The Charter and Covenant of Flamma Aeterna

We, the below signed, on the day of Midsummer in the One thousand and seventy fifth year of Aries, do hereby witness the charter and code of the covenant, to be known as Flamma Aeterna, founded and to be maintained within the auspices of the most honourable Order of Hermes

1 The covenant shall be known by the name of Flamma Aeterna, the Eternal Flame

2 The covenant's objectives shall be:

a) Membership of Flamma Aeterna may be sought by any magus of the Order of Hermes who, being without blemish in the eyes of the Quaesitors, petitions the Concilium to this end.

b) If a vote of acceptance is passed, the magus designatus shall be admitted for a span of time not less than one full season, and no greater than four full seasons.

c) At the end of this term, the Concilium shall vote to admit the petitioner as a magus scholasticus, or else to deny him a place in the Covenant and rule that he depart.

d) An active member shall be fulfil the following criteria

e) A magus of Flamma Aeterna is considered to remain a magus of the covenant unless:

ii) - A magus scholasticus of more than seven year's standing, or who has performed an unusual or exemplary service to the covenant, or who is the filius of a standing Master or Senior Magus may, by majority vote of the magi flammarum, be known as a magus iunior flammae and have all the rights and responsibilities thereof, as detailed below.

iii) - A magus iunior flammae of more than twenty one year's standing, or who has taken an apprentice and brought them into the Order, or who has performed an unusual and exemplary service to the covenant may, by majority vote of his seniors, be given the title, and rights and responsibility thereof, of magus dominus flammae.

iv) - A magus dominus flammae of twenty one year's standing, or who has taken the title of Arch Magus within the Order, or who has performed an unusual and exemplary service to the covenant may, by majority vote of the magi maiorum flammarum, be granted the title, and rights and responsibility thereof, of magus maioris flammae

4 The Concilium

a) The covenant shall be governed by a council of magi. All magi flammae have a vote on said council, and no magi's vote shall be deemed greater than that of another, except

b) Meetings of the Concilium are open to all magi flammae, and to their apprentices and magi designati and magi scholastici, unless the Concilium chooses otherwise. Magi may bring mundane witnesses to the meeting, if they wish the Concilium to hear their testimony, but any magus has the right to request that they are not present except when speaking.

c) A concilium shall be declared quorate if two thirds of the active magi of the covenant are present at the covenant at the time. A concilium which is not quorate can make decisions and act upon them, but these decisions must be ratified at a quorate concilium at the earliest possible opportunity.

d) In the day to day running of the council, votes should be taken when there is a matter to be decided upon where there is no overall consensus, or when any magus flammae calls for a vote. A proposal is considered passed if at least one half of active magi flammarum in attendance vote in favour.

A vote may require a two thirds majority for:

e) Meetings of the Concilium shall occur once each season, or more often if requested by an active magus. Any magus may request of the Praeses that a meeting be convened, and it is the responsibility of the Praeses to ensure that all magi are aware of the time and place of the meeting. If the Praeses is unavailable, or unwilling, to convene the Concilium, it may be convened by any other magus flammae. The first requirement of such a Concilium is that it elects an acting Praeses.

For all regular meetings of the Concilium, the Praeses should be informed two weeks before of any matter that a magus wishes to discuss. For all irregular meetings, the Praeses should be informed when the request to convene the Concilium is made. The order in which matters are discussed is decided by the Praeses. Other matters may be raised at the meeting, but only with the consent of the majority of the magi, and the Praeses has the casting vote. It is the responsibility of the Praeses to declare the opening and closing of each meeting of the Concilium.

f) A majority of a quorate Concilium, and the presence of a Quaesitor as witness, is required to effect a change or modification to the conditions of this charter.

g) Officers of the Concilium

i) - The Praeses is responsible for the smooth-running of the Concilium, and being its head has responsibility for all resources which the Concilium does not designate to others. The chief responsibilities of the Praeses are included in the description of the Concilium.

