(2105) Consilium

[Aurora]

Walking over to Phoenyx, she stands along side her. A nod offered.

The urge to slip back into her role within the Ladder was strong. Stronger than she expected. But she held it in check. Needing to hear more, especially from those who saw the whole thing.

Finally, “I would like to hear from those who witnessed whatever went down on the day in question. I’ve heard what both have said, and it varies. So others observations are needed.” At least, for her. She wasn’t taking sides in this. Anima might be a Shaman, but it didn’t mean he got off if he fucked up. And if both were blowing it way out of proportion? She'd be pissed. Cause they all had better things to do then put people in time out for name calling.

[Phoenyx]

The Arrow looks to Eulogy as he announces himself. "Those who have earned respect must be treated with respect," she quotes slowly. "I have not studies the Lex in depth as a lawyer might. My understanding was this applied to all - this is how I was taught. If what you say is true, and there are no members of any recognised cabals present, then there would be no case. That would be the letter of the law, but would it be the spirit of it?" Her reply is careful and measured. Perhaps rhetorical? BUt there is space left for the possibility of response - like a philosopher's answer. Sometimes it wasn't what was written down, but what was intended.

As solomon moved, she offered an almost imperceptable nod. You would have to have been watching her to see it. Intuition and anticipation. Good.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-05-21 02:50:12	Phoenyx rolls 7 to Resist Fast-talk: Composure+Subterfuge (10 Again, WillPower)	8, 8, 5, 3, 3, 9, 5	3 successes

Hadn't he just said that he would treat Puck's position with respect thirty seconds before? And now it was 'Councillor de facto' - something she disliked and had said as much in previous Concilliums. She had already been thinking this sounded petty and ridiculous - from both​ of them - Anima's words made clear to people around that it was the same. As a councillor, she had to be just, even if it sounded foregone to her.

Fortunately, Aurora stands beside her and injects reason. Phoenyx felt the burden lift slightly.

"Magus Anima makes some good points," she responds slowly to Amina's empassioned speech. This was a waste of time. "However, I agree with Councillor Aurora. The accusation brought should also be heard." She looks to Puck , waiting for his rebuttle.

I used the resistance roll for Fast=talking as outlined in the Persuasion Skill on the wiki. It seemed the closest fit as Anima is trying to bring this rapidly to a close.

[Puck]

Puck's fists clench and his breathing switched to slow forced breathes. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

"He was talking about whipping women with braids of hair so the spirits would make them horny enough to want to make babies." Puck rolled his eyes. "Guru pointed out it was probably the booze and Anima asked him if he was sure. I told him I thought Guru was applying Occam's Razor to his pervert festival and left to talk to Winter. As I was leaving he made the plebian comment and I walked away. This was on the floor of the sanctuary by the way. As open as this conversation is."

Never say Puck wasn't forgiving. To a point at least.

"What matters is the second count at this point. The one where he claimed I wouldn't let him come out because I was insulted by his flirtation." -isms are bad. Accusing someone of an -ism so you don't have to face what a fuck up you are? "He should be flattered. That's what he said to me in front of both of you. Y'know, before saying I was an impediment to intellectual conversation and making a snide comment about the size of my path. The reason for the second charge isn't just about a bruised ego, it's the ability for members of the concilium to lie about victimhood and discrimination so they don't have to face the fallout of their own words. I wasn't in the room for a minute when I made my comment and left to talk to Winter. He warned me about Anima's attitude problems, so when Aurora asked what she had missed the previous month I shared what Anima had said to extend the kindness Winter had shown me."

Sharing is caring. Ask any Libertine.

"You don't need witnesses at this point. Anima has claimed that the initial conversation was an academic discussion. My second charge was for his dishonesty. For knowingly telling you a lie to disparage me. All you need to ask is whether he was lying when he said his pervert festival was a form of flirtation, or whether he's lying now to say that it was an intellectual exchange. Either way he's illustrated his inability to honestly address the concilium and accept responsibility for what he said."

Remember when Puck agreed not to call witnesses because it made someone uncomfortable? Sure that someone chimed in anyway, but this guy is a man of his word.

"As for the Councilor's comments?" Eyes are leveled exclusively on Phoenyx. "I'd understand if you said a severe reprimand is to severe. That's your opinion and as Councilor it's your opinion that determines the punishment. But that's not what you said. You said Free Council business is for Free Council mages and then stated you'd only faithfully perform your duties as a councilor if they comport to the standards of the Arrow. More importantly, you confess that your Wisdom is not even your own, that your willingness to execute the full range of the tetragrammaton is contingent on the orders of another. If the Lex Magica and Tetragrammaton are the standards for the five orders to cooperate and function as a single awakened community, how do you justify subverting that as Councilor of the Concilium?"

His attention flicks back and forth between the two other councilors.

"If the laws are the standards we hold ourselves to, the penalties are our reasons for upholding them. Rules with no enforcement are nothing more then guidelines. A penalty with meaning is what stops this from happening again. Ultimately, he's not at risk either way. He can stay for as long as he likes at the Circle where he will remain safe from any who would oppose the pentacle. His isolation is what matters. He needs to understand what happens when he fails to hold to the standards of his order and his concilium. A severe reprimand for deceiving the Council sends a clear message to all who are recognized by it, just like making excuses for him to continue behaving in a way both Winter and Kaze had to warn me about will."

