at the will of the council and in any cases noted above. Censure, outside of noted cases, requires a unanimous vote not including the member to be censured. Censure is to be handed out at three levels of increasing severity, noted below. All levels save the third are considered to be removed once three years have passed without further censure. In addition, censure may be withdrawn by a unanimous vote of the council, save the censured member.
Censure is to be handed out at the will of the council and in any cases noted above. Censure, outside of noted cases, requires a unanimous vote not including the member to be censured. Censure is to be handed out at three levels of increasing severity, noted below. All levels save the third are considered to be removed once three years have passed without further censure. In addition, censure may be withdrawn by a unanimous vote of the council, save the censured member.
—At First Censure, a member is denied the rights to the library, communal vis sources, and any offices, but retains their other rights.
—At Second Censure, in addition to the above penalties, a member can no longer vote in council or command covenfolk for any purpose, and additionally must contribute a season of labor to the covenant per year, as decided by the council, retaining their other rights.
—At Third Censure, a member is expelled, and may be subject to Wizard’s War by the council, depending on the severity of the offense. This cannot be withdrawn outside of extraordinary circumstances.
SEAL OF APPROVAL
Not yet approved
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