ii) - The Dux Praesidii has responsibility for overseeing the creation and maintenance of the Covenant's magical defences, and for the good order of its constructions and fortifications. Although of equal rank to the other senior magi of the Concilium, he is its nominal head when the Covenant is under magical attack, as the Praeses is otherwise.

h) The Concilium has authority over all lands, possessions, and wealth held in common by the Covenant. It has authority over all the members of the Covenant, and though it declares that it shall not be held responsible for the independent actions of any magus or mundane, reserves the right to punish or reward residents and magi of Flamma Aeterna for their actions. Any magus who refuses to accept judgement of the Concilium declares himself, by his own free will, not to be a magus of Flamma Aeterna, and must leave as if he were expelled by the vote of the Concilium.

5 Rights and Privileges

a) All magi are entitled to claim from the Covenant food for themselves, for their familiars, their magical creations and apprentices. This right may not be denied them by the Concilium, and is granted also to magi designati and magi scholastici.

b) All magi flammae are entitled to attend the meetings of the Concilium, and to speak at those meetings. This right may not be denied them by the Concilium, and may be granted to magi designati and magi scholastici.

c) Magi flammae are entitled to seek shelter for themselves, their familiars, their magical creations and their filii within the buildings and holdings of Flamma Aeterna. Magi flammae are entitled to demand laboratory space and all Magi to demand an inviolate sanctum, which are to be provided as swiftly as possible according to the resources of the Covenant.

d) Magi are entitled to claim any other mundane equipment or supply held in common in the Covenant, for use in their laboratory or elsewhere, save that when the Concilium has delegated responsibility for that material to any of its servants, only the Concilium may direct that servant to comply with the request of a magus against the mundane's judgement.

e) Magi are entitled to read any text held in the library of the Covenant, and may demand of the Librarian that any book of the library be returned for their use. When that book is held by a mundane, it shall be made available at once. When that book is held by a magus, it shall be made available at the end of the season in which the request is made. Should the same text be required by two magi, it is the right of the Librarian to decide whom shall be granted access first, save that he may be overruled by the Concilium.

f) Magi are entitled to claim, at the Concilium of the Winter Solstice, a portion of the vis held in common by the Covenant, save that the Concilium may direct any quantity of vis to any purpose, and thereby remove it from the common store.

g) All magi iuniores flammae must devote service to Flamma Aeterna for one season in each year. All magi dominorum flammae must devote service to Flamma Aeterna for one season in every two years and all magi maiorum flammae a season's service twice in every seven years. That service may comprise the scribing of a text of magical theory or of particular spells, the construction of magical items or potions to be granted to the Covenant, the invention of a spell required by the Covenant, or some other activity agreeable to the Concilium. It is the responsibility of each magus to ensure that the Concilium is informed of his intended service. If this condition is not met, there is no obligation on the part of the Concilium to accept service as valid, or to re-reimburse a magus for vis used in crafting an item received by the Covenant.

A member of House Guernicus or member of another house with the status of quaesitor may be excused from a season's service to the covenant if they are working on official quaesitorial business deemed by the Concilium to be in the good interests of the covenant and of the Order, and they make their intentions clear to the Concilium at the beginning of the relevant year.

h) All magi must declare to the Concilium, and give into the safekeeping of the Covenant, any vis which they discover, or otherwise earn, through the use of resources held in common. The laboratory of a magus is not considered a resource held in common by the Covenant, nor is the magical aura, but the extraction of vis from the aura is considered a special case. Vis may be extracted from the aura as a service to the Covenant, or it may be extracted for personal use, but in either case the let of the Concilium must be sought.

i) Likewise, all valuable material and money acquired by a magus must be declared to the Concilium if it was discovered through the use of resources held in common, and in any case if it cannot be made use of by that magus.

Witnessed and approved by Julius, follower of Guernicus

Amended and updated in the 1140th Year of Aries in the presence of all magi of Flamma Aeterna, and witnessed and approved by Julius, follower of Guernicus

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