12 suxx persuasion and ooc

With no guidance from the admins I rolled with the rits since Anima did as well. I do still think we should drop them moving forward though.

12 suxx
Date

	Action		Roll		Result
2021-05-21 18:25:50		Puck rolls 10 to be persuasive (Manip+Persuasion) (8 Again, WillPower)		9, 8, 6, 3, 9, 10, 6, 8, 9, 1, 3, 9, 10, 9, 3, 10, 6, 4, 9, 8, 7, 1		12 successes

[Corn]

Corn couldn't help but notice that Puck was very persuasive. Was that perhaps the effect of the spell he cast earlier? Was that even permitted here? Well, everyone seemed to have rituals and spells on, so to give himself a boost didn't seem inappropriate. Poor Anima though... well, if Anima can't boost his own persuasiveness then he should be more careful around mages that can. Corn had already expressed that what Puck said was out of proportion and he wouldn't stick his head in the beehive again. He was still new here and Puck was a councilor that apparently could hold a grudge.

[Mage ST]

Anima realizes the errors of his ways and leaves, also leaving the city.

Mark -- Let me be VERY clear that I'm not choosing a side: I'm tired of you doing whatever the fuck you want in Mage. It was pretty clear that spells cast in scene were in scene -- allowing the scene to continue didn't mean the Rits were still active, but never cast.

Misrepresenting facts OOCly and accusing a player of bullying when you've bullied the entire venue into accepting your bad behavior and ignorance for years is unacceptable. You're done in the Mage venue.

[Puck]

It's like watching the weight of the world lifted from Atlas's shoulders. The look of pure relief on Puck's face as Anima admits fault and leaves was a high intense enough for the Enchanter to ponder if he missed his calling on the path of ecstasy.

"Welp. That settles it." The bottled rage seems to evaporate with every breathe. The pressure of months of irritation lifting before the eyes of every mage that could see Puck's face. "Good chat everybody."

With one more breathe he dares a smile.

"My question for Phoenyx still stands though."

Part of conflict is revealing the weakest link of a group. Anima was gone, but he brought some pretty disturbing revelations to light in his ignorance. At least he was good for something in the end.

Sorry for post jumping, but with just over a week left in the scene Anima's exit is a convenient place to start wrapping this up.

[Phoenyx]

As Anima leaves, Phoenyx wonders why go to all this trouble. Why not resolve this the minute it was raised.

The Arrow meets Puck's stare without wavering.

"Councilor, you referred to Magus Anima as a heretic - someone in opposition with established beliefs, which I took to mean the beliefs of the Free Council. I considered that an internal affair of your Order, not of the Council." Hopefully that was settled. "Regarding your second point, you seem to be suggesting I am incapable of performing my duties as a councilor because of my principles. I disagree. I would not levy a punishment that I could not uphold and hold my Oaths simultaneously. I also believe it is respectful to inform the reasoning for one's response when in official proceedings such as this, so that others may understand, if not agree. When I was elected Councilor of the Obrimos I did not stop being a member of the Adamantine Arrow, and I take those principles as seriously as the Law that governs Mages. If those principles find themselves in opposition, I must find a mutual solution that satisfies both; but that makes me no different from any Councilor that belongs to an Order. I will not support the Severe Reprimand you suggested, but there are other punishments that could be enacted. I might be overruled by the Council, but my principles would be intact and the Law would be just." She had been swayed by Puck's description, and had been doing just that, considering what punishment made sense. It set an awkward precedent, but Puck had been correct - the law required enforcement. She simply would not compromise her principles.

She pauses, watching the Acanthus carefully. "If you believe my wisdom is not my own because I follow principles I was taught, I do not see why this makes me any different from anyone. We are all taught morals through our lives, and then make the conscious choice to follow them or not. I was taught that all should be treated with respect, and embraced that as my interpretation of the Law of Emeritus - which worked in your favour. If you believed I blindly obeyed the teachings of my former Master, perhaps I did not make that clear in my phrasing. But it is equally a sign of respect to elders to weigh their teachings carefully, even when one disagrees."

Phoenyx glances around at the other mages, before returning to face Puck. "We do not know one another well, Councilor. I take my duties and oaths most seriously, and how I reconcile them forms my opinion - the opinion as you say, that would contribute to a ruling of this Council. However, if these answers do not satisfy you, the Obrimos present have heard your case. If they are in agreement with your assessment and dissatisfied with my performance, they are within their rights to remove me from my position and next formal Concillium will see you working with a new councilor." She sounds completely at ease with this idea. A throne was a prison, after all. "If you are interested in the philosophy of the Arrow and how I do so, I am sure we can discuss such in a less formal setting. I would be curious as to how you do so with the Principles of the Free Council."

Also apologies for jumping in here - I just wanted to answer the last question and hopefully move to a conclusion of sorts.

