Rules For Membership

Rules for Membership and Member Rankings
The Covenant of Andorra has a three tiered hierarchy membership. With each increase in rank comes greater privilege, but also greater responsibility as well. The three ranks are as follows…

  • Journeyman: The initial rank of an accepted member, meager privilege but little responsibility.
  • Master: The rank of established members, greater power and privilege but more responsibility and less freedom.
  • Pontifex: Honorary rank of prestige given to masters of distinction, with duties and authority of a mostly ceremonial nature, and owning secret cache of resources for use at their discretion.

Journeyman

Journeyman/Journeywoman (Sacerdos)

Journeyman is the entry level status granted to a magus accepted by a unanimous vote of this council and who swears to the covenant oath. They have all of the basic and provisional rights and obligations of membership, as well as the privileges and duties as due to a member. The status of Journeyman endures until they are elevated to the rank of Master, and may be canceled by expulsion.

All whom are associated with this covenant; including members, guests, visitors, residents, inhabitants, and employees; are entitled to the basic rights and fundamental dignity that are their due. To this end, they are to ever be granted a place of sanitary habitation where they may ply their trade or skills, given freedom to roam to and from our location as they will, and are to be provided with victuals and nutrition as befits their status and health requirements. Further, within the rights and boundaries of this covenant; they shall have the right to the protection, support, and safety that are to be provided by this covenant; yielding only to the Code of Hermes and the voice of the most high God.

All magi of the Order of Hermes, be they member or guest or visitor, shall have all the rights and benefits due a magus accorded by the Code of Hermes. This includes a guest's Rights of Residency and the expectations of Hermetic Hospitality. They shall be provided space which they may mark as their Sanctum, with inviolate rights therein, and the supply of materials thereof. They shall have monitored access to the covenant's Main Library, and provided reasonable access to the materials and professionals required for scribal activities. Trivial expenses are paid for by the covenant. Excessive expense may be the burden of their host. For an Honored Guest or Past Master the costs are absorbed by the covenant. At the council's discretion, this may be extended to other individual guests.

These basic rights shall not be suspended other than by expulsion from membership or having invitation as a guest rescinded.

Rights of Membership

In addition to the basic rights, a Journeyman is further entitled to rights of membership. This includes the right to attend General Council, speak their mind, and have a full and equal vote in proceedings. Further, they shall have unrestricted access to the covenant's Main Library, and are to be granted the staff and supplies needed for scribal activities. Further, they shall have access to the services and skills of the servants and specialists of the covenant, their needs subordinate to those of a Master or of the covenant as a whole. Further, they shall be provided a sanctum with inviolate rights therein, and shall be provided the equipment and supplies needed for their laboratories and other mystical studies. All of their basic expenses are to be covered by the covenant.

For Journeymen, this includes Lab Upkeep expenses up to and not to exceed 3£ in a given year. Any excess is owed by the magus but may be placed on account against future expected earnings. Further, they may take an advance of up to three pawns of Vim (or other Form), placed on account against future expected earnings. A Journeyman is eligible to earn annual Wages of 3 pawns of vim plus 6£ of silver in any year in which they perform a season of service (not to be counted as one of the three exceptional service required for eligibility to be elevated to a Master). A Journeyman cannot be an Officer, but they can be a Deputy or Assistant Officer, in which case they are eligible to receive a Stipend of 6£ silver to help cover their expenses.

These rights shall not be abridged except by decision of the council under conditions of grave concern.


Master


Pontifex




Journeyman
The first rank shall be that of Journeyman, the initial rank of a new member.
• They shall have the privileges and duties as due a Hermetic Magus sworn to the Oath of Covenant. They shall be provided space to establish a lab and a sanctum sanctorum
• They shall have a full and equal vote at all regular meetings of the General Council.
• They shall have all of their living expenses paid for, and they shall be outfitted and equipped as needed (up to a limit of 40£ annual expenses).
• They shall have access to the equipment and resources of the covenant through the services and discretion of the covenant Steward, and to servants and specialists as needed through the services and discretion of the covenant Chamberlain.
• They shall have access to the General Library as they will, and they may borrow a number of tomes as permitted by the Head Librarian. They shall have access to the Exclusive Library through the services and discretion of the head Librarian. They are not permitted to remove any books from there, and must remain in the common study area when using them.
• They shall have a Vis Salary valued at 3 pawns v.t. per year, provided that they fulfill duties in service to the covenant equivalent to one season of labor per year. An equivalent or lesser salary may be provided for equivalent or lesser duties that do not take up a full season of time yet still demand the resources and attention of the magus. Expenses incurred as a result of fulfilling one’s obligation shall be taken care of by the covenant. A magus may forgo duty, in which case they shall receive no vis salary and must instead pay Vis Dues of 1 pawn v.t. for that year.
• Acceptance of a member at the rank of Journeyman requires an unanimous vote of approval by the council. Prior to that, they are a Petitioner (pledge), and they must wait for a period of at least one season and no more than one year, while they are inspected and tested (hazing). In order to petition, they must first have a sponsor who is a member magus. A petition may be refused by a Pontifex, but otherwise the council is obligated to vote on the matter.
• A petitioner is subject to Intellego Inspection by an Inquisitor designated by the council of Masters.
• A Journeyman is subject to Trial as a voluntary condition of their membership. A Trial is to be conducted to investigate any accusations of breech of the Oath & Code or the Laws of this covenant, and to settle legal disputes between members. The allegation or accusation must be made by another member, and the Trial must be mandated by a vote of the Master’s council or a decree of a Pontifex. The Trial is to be presided over by a Pontifex or the senior most Master present, and is to be voted upon by the Masters and Pontifici who each hold an equal vote not subject to proxy or certamen. At Trial, a Journeyman may be subject to Inspection via Intellego magic is the matter concerns allegations of a breech of law. A unanimous decision is required for conviction, which carries the penalty of expulsion or an agreed upon alternate penalty.

Master
The second rank is that of Master, a title that all of the current members already possess.
• They have all of the aforementioned rights and privileges due a Journeyman member, plus those additional ones noted below. In addition, a member who holds the rank of Master has the right to the title of Flamen, and may also choose to append their name with the title Magnus.
• They shall have a full and equal vote in the general council, and they may call an exclusive council of Masters at their discretion.
• They shall have a sufficiently higher stipend for their expenses, lifestyle, outfitting and equipment (up to 120£ annually).
• They shall have access to the services of the Steward and Chamberlain for all of their needs pertaining to mundane resources, servants, specialists, and so forth. They may also act upon their own will and discretion in these matters.
• They shall have full access to both the General and Exclusive Libraries. They may add or remove books as they choose to the general library, they may add books to the exclusive library, and through the services and discretion of the Head Librarian they may borrow books from the exclusive library.
• They shall each be granted an allowance of vis valued at 4 pawns v.t. per year. No labor or effort is required of them in exchange for this. It is their due.
• A Master may take on additional labors and responsibilities as directed and entitled under the auspices of an office established by a directive of the council of Masters or decree by a Pontifix. They shall be afforded the authority and resources to fulfill their duties, and shall be given additional salary and privilege as is due their efforts.
• To be elevated to the rank of Master, a Journeyman must first petition the council of Masters. The petition must be sponsored by three Masters or a Pontifex, and the petitioner must meet the qualifications of having been a Hermetic Magus for at least 7 years and a member of the covenant for at least 3 years. Once a petition has been read, the Masters have one full turn of seasons in which to make their decision. In that time, they are to try the candidate by administering a test meant to challenge both their mind and their magic. Acceptance requires a unanimous vote by the council of Masters. The Pontifici may participate in the discussion, but in this circumstance they are not permitted a vote. The Masters alone choose who their fellow Masters shall be.
• A Master is subject to Trial as noted above, to investigate any accusations of breech of the Oath & Code or the Laws of this covenant, and to settle legal disputes between members. This is a voluntary condition of membership. The Council of Masters decide whether or not a trial shall be convened, and a Pontifex or senior most Master must preside over the Trial. The matter is voted upon by the Masters and Pontifici who each hold an equal vote which is not subject to proxy or certamen. At Trial, a Master may be subject to Inspection via Intellego magic is the matter concerns allegations of a breech of law. A Master has the right to refuse Inspection and demand a Trial by Challenge. The accused may choose Certamen, Dimicatio, or Wizard’s Melee. Another form of Challenge may be agreed upon by the Masters. This challenge is administered by a champion chosen by the Masters, though a Pontifex may reserve this right for himself. If the accused fails the challenge, he must submit himself to Intellego Inspection. If they are triumphant, the trial must proceed without forfeiture of immunity. A unanimous decision is required for conviction, which carries the penalty of expulsion or an agreed upon alternate penalty. Masters may not be demoted to Journeymen, it is more honorable to be expelled with the title of Flamen intact.

Pontifex
The highest rank is that of Pontifex, which carries broad power and authority. Antonio and Rodrigo hold this rank according to the laws of the original charter, and not much of anything is changed about this rank. They also hold the Rank of Master and participate in the council of Masters, with exceptions as noted above. They also hold a private council amongst themselves, and operate according to the code set forth in the charter and old laws. The preferred Parlance for members of this rank is Elder, but they have the right to call themselves Pontifex and Cardinal. They may draw upon the resources of the covenant as they will according to their own discretion. The only way to become a Pontifex is to be invited and elevated by the council of the Pontifici.

Vis:
v.t. = vis tenta, “persistent vis”, vis associated with a Technique.
v.f. = vis forma, “formed vis”, vis associated with a Form.
At an equal exchange rate, 1v.t. equals 2v.f. and visa versa.

Interrogatory of New Members

The Covenant of Andorra began a tradition in the Summer of 1234, in which all prospective members must undergo a brief interrogation under Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie. The questions posted to the magus being considered are:

  • Have you ever supported a known practitioner of Diedne magic, or sympathized with the Diedne cause?
  • Do you intend to deceive or harm this covenant or its members?
  • Do you think yourself the kind of person who'd have her memories temporarily tampered with in order to join a covenant and infiltrate it?
  • Could a suitable price convince you to betray this covenant?
  • Are you now, or have you ever consorted with the forces of the infernal?
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