Charter of the Covenant of Haunted Springs Whereas this Charter is founded on the principles that recognize the supremacy of the Order of Hermes and the the Oath by which its members swear their lives. This charter of the Covenant of the Haunted Springs, founded Anno Domini 1204 in the realm of the Barony of . This charter was signed and made valid for the lifetime of this covenant under the auspices of the Magus Jarvis, Quaesitor of House Criamon. Dedication This covenant is hereby founded to the advancement of the Art, the mutual protection of its member magi and to the fostering of peace among magi of the Order. This dedication is sworn, not in name only, but shall be the essence which guides our lives and the rule of this covenant. May the Order of Hermes live long, and may our humble covenant prosper that our Order might grow strong. Oath I, of House , do humbly petition for acceptance into the Covenant of Haunted Springs. I do so freely and of my own will, under no forces magical or mundane and with full recognition of what I do. I swear by my Art, the Order and all I hold dear that I am follower of , filia , fully trained in the ways of Hermetic magic and none other. I further swear the title of Magus/Maga is properly mine, conferred upon me by in the year anno domini at within the Tribunal. I, , do now renounce all ties, oaths, loyalties, binding or otherwise, to my parens and the Covenant of my apprenticeship. I give myself wholly to Haunted Springs, understanding what it entails and agree to all the terms of the Charter. I swear to follow both the Oath of Hermes and the Peripheral Code lest I lose my status as Magus, position within my House and position within this covenant. From this day forward, Haunted Springs will be my home. I make Haunted Spring's goals my own, its allies my own, its enemies my own, its hardships and rewards my own. I swear never to allow the Covenant to come into harm by my actions or inactions in any way, mundane, magical, spiritual or otherwise. I swear not to make binding pacts or swear oaths on behalf of Haunted Springs without being so empowered by Council. I will uphold Haunted Springs reputation and honour and consider its welfare above my own. So swear I this covenant. Haunted Springs' life is now my own. Membership A magus desiring to be admitted as a member will have his membership decided by Council and if Council agrees, he will be admitted as an associate member with partial rights under this Charter. He agrees to uphold this Charter as if he were a full member. A magus admitted as a full member to this covenant shall swear the Oath of this Covenant be granted full rights and privileges and agrees to uphold this Charter for as long as he may live as a member. Each magus, associate or full, shall be a member of the Order of Hermes in good standing. Expulsion from the Order shall result in expulsion from this Covenant. Council Council may be called by any member of the covenant. Council may called at any time. Should an associate member be the caller of Council, he may address Council at the beginning of the meeting. Council may dismiss him if it so wishes. Council shall take place in a chamber designated for Council purposes. In cases of emergency when all full members are present, Council may take place wherever the members agree. Council will convene a minimum of once per year at the Winter Solstice. Council will have no authority to pass motions concerning Covenant governance or substantial matters without the attendance of two-thirds of full members present. Council not satisfying the previous requirement may pass motions concerning Covenant Governance or substantial matters if the following conditions are met: i) Each full member present agrees that the situation is an emergency; or ii) More than a full year has passed since the last Council At these emergency meetings, associate members may speak and vote as full members. At these emergency meetings, a motion must obtain support from two-thirds of voters to pass. A properly convened Council may overturn any decisions made by an emergency Council, with majority vote. Substantive Matters The following matters are matters of substance and require two-thirds of attending magi to pass: Any alteration to this Charter. Admission of a Hermetic magus as a full member. Admission of a Hermetic magus as an associate member. Imposition of fine, service beyond the mandatory season of service, or other penalty. Compulsion of an unwilling member to perform a service, task or deed on behalf of the covenant for the greater good. Rights and Privileges Members of this covenant are granted the following rights and privileges under this Charter so long as they are members in good standing: Each member, full or associate, may call a Council meeting at any time. All members must be given adequate noticed before such a meeting. Each full member is entitled to attend all Council meetings. Associate members who call a meeting may address the Council at its commencement. Each full member is entitled to one vote at Council. Associate members may be asked to speak, but do not have the right to vote save at an emergency Council. Each member, associate or full, is entitled to food necessary for survival. This right may not be removed from any member. Each member, associate or full, is entitled to maintain a dwelling within the Covenant. This right may not be removed from any member. Each member, associate or full, is entitled to access to a laboratory with which to pursue his studies. Should a dispute over laboratory shortage occur, Council shall allocate laboratory usage granting precedence to full members over associate members. Each member, associate or full, may claim his living space and laboratory as his sanctum. A member may not claim any part outside his living space and laboratory as his sanctum. Each full member is entitled to covenant resources, mundane or magical (including covenfolk), for his laboratory activities and