Just to make things clear, as Phoenyx was being ping-ponged about by social roles - she is now of Puck's side, had there been need to make a formal ruling as per the result of the rolls she would have elected some kind of punishment, and any hypotheticals or discussion of this will be made going forwards. I was trying to reflect this in the descriptions - sorry if this did not come across.

That's because her virtue is Justice and what she says will not always reflect this result. She would want to see justice over her own opinion on the matter, even if she was overruled; Justice in this case being the council's decision.

[Aurora]

Listening as Phoenyx spoke, she nodded here and there. The Shaman, had, at one point, studied the Lex. But it had been years.

There was a deep sigh as Puck spoke, “I can understand the distaste for what he spoke of. And each Shaman embraces their Path in a way that is unique to them. There are some festivities that include wine and sex, but the whipping is a new one to me. But I do not believe it was appropriate to speak of here, in sanctuary. And if it is, it should be spoken of with more tact.” But she also didn’t care. Sex was thing.

“The insult to your intelligence was uncalled for. But does there really need to be a trail for name calling? Isn’t this something we, as what I hope are adults, work out? I don’t mean to demean your feelings on the whole thing, and I agree, one should always face the consequences for their actions. And everyone should be heard out on the matter.” She was simply trying to play peacekeeper at this point. See both sides. “Either way, your words have merit in that Anima has painted himself into a corner of appearing untrustworthy. And trust in invaluable to us, we need trust in each other to have our backs.” Without trust, they had nothing. “That is within the Iron Laws, our words are our bonds." just how it was.

“But I stand beside what Councilor Phoenyx has stated. A Severe Reprimand is too much in this case. Our numbers are small, and we need everyone prepared to defend our home if the need arises.” She beings, “Now, a Minor Reprimand, Major or even Repayment seem more in line with the offense. One does not serve one of the more severe penalties over calling names and being dishonest about it. Those are reserved for the Awakened that have royally fucked up. Like those who decide to cast vulgar magic in front of Sleepers. Those are Awakened who need to suffer punishment and deal with the severe consequences.” Not fucking name calling.

And then…Anima just…leaves. Up and leaves!

There was blinking. Lots of blinking. He fucking left! Her jaw sets as her lips form a tight line.

What the actual fuck?!

Slowly, her gaze moves to Phoenyx.

Then Puck starts. Again.

“Why question her Wisdom and ability to be a Councilor to her Path?” she asks. “One could ask the same of you. Path of one, does your pride cloud your judgement on what is an appropriate punishment? You dislike for someone that drives it?” again, she asks. “Everyone brings baggage with them to the table. But questioning someone’s Wisdom and ability to lead because they come to decisions differently? Well, that’s bullshit. I fought beside her against the Seer’s. I have seen her put her own life on the line to keep those around her safe. Her wisdom put to the test and the right decisions made.” Pausing to gather her thoughts before she lost her shit. “Lets not call ones Wisdom or ability to be just and fair without some solid evidence.” She was tired, it was evident in her body and eyes. This was exhausting and she wanted a drink. “Emotions and tensions are high right now, nothing good will come of continuing this matter without a time for a breather.” Trying to reign her feelings in. Insulting Phoenyx just set her off. And she needed to focus, emotions had no room in this matter. Taking a deep breath, she moves off to the side and sits. The desire to leave was strong, but she wouldn’t do that. But she does listen as Phoenyx speaks, her words wise and to the point. She was impressed with how well spoken the Arrow was in the matter. A natural leader?

[Guru]

Guru had returned to his previous perch and instead of staying seated merely stood there having sat the bag of caramels down so folks could have a free-for-all for them if they wanted. One foot was crossed over the other as the Triumvirate of Councilors. It could just be the Triumverate for now as there were only Three Councilors at current since Campy didn't want it and Corn nor Crystal seemed eager to follow in Puck's footsteps. After this he could see why.


He listened to the Councilors speak, Puck made a good case but it was still built on a foundation made of a sand. It had been an academic discussion but his grievance was still legitimate he'd made a good case for it and no one could tell him he wasn't insulted and he was right we shouldn't lie to each other but there weren't any Guardians present in the room to look at for that.


This is why we don't go to the cops about minor problems, because then it sets a precedent and anyone with a grudge is going to call the fuzz on your ass and hope they dig deeper to find something worse. If Phoenyx wanted to, she could follow his example and call Emeritus on him for the slight. But Guru kept his mouth shut and his head down cause he wanted to stay the fuck out of trouble and get back to The Work that mattered. He couldn't blame Anima for leaving really. This is why he'd been an Apostate for so long.

[Kaze]

Wow. Just wow. Puck makes a great speech. And Anima just...walks.

Which actually is not all that hard to believe. I mean, he kind of did the same thing in the last meeting. Or maybe the one before. But this time. Somehow, Kaze believes him, that it's not just drama, that Anima is tapping out on the whole city.

Yeah. Why is he always kind of surprised when people just...leave. I mean, at least he actually saw Anima walk away. Most times, people just aren't around anymore.

Kaze is quiet, looking around at the people who are still here, wondering which ones are still going to be here a year from now.