Politics and
Punishment
Political Positions
While the Council of Nine meets in the chambers of
Concordia, the Mages of Horizon are left to maintain order. In the past, these political positions have
been used, with reasonable success, although the power given to them has often
led to even greater warfare and political struggle. This ‘acting Council’ is known as the
Convocation. Depending on how well your
political structure holds up, the Council of Nine may ask you to return to
Earth between meetings, or they may allow you to keep your authority in Horizon
during the interim between decades.
The Leader
The Council
Chancellor (9) assistant:
Sentinel
Pedagogue: changes weekly
The Tribunal
Justice (9)
Minor Positions
Herald: may be more than one
Tutor: may be more than one
Tradition Positions
Note: The Hollow
Ones do not get a political say in the Convocation by default. It’s up to the Primus and the other
Chancellors to determine what amount of power and say they’ll have in those
areas. The whole point of the Hollow
Ones is that they’re disrespected by the other Traditions. In fact, they’re trespassing on a Tradition
gathering just by being at the Convocation.
I implore the Primus and the other political positions to treat the
Hollow Ones the way the Traditions should treat them – as children, gothic
wannabes, the lowest of the low.
The highest-ranking member of
the Convocation, this person is responsible for ensuring that Horizon remains
under control while the Council of Nine meets, and that discussions are moving
forward. Once appointed to his position,
his word is unquestioned. The Primus is
the only position which must exist;
otherwise Horizon becomes a realm of anarchy.
Powers
- All new Mages must be
presented before the Primus, and answer to any questions he gives. Only Mages who are acknowledged by the Primus
will be welcomed at the Convocation. If
this acknowledgement is rescinded, for any reason, the Mage must immediately
leave the Convocation – or be forcibly removed.
- The
Primus can override any decision made by the Chancellors of the
Traditions. His word is final law.
- The
Primus decides when the Convocation begins each day, and when it ends.
- The
Primus can call the Wizard March. This
is only to be used in cases of dire emergency, when an individual’s offenses
are massive. It basically means ‘the
capture of this person is more important than the order of Horizon.’ When a Wizard March is called, Mages may use
any means necessary to bring in the target, including trespassing into the
realms of other Traditions. Many crimes
are committed during a Wizard March, so it’s not something to be called
lightly. Usually, the offending Mage is
to be hunted down and killed, unless the Primus specifically wishes him brought
back to the Council for judgment or Gilgul.
- The
Primus has the final approval on any sentence of Gilgul.
- The
Primus can create new political positions that answer directly to him, or
remove the positions of Prodigy, Executioner, Herald, Tutor, or Marat. He may remove the positions of Chancellor or
Justice, but he must remove the entire Council or Tribunal at once.
- The
Primus can appoint or remove people from the positions of Prodigy, Herald,
Tutor, or Marat at any time.
- The
Primus answers to no-one, except for the Primi of Traditions, and Oracles. He is considered to be the equal of one
member of the Council of Nine, and may be asked to give his opinion on the
issues they face.
- The
Primus may expect gifts from members of his Convocation, both to gain favor and
to show support. If the Chancellors do
not give occasional gifts to the Primus, it means they do not support him, and
he should be accordingly outraged.
- The
Primus is unquestioned. Ultimately, the rest of these political
positions are just suggestions. He may
run his Convocation as he sees fit, dispensing commands and justice without
retribution (at least not from Mages outside the Convocation).
Responsibilities
- The Primus is responsible for
the entire Convocation. If anything
catastrophic or embarrassing happens, it’s considered to be the personal
failure of the Primus. There are very
few resources for a Primus to call upon if things go sour – his Convocation is
his responsibility.
- The
Primus is responsible for ensuring political stability for the
Convocation. He must be able to wield
enough power to keep his position.
- The
Primus is no longer officially considered to be a member of his founding
Tradition. He may no longer speak to
them as equals, and may no longer use the resources of their Chantries or
Nodes.
- The
Primus is expected to keep the peace between the Traditions. This can be quite a chore in itself.
- The Primus
is expected to know every person he has acknowledged at the Convocation, and be
able to understand and give an opinion on every major decision that has been
made or will be made soon. In other
words, the Primus must know what’s going on in his Convocation. Usually, the Prodigy will be given the duty
of keeping a list of acknowledgements, issues, and decisions, so that the
Primus will never appear unprepared.
- The
Primus is expected to immediately relinquish power to a Tradition Primus or
Oracle if one should appear.
- The
Primus may not occupy any other position.
The Prodigy
is the assistant to the Primus. This can
be a high or low-ranking position, powerful or powerless, easy or difficult,
depending on the duties and responsibilities the Primus wishes to bestow upon
you.
Powers
- If the Primus doesn’t show up
for some reason, and has not named a stand-in, the Prodigy is considered Primus
until he returns.
- The
Prodigy may also serve as Herald, Tutor, Marat, Chief Justice, or Executioner.
- Whatever
powers the Primus invests the Prodigy with.
Responsibilities
- Generally, the Prodigy must do
whatever the Primus asks. Common
requests are: keeping a log of everyone the Primus has acknowledged, keeping a
log of all the Primus’s decisions, keeping a map of territorial divisions, or
getting the Primus coffee.
- The
Prodigy is also not considered to be a member of his Tradition anymore,
although this is not enforced as strongly as it is for the Primus.
- The
Prodigy may not occupy positions involving his Tradition, such as Chancellor,
Justice, or Mentor.
Chancellor
(one for each Tradition)
The
Chancellors are members of the Convocation Council, which makes decisions among
the Traditions, advises the decisions of the Primus, and gives the orders of
the Primus to their Traditions. They are
considered to be representative of the entire Tradition. If they commit a crime or faux pas, the entire
Tradition commits the crime. Vice versa,
any crime committed by a member of the Tradition is also committed by the
Chancellor. For this reason, it’s
imperative they keep their Tradition under control.
Powers
- Every member of a Tradition
must be presented by his Chancellor to the Primus. Without the Chancellor, they cannot be
acknowledged.
- They are
considered to speak for the entire Tradition, and may make decisions for the
Tradition among the Council.
- All
members of their Tradition should defer to them and give them respect.
- They may
create new positions within their Tradition, and remove the same.
- They may
appoint or remove a member of their Tradition from the position of Mentor or
Sentinel at any time.
- A
Chancellor may also serve as a Mentor, Justice, Chief Justice, Executioner,
Tutor, or Marat.
- A
Chancellor may pass a sentence of Censure, Imprisonment, Servitude, or
Ostracism on any member of his Tradition.
He may call members of his Tradition to the Tribunal, and recommend
harsher sentences there such as Branding, Gilgul, or Death.
- A
Chancellor should expect gifts, both to gain favor and show support, from
members of his Tradition.
- A
Chancellor is unquestioned. Ultimately, any positions or titles within
their Tradition are just suggestions. He
may run his Tradition as he sees fit, dispensing commands and justice to its
members without retribution (at least not from Mages outside the Convocation).
Responsibilities
- The Chancellor is considered
to represent his entire Tradition at the Convocation. Any problems that arise are his
problems. There are few resources
outside of the city that the Chancellor may call upon if needed, so he must be
sure he can handle his Tradition.
- The
Chancellor is responsible for keeping their Tradition moving forward and under
control.
- The
Chancellor should immediately know every member of their Tradition, as well as
their Tradition’s stance on any political issues.
- By
presenting a member of his Tradition to the Primus, the Chancellor is vouching
for their trustworthiness. Any betrayals
reflect directly back on the failings of the Chancellor.
- The
Primus is not required to have a Council.
At his will, the position of Chancellor can be removed.
- The
Convocation is not a democracy. You do
not elect the Primus. You advise
him. Likewise, you do not vote on issues
– you come to consensus, then advise the Primus of your decision.
- The
Chancellor cannot be the Primus or Prodigy.
Sentinel
(optional, one for each Tradition)
The
Sentinel is a backup Chancellor for each Tradition. If the Chancellor cannot come, the Sentinel
is assumed to act as Chancellor. If a
Tradition has no Sentinel, there’s often squabbling for power, so this backup
position is helpful to have.
Powers
- If the Chancellor doesn’t show
up, the Sentinel assumes the full responsibility of the Chancellor.
- The
Sentinel can generally be present at most political meetings, without needing
any political opinions. It’s a good way
to ease into the political game.
- The
Sentinel can hold the same positions (and has the same restrictions) as the
Chancellor.
Responsibilities
- If the Chancellor doesn’t show
up, the Sentinel assumes the full responsibility of the Chancellor. I hope you were paying attention to all those
decisions your Chancellor made…
- If the
Chancellor is called to the Tribunal or killed, the Sentinel is assumed to
become the new Chancellor, unless the Tradition appoints a different
Chancellor. This is listed as a
responsibility, because being in charge of a Tradition which has just had its
reputation tarnished by the death or censure of its Chancellor isn’t a good
time.
The Pedagogue is a special name
for the Chancellor of a Tradition which has decided to ‘host’ the Convocation
for a day. What this means is that he is
generally responsible for providing some form of intellectual stimulation or
amusement to the gathered Mages. It’s
expected that the Pedagogue will use this opportunity to support his Tradition,
so there’s no need to be subtle about it.
Akashic Brotherhood Pedagogues have held tournaments and meditation
sessions in the past, Dreamspeakers spirit dances, Hermetics given lectures.
For the
first year of the Convocation, 1898, the Pedagogues are already assigned, with
each Tradition taking a turn. Once
that’s done, the position will be available to whatever Tradition wants it.
Powers
- The Pedagogue gets to decide
the course of activities at the Convocation for a day, and may do whatever he
wishes with this power. The other Mages,
even the Primus, are expected to pay attention and play along.
- The
Pedagogue is generally expected, and often encouraged, to use his time to
preach his Tradition’s paradigm, and even attempt to convince Mages of other
Traditions (or, more commonly, the Hollow Ones) to switch over.
- In
exchange for taking the time to arrange something, the Pedagogue is generally
allowed to speak first in the Council and present his Tradition’s concerns
before anyone else, unless there is some imperative matter the Council must
discuss. The Pedagogue is often treated
as the ‘head’ of the Council for that week, although this carries no special
powers other than some additional respect.
- OOC
benefit: The Pedagogue may submit MP3s or CDs to the Storyteller to be played
during the game. Some mood music, if you
will.
Responsibilities
- Obviously, the Pedagogue must
figure out what he will do for the Convocation.
A Pedagogue who fails to entertain the Convocation will face a
significant loss of respect.
- Even if
another member of the Tradition wishes to run something, it is the Chancellor
who must become the Pedagogue, and ultimately take responsibility. If these other Tradition members embarrass
the Tradition, it’s considered to be the Pedagogue’s fault as well.
- Arranging
such an event may require several Downtime Actions to gather the required
materials, cutting down on a Mage’s time for his own studies.
Justice
(one for each Tradition)
The
Justices are members of the Tribunal, which makes decisions on crimes, justice,
and punishment for the Convocation. These
positions will often be filled by the Chancellors, but they are separate
positions, and many Traditions prefer to have a separate entity available for
them. Remember that Tradition justice is
not American justice. There’s no
‘innocent until proven guilty’ bylaw, no ‘cruel and unusual punishment’
restriction, and no appeals. If the
Tribunal decides that the punishment for stealing a trinket is death, their
judgment will be carried out.
Powers
- The Tribunal hears crimes and
concerns that concern the Convocation.
Smaller, Tradition-level concerns are the problems of their respective
Traditions.
- The
Tribunal may take any form it wishes, and pass sentence by any means it
wishes. Normally, a Tribunal will
appoint a Chief Justice, either a member of the nine Justices or someone else,
who has final say in sentencing. This
helps avoid the Traditions deadlocking each other and never coming to a
verdict. However, just because they use
that structure doesn’t mean they have to stick to it for every case. In one instance, an entire chantry was
thought to have participated in several murders – they brought the offenders in
one by one, and simply rolled a pair of dice to reach their verdict.
- A Justice
may also serve as a Chancellor, Sentinel, Tutor, Executioner, Mentor, or Marat.
- The
Tribunal may appoint or remove anyone from the positions of Executioner or
Soulrender at any time, unless they pass that power to the Chief Justice.
- A Justice
can expect many of her actions to be overlooked by the Tribunal, and may, to a
minor degree, take the law into their own hands to find justice.
- A Justice
is expected to assist in keeping the peace of the Convocation, by stopping
fights and enforcing the Protocols of the Traditions.
- A
unanimous agreement of the entire Tribunal may justly call the Wizard March on
anyone, including the Primus.
Responsibilities
- The Tribunal is often
responsible for finding their own evidence concerning the crimes brought before
them. Many are skilled in investigative
or sensory magics, and many are skilled at good old forensics.
- The
Justice is expected to listen to the complaints of his Tradition, and decide if
those complaints merit being brought before the Tribunal.
- A Justice
who is found taking bribes or otherwise being corrupt will be subject to much
harsher sentences than an offender in a different position. He’s expected to know better, and it reflects
badly on the Tribunal.
Many
Tribunals see fit to nominate a Chief Justice.
This person has the final say in verdicts from the Tribunal, and may
adjust sentences as he sees fit.
However, he is also considered to be responsible for keeping the entire
Tribunal safe and corruption-free, and can be a major political target. The Chief Justice may either be one of the
nine Justices, or may be a tenth person brought in to ensure a neutral
party. Occasionally, the Tribunal may nominate
a different Chief Justice each time they meet, or a Chief Justice may not be
allowed to preside over trials concerning their own Tradition.
Powers
- The Chief Justice may call
other Justices to Tribunal, without needing all the proof normally required.
- The Chief
Justice may appoint or remove anyone from the positions of Executioner or
Soulrender at any time.
- Within the Tribunal, the Chief
Justice’s word is law. He may decide
when the Tribunal begins and ends, how many cases they handle each day, which
cases to handle, and how far to go in gathering evidence.
- The Chief Justice is, for the
most part, above the law. It takes a
strong show of evidence to force him to answer to justice.
- The Chief
Justice is allowed to take the law into his own hands. Only the most bizarre actions on the part of
the Chief Justice will be questioned.
- The Chief
Justice is expected to keep the Convocation safe, and to ensure that the
Protocols are followed. This duty is
often passed along to the Executioner.
He may declare any laws he wants at the Convocation – such as no
killing, no violence, no offensive magic, or even no magic at all! At the same time, once the rule is made, he
is responsible for enforcing it.
Responsibilities
- The Chief Justice acts
basically as a courtroom judge, although a powerful one. He is expected to take the advice of the
Tribunal and pass sentence.
- The Chief
Justice is obviously expected to be neutral in terms of Tradition and opinion.
- The
Primus may demand the position of Chief Justice be created or destroyed,
although he cannot force this on you.
However, he can disband the Tribunal and reform one more to his
liking. Unless the Tribunal, as it
disbands, calls the Primus in for questioning, or issues a Wizard March on
him. Then the Primus declares Wizard
Marches on all the Justices. Ah, power
games are fun.
The Executioner carries out the
sentences of the Tribunal. These
sentences are explained in more detail below.
Powers
- The Executioner is the final
justice for many offenders of the Traditions.
- The
Executioner may also hold any position except Primus Altera and Herald.
- The
Executioner is often entrusted with keeping the Convocation safe and at
peace. See the Chief Justice for the
limitations of this power.
- The
Executioner delivers the formal announcement of censure, imprisonment,
servitude, or ostracism, as well as arranging public executions if death is the
sentence. If the Tribunal decides on
imprisonment, it is the Executioner’s responsibility to arrange a place to hold
the prisoner, as well as security.
Responsibilities
- The Executioner is a hard job. Nobody likes the guy who killed their friend,
told them to get out of town, or demanded they give up their foci.
- Often, as
long as no big crimes are occurring, the Executioner doesn’t have much to do.
- Any
evidence of bribery or corruption on the part of the Executioner will be met
with an extremely harsh punishment.
- If any
Mages escape imprisonment, or somehow return after their execution, the
Executioner is held directly responsible.
The
Soulrender is a specialized Executioner, one who can perform Branding and
later, the Gilgul Rite.
Powers
- The Soulrender can hold the
same positions as the Executioner, and often will be the Executioner.
- The
Soulrender is often feared and respected, especially if he can perform Gilgul.
Responsibilities
- As mentioned, the Soulrender
is feared. Nobody likes someone who can
kill their Avatar. Generally, after his
first Gilgul, the Soulrender can expect to live a life of loneliness and
ostracism.
- The
Soulrender must be able to perform at least Branding (Spirit 3, Prime 3), if
not Gilgul (Spirit 5, Prime 5).
Herald
(can be more than one, as many as needed)
The Herald is the speaker for
the Convocation. If the Convocation has
a message for another group or Chantry, the Herald will carry it. Heralds are considered to be servants of the
Primus Altera, and the Convocation.
Powers
- A Herald may expect entrance
into any Tradition Chantry, and may expect an audience with a representative of
the Chantry.
- A Herald
may expect the protection of the Traditions in any area he travels, as
conversely may expect not to meet Tradition resistance.
- A Herald
may expect a place to sleep for the night and a decent meal, as far as the
Chantry is able to provide him.
- A Herald
is often privy to inside conversations, secret plans and other interesting
things. Of course, he is forbidden to
use or share this information, beyond carrying the final message to its
recipient.
- Being a
Herald is a good way to experience Tradition politics without needing to be
directly apart of it.
- Heralds
may often be allowed to sit in on meetings of the Council, although this is not
required.
- Heralds
may be the primary link between Horizon and events on Earth.
Responsibilities
- Although they may still use
their Tradition’s chantry, they are not considered to be members of their
Traditions when at the Convocation, or when carrying messages to other
Chantries.
- Heralds
may never use their position to
further their own opinions or serve their own goals. They exist solely for the use of the
Convocation.
- A Herald
may not hold any other political positions.
They must be ready to leave at any time.
- A player
who becomes Herald should have a secondary character available, as the Herald
may be gone to foreign countries for weeks at a time.
- A Herald
will do better if he is knowledgeable in Correspondence.
Tutor
(can be more than one, as many as needed)
The Tutor
is expected to instruct Mages who come to the Convocation in the laws of the
meeting. He is not a mentor – he does
not teach Sphere magic, or help the newly Awakened understand their
powers. His job is to make sure
newcomers don’t embarrass themselves or commit crimes in front of the court.
Powers
- The Tutor gets to shape the
minds of his students concerning the Convocation, including putting in rules
that don’t exist for his benefit.
- The Tutor
gets to meet most of the newcomers, and gain favors from them.
- The Tutor
can hold any other political position, except Primus and Herald.
- Often,
the Tutor will be allowed to sit in on the Tribunal, in exchange for keeping a
log for them of the decisions they make.
Responsibilities
- During the time of their
instruction, the Tutor is considered to be responsible for his students. If they commit a crime at the Convocation, it
is considered to be the Tutor’s fault.
If they commit a crime afterwards, and it can be blamed on a failing by
the Tutor, he will likewise be punished.
-
Obviously, the Tutor must know Tradition and Convocation law and policy very
well. He must keep a record of all the
decisions made by the Tribunal, and any declarations made by the Primus.
The Marat is basically a neutral
party, who makes note of favors and promises given between members of various
Traditions. He usually keeps a book on
him, where all boons, favors, and debts are recorded. Members of the Traditions simply come up to
him together, and tell him what the boon is, and he will record it. Once it is completed, they come to him again,
and he removes it.
For example, Mark is teaching Alan some magic, and demands a
bundle of specially prepared incense as payment. Alan doesn’t have the incense, but promises
he’ll give it to Mark. They both go to
the Marat, and he writes down ‘Alan, payment owed to Mark: Incense.’ Or perhaps Mark might ask for a favor or boon
– to which the Marat would write down the severity of the boon: Trivial (go get
me a glass of water), Minor (allow me to borrow a book from your library),
Major (do not vote against me tonight), Prime (steal a sacred artifact of your
Tradition for me), and Life (live forever as my manservant). These five categories are generally accepted for describing how
severe a boon is, and each is considered to be worth about ten times the
category below it. For example, a Major
Boon is worth 10 Minor Boons, or 100 Trivial Boons. A Life Boon is worth 10,000 Trivial
Boons. Of course, whether or not doing
10 Trivial Boons would actually pay off a Minor Boon is a question for the
debtor, the lender, and the Marat to discuss.
Powers
- The Marat has a record of who
owes who what, and often why. This can
make him a very powerful figure in manipulating politics.
- Nobody
has the authority to change what’s in the Marat’s book, not even the
Primus. (Of course, the Primus can just
have him killed…) He is considered to
exist above politics, not participating but simply recording.
- Likewise,
nobody can force the Marat to show what’s in his book, or to write anything
down. In fact, the Marat often asks for
a boon, as payment for recording a boon!
This can make the Marat very politically influential.
- The Marat
may hold any other positions, except Primus and Herald. However, being anything more than just the
Marat generally degrades your reputation as Marat, since you have other
political ties and cannot be trusted as neutral anymore.
Responsibilities
- The Marat has no direct powers
of his own. He must bring the matter
before the Tribunal if a boon is broken.
(More likely, the Mages will bring it up to the Tribunal, and the Marat
will be brought in as evidence.)
- The Marat
generally is not involved in politics, at least not directly.
Deacon
(Tradition position, optional)
The Deacon
is the head of a Tradition Chantry.
Although the Chancellor speaks for the Tradition, the Deacon often is
the most influential person in the Tradition itself, controlling their
resources and their plans. The Deacon is
often a powerful or influential Mage who does not want to be directly involved
in politics.
Powers
- The Deacon controls the
Chantry, and may forbid any Mage from using the resources there.
- The
Deacon can often use his control over the Chantry to gain power over the
Chancellor, and have a strong political voice even though he isn’t directly
involved in politics.
Responsibilities
- The Deacon must keep his
Chantry safe and running smoothly. Any
problems will erode the Tradition’s faith in that Chantry, and probably get him
in some hot water with the Chancellor.
Mentor
(Tradition position, optional)
The Mentor
is responsible for teaching newly Awakened Mages the proper methods and
policies of their Tradition.
Powers
- The Mentor is often the
primary influence on new Mages, and determines how they will embrace magic.
Responsibilities
- Any problems or crimes caused
by the Mentor’s students will be considered to be the personal failing of the
Mentor.
Further Positions
As mentioned above, many
positions can create new positions underneath them, as assistants or filling
out new roles. These positions will have
whatever power and responsibility their creator invests them with.
Tradition Justice
These are the common sentences passed down to those who
offend the Traditions.
Censure
Censure is the lightest
punishment, a sort of house arrest. The
Mage is forbidden from going certain places, using certain types of magic, or
associating with certain people. This is
used often within individuals Traditions.
Masters of Entropy can force the Mage to follow his censure, but most of
the time the punishment is simply given on the honor system.
Branding
Branding is
used on those who repeatedly commit minor infractions, or who break the terms
of their Censure. The Mage’s karma is
branded with a mark of fate which suits their crime, generally ‘oathbreaker’,
‘fool’, ‘violent’, et cetera. This mark
of fate can be detected by anyone with even the first level of Entropy, and
means they generally won’t be trusted until the Brand is removed.
Branding someone requires Spirit 3, Prime 3.
Removing the Brand takes Spirit 4, Prime 3.
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is just that, Mage
jail-time. Mostly, this means the Mage
is kept under the watch of the Executioner, under heavy countermagic wards, for
a certain period of time. Dangerous
offenders may be placed into the Umbra, into a Horizon Realm of the Tribunal’s
creation. This is rare, due to the
Spirit knowledge and Tass required to create a Horizon Realm. But once there, the Mage may be subject to
any limitations the Tribunal feels necessary – no magic, living by someone
else’s Paradigm, or being locked in endless battle.
Servitude
Common in
many of the Traditions, this punishment forces the Mage to repent for his
crimes by being the lapdog to another Mage.
It is often done in a humiliating way, such forcing an Adept to serve a
bunch of Initiates. Generally, the
punished Mage will be put in service for a specified amount of time to his
victim, accuser, or to the Chief Justice or Primus Altera.
Ostracism
Ostracism is pretty severe,
especially if it’s made permanent. The
Mage is expelled from Mage society – no other Mages will talk to him, and he
will find no shelter among them. Ostracism
is often accompanied by severe Branding, to make sure it’s easy to tell that
he’s not to be trusted. Powerful Mages
may also layer countermagic or geases on Ostracized Mages, to make their lives
as difficult as possible.
Confiscation
If the Tribunal sees fit, it may
confiscate the Mage’s property, Node, Familiar, or Wonders. It might also set up a long-term toll on the
Mage, such as paying the Primus Altera ten units of Tass every month.
Certamen
Certamen is ritualized magical
dueling, often used by high-level Mages to resolve disputes. Most Certamen is performed only with
non-lethal magic (and injuring your opponent may force you to forfeit). The Mages are usually assigned a certain
amount of foci or Quintessence, and duel back and forth, countering each
other’s spells until one of the Mages is victorious. This can take many forms, depending on
Tradition – the Sons of Ether are especially fond of Certamen involving
jetpacks and zepplins.
Depending
on the Tradition, Certamen is anything from a minor challenge to a grievous
insult. Some Order of Hermes Houses use
Certamen just to decide who will go out and get the newspaper. On the other hand, for one Dreamspeaker to
claim his magic as superior to another’s would go against all that Tradition
stands for. Judge accordingly.
Death
Death is
never called for lightly. Death is only
called for if the Tribunal feels you have committed such a great crime that
your life is stained, and you will never truly repent for it. Only when the Tribunal feels that you cannot
learn from your mistakes will death be used.
Gilgul
Gilgul is a
very controversial punishment. This
powerful Rote (Spirit 5, Prime 5) kills the Avatar, removing everything that
made the person unique or magical. This
is extremely severe; since the Avatar is immortal, killing it is much more
profound that simply killing the Mage it’s attached to. This punishment is only used for Nephandi, or
if it is very clear that this Mage and this Avatar will never improve. Gilgul is often followed by death, but not
always. It doesn’t really matter. Nearly all Gilguled Mages will commit suicide
within a few days of living as a Sleeper.