The Charter
From Shadowsoflogos
Contents |
[edit] The Declaration
The Assembly was created in the waning days of the corrupted, Guardian-controlled Consilium of the early 1900s. Responding to the rise of the Mortivora Cult, and numerous incidents of left-handed and outright Abyssal heresies within the Guardians, the Assembly was developed to create a ruling body of Mages free from the tyrannical devotion to utter secrecy that allowed the corrupted Guardian regime to flourish. As a result, the Assembly is built largely on the democratic ideals of the Free Council - who saw the struggle in Chicago as an opportunity to show the merit of their ideology to their still-skeptical allies among the Diamond Orders.
As is traditional, the declaration of the Charter was sealed after an augury for the fate of the Consilium was cast. The symbol that was chosen was the High Speech symbol known as "The Walled Garden", representing the possibility of paradise, combined with the constant threat of collapse from external pressures.
[edit] Rights
- The Charter gives the Assembly the Right to intervene in the case of disputes between two members of the Assembly, in order to arrive at a peacable - or at least civilized - solution.
- The Assembly also has the Right to bring to trial any mage accused of breaking one of the Consilium's Laws regarding "grievous misuse of the Supernal Arts", so long as a popular vote from the Assembly confirms that there is reasonable doubt regarding his innocence of wrong-doing.
- Finally, the Assembly has the Right to appoint ambassadorial positions underneath the office of Herald, and reserves the Right to negotiate terms with supernatural creatures, in order to prevent the alliances of one Cabal from endangering the entire Assembly.
[edit] Duties
- Cabals have the primary Duty of attending the Assembly. Assembly meetings are typically held once a month, and all Cabals are expected to attend - either as a group, or by appointed Proxy. Non-attendance of an Assembly often sparks at least a cursory investigation by the Sentinels. These Assemblies are held at the Council Chambers, the seat of the Consilium's power.
- Every year, the Assembly sets a Levy from its member Cabals. Largely, this Levy is decided upon by the Cabal itself, with several standing Levies passing from year to year (such as the local Athenaeum's standing Levy of access to its libraries for members of the Assembly on official business). Usually, these Levies take the form of service pledged to the Assembly - a Cabal might pledge one or more of its members to the Offices of the Sentinels or the Herald, or may pledge itself to general service of the Assemblies wishes.
[edit] Justice
Justice is meted out by the Council of Elders - three Mages of High Status, elected every fourth year . Eligibility for service on the Council requires that the Mage demonstrate at least Adept level ability in one or more Arcana. Further, Elders must cut all ties with their cabals for the duration of their term, in order to prevent favoritism. For this reason, the cabals to which an Elder belongs are given a yearly tithe of Tass from the Assembly, to compensate them for their members' service.
Rather than relying on one set method of adjudicating matters of justice, the Assembly has a codified "Code of Response", which details exactly how any given matter is handled. In the case of a dispute between two mages, the Council of Elders first attempt to mediate the dispute and bring all parties to a sensible understanding. If that option fails or is otherwise unavailable, then they comb local precedent and customary lore to find an agreeable solution. Once this decision has been reached, the Council approaches both parties with its precedent and final ruling. The parties may choose to accept the ruling, which most do, or opt instead to resolve the issue with a Duel Arcane, which is adjudicated normally. The Duel Arcane is the final arbiter - no higher court exists to appeal the decision of the Elders, and so most mages opt to accept the ruling - which will usually include concessions for both parties based on the precedent - rather than risking it all on the vagaries of the duel.
If the application of common-law mediation, civil adjudication or the Duel Arcane is insufficient to resolve an issue - as in the case of a breech of the Lex Magica - the Council of Elders sits as Tribunal. In this case, the offices of the Assembly appoint a team of investigators to compile a brief containing all evidence and information related to the specific crime committed. The brief is reviewed by the Tribunal, which also hears any available testimony, and explanations from the defendant. If the evidence and testimony indicates guilt, then the Council determines an appropriate punishment based on the severity and circumstances of the crime. Otherwise, an official apology is made and the defendant is compensated for his time. A criminal Tribunal can only be called on a popular vote of the General Assembly.
[edit] Structure
The governance of the Assembly of the Wise is handled by two bodies: The General Assembly, which consists of every Cabal, which can represent itself as a group or by proxy. Each Cabal receives one vote on any issue brought to the General Assembly. In most cases, a simple majority is sufficient for a specific course of action to be determined. The second body is the aforementioned Council of Elders, which provides a core judiciary body, as well as keeping order at General Assemblies and directing the actions of the Assembly's executive branch.
The executive branch consists of the Offices of Heralds and Sentinels. There's no central executive authority, instead Heralds and Sentinels perform their duties at the behest of the Assembly as a whole and the Council of Elders. In general, Heralds and Sentinels are considered one and the same, usually simply referred to as Executors. Executors are responsible for investigating breaches of the Lex Magica, distributing important information to cabals, acquiring information about new arrivals in Chicago, and handling diplomacy with the vampire court, the changeling freeholds and the werewolf packs. This last duty is handled by a small group of Executors known as the Alethian Council. Consisting of five Executors, elected by a popular vote held amongst all Executors every two years, the Alethian Council maintains seats for any werewolf Packs that seek embassy with the Assembly, as well as a permanent seat for a representative from the vampire Court and from the White Tree Freehold.
Executors are chosen every year, as cabals volunteer their members' services to the Consilium as Executors in order to fulfill their Levy.
