(1502) Meeting of the Enchanters

[Crowley]

"I'll go with Emrys on this," Crowley responded after a pause. "I can accept that Nous put in a lot of work, but right now she doesn't have the trust necessary for the role. I think you still might," he gestured to Pepper . "I'd also add that the Council should have representatives from as many Cabals as possible. If we are going to place Cabals as the all important glue for our little society, they should be recognised at the top. Hopefully this stipulation will stop any future... misunderstandings. You understand - stop the majority of the Council coming from just one Cabal."

He sighed heavily. "If we can't, we can't. It might make a nice guiding principle though."

[Pepper]

Pepper stood, just a little stunned at hearing that from Corwley and Emrys. She wanted this. Wanted the position badly. She wasn't sure if she was ready for it. It felt wrong, too, not to tell Nous to her face that this was happening - could be happening.

Dammit. "I would gladly work towards removing all restrictions on both the councilors and Provosts. I'm fairly certain that most of the councilors currently sitting feel the same. That said, if majority still wishes for some pre-reqs, is there any compromise the members of this path would be willing to settle for?" Was she really doing this? Seriously? Her head reeled with the sudden turn of events.

"On the matter of Solitaires, as long as they're still recognized members of the Consilium, the laws - other than the great rights - still apply to them. On the matter of the Great Rights, granting a solitaire nemesis means that the Consilium wouldn't be able to step in to protect the solitaire if any Cabal declared it on them. Denying a Solitaire Nemesis offers the Consilium a loophole to always provide defense toward them as necessary. Giving them a partial right to Sanctuary also makes sense, because it very difficult for a single person to defend more than a single property. Though I do disagree with the Charter on the Matter of Hospitality. I say if the Solitaire wishes to provide aid to people in their sanctum they can - it's up to them." She shrugged. "If you want the full great rights to be granted to Solitaires too, I'll fight for that as well."

As for the matter of multiple Cabals... She shouldn't speak for Mace, but she knew some of her twin's plans for stepping down from the Moros Seat once it was feasible. "Crowley, as for your point, it's not something I'd put down hard as a rule, but I do know that the Cabals on the council will be diversifying soon - I can't speak for the councilor that told me their plans to get someone else in their seat, but it'll happen. Plus, if Damascus finds and order to join, she'd be immediately eligible for the Thyrsus seat. Which is fantastic since it'll remove pressure from Animus to sit for them. He has no interest in the seat, never has, and I'm glad he realized his duty to take care of himself is more important than taking that seat." That was true, she had hated it when she realized what Nous's actions would mean for her Cabal mate.

[Miach]

All those people talking about who should be Councilor, without even caring to define what you expect from a Councilor, made Miach want to leave the Tower without arguing any more. If a Councilor was a lawyer, and only a lawyer, then they were doomed. He had seen them, all those letter-abiding vultures looking for preys in Sutter's halls... and he had some scorn to spare for them.

He'd much rather someone like Faye, who wasn't fighting tooth and nail for the job and had a modicum of training, than all those bickering arrivistes. Still, there were eight of them, and several others were as silent as he, and probably as disgusted. Still, it was easier to go with the flow than arguing to redirect it, and Miach didn't push much, one way or the other. Tyria had spoken, and he wasn't ready to trump her word by a looong shot.

"Can't we behave like human beings ? All those Rights, those stipulations... have we forgotten what mere respect is like ? I would rather choose as Councilor someone with a sound backbone, than someone who happened to have studied the Laws for years..." he tried to plead, but was ready to shut up at any time.

[Aurora]

She quietly listens as everyone talks. A nod was given to Tryia when she made the assessment of her, after all, it was true. She didn’t have a complete grasp on the Lex, but was working on that. If they didn’t want her, that was fine, she wasn’t worried about it.

“I realize I am lacking knowledge with the Lex, and that is my fault. I’ve never stayed in one spot long enough to learn em. And those I did learn, were different from city to city. But I respect being passed over, it’s all good.” She says with a smile, no hurt feelings. She would find another way to help.

“But I have to agree with Miach. We need someone with a strong backbone. And judging by how I heard the last meeting went, we need someone not afraid to stand up and speak their mind. Personal vendettas and goals need to be put aside to do what not only is best for our Path, but the Consilium as a whole.”

The bickering back and forth was getting to her. Could anyone in this city discuss politics and Laws without bickering?

“If Nous isn’t hear to defend her position, then I put my vote and confidence in Pepper. She knows the Lex and isn’t afraid to stand up and speak her mind.” There, she put in her own two cents.

[Emrys]

Emrys smiled to Crowley and nodded as Pepper presented her ideas. Things were moving forward, and with Faye's vote it was all but secure for Pepper. Miach hadn't mentioned a name with his opinion, but in all honesty the issue seemed closed.

"I'd be fine changing the law to Cabal or Order if removing both is off the table. That would fit most mages and probably any Apostate with the ambition to try for a Councilor seat." The Enchanter shrugged. "As far as rights, I don't see a reason Sanctuary can't be granted in full. Solitaires are vulnerable without a cabal to fall back on, so the Concilium picking up the slack until they can get a group going seems like a good idea. It doesn't necessarily have to be permanent, but with the conflict going on at Sacramento State they are the easiest to catch in the crossfire if the Banishers catch on. Hospitality I think should be allowed as an option but not required, the rest I'm okay with as is."

The Enchanter slouched into his seat a bit and interlocked his fingers, allowing them to rest on his stomach. With a deep breath his attention settled on Pepper exclusively. "So with that elephant out of the room, here's another. One you have to decide on alone as Councilor. Who will you pick for Provost?"

[Jag]

Fluke remained silent as the rest of the group discussed what had taken place at Concilium, and how the Path should proceed in regards to the Councilor position. There was a reason he wasn't a fan of politics, and that reason was definitely on display as each Acanthus presented their own argument. He let out a mental sigh, shaking his head slightly as some comments that were definitely offensive were thrown around here and there.

Sometimes the best person for the job is the one who doesn't want it.

He certainly didn't want the job, and he would rather do a million things before he would volunteer himself for the position. But perhaps there were others in the room that did not want the job but could still do it? As he was lost in thought, things seemed to calm down slightly around him. Fluke turned his attention to each mage that spoke up, listening to what each was saying.

"I have to agree with Emrys in regards to Sanctuary," he finally said to the others. "At least some clause that would grant newly arrived mages some provisional rights while they find themselves a Cabal would be acceptable." He offered a quick shrug as he looked around the room. "I'm not sure how long of a period that should be for, but I do think its important to not let people hanging out to dry, you know?" Especially with all the threats the Concilium had been facing since his arrival.

I've been lucky so far, that's for sure...

[Pepper]

Pepper Blinked, as Xander's question about Provost made her realize that the hypothetical was rapidly becoming reality, then she did a quick headcount in the room and frowned. Crowley, Emrys, and Faye spoke for her, Tyria for Nous, Miach protested the debate, but said nothing on Councilors (again), and Fluke and Apollo hadn't spoken up.

"Hold up. There's three here who haven't spoken on the matter of Councilor selections at all." She gesture to Apollo Miach and Fluke Looking at them with a calm expression of one who was just waiting to hear what they had to offer.

She shifted her gaze back to the mystagogue, though, and her eyes softened more as she considered what he'd said. It felt like perhaps that was the piece she missed in her understanding of him. hoping that was the case, she spoke. "Miach, your concerns are valid, so I'll let you in on something: The discussions of law aren't as separated from treating people as people as you think. Humanity, sad to say, doesn't always do a good job of acting on that concept as we'd wish. Our Laws then, are the default for how much we can establish a system that does that. Our discussions about the Laws are about where those systems fail, and how we can make them better support the mages in the consilium as the people they are." Would he understand why they were necessary? why his voice was necessary?

"Fluke, I'm not really understanding what you mean about Sanctuary? We allow solitaires the provisional right to claim a sanctum and protect that property. The difficulty with allowing a mage claim an entire neighborhood though, is that it's a lot of area for one mage to cover. And if anyone intrudes or damages that area, the consilium's sentinels will have to step in to help them protect that naighborhood. The difficulty in that, though, is the Animus has been removed for the position and Jonokuchi is currently out of the country. We're down to one sentinel until Asp gains others to help share those duties. We don't have enough resources to protect a mage's territory for them." Pepper's brows knitted together as she spoke, clearly saddened that this was the case. It was though. "That said, they can claim their address as sanctum, and they have the full rights to protect their Sanctum as a Cabal would Territory." She... Felt odd about the likelihood that they'd ask her to fight for this. It had a solid reason for why it was there, but she recognized how is seemed unfair.

She glanced to Apollo again, not sure what to say to draw the quiet mage into the discussion. Really though, she only needed one more to voice support for her to feel assured that she even had the right to think about a Provost. Though who it would be would take some time.

Cryotic

[Crowley]

Crowley let the conversation flow.

"OK. I'll go along with that. Councillors have to be either in a Cabal or an Order to qualify for the post." He sighed.

"Yeah. I can accept that an Independent should not have the right to claim an entire neighbourhood. Not unless their a living legend or something. But everyone has the right to hold a roof over their head. Everyone has a right to a home." He added in relation to Solitaries and sanctums.

[Jag]

Fluke listened to Pepper's words, nodding as she spoke. He then turned to listen to Crowley as he piped up on the subject. "I'm sorry if I caused confusion," she said to Pepper. "I guess Crowley explained it much better than I did." He offered a quick apologetic shrug. "I was just thinking more along the lines of granting provisional rights to newly arrived mages, you know?" added the Libertine after a quick pause.

"Say, a new Thearch shows up in town and has no Cabal yet. It would be nice if this Concilium gave them some provisional rights until they have managed to find a proper Cabal or something," said Fluke, trying to explain his rationale a bit further. "I know that with the Charter as it stands, Solitaires or whatever you wanna call 'em, are afforded the Right of Crossing and the Right of Emeritus; and as you have explained, they are partially afforded the Right of Sanctuary as well." The Metropolitan paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I'm not sure if Nemesis is something that someone without a Cabal should really be concerned with...but how about the Right of Hospitality? Why wouldn't a new mage be afforded such a right, at least on a temporary basis?" he asked, curious as to why that had been left out of the Charter.

[Cryotic]

Apollo nodded to Pepper when she asked for his input "Either/Or on the councilor prerequisites sounds reasonable to me." He added simply. Honestly, it was less the prerequisites that had bothered him in the first place and more the shady accusations that had been flying about around them. The situation still bothered him, but regardless he couldn't dwell on it. "On that note, Pepper has my confidence for now." If the two options were both 'old guard' as it were, what did it matter who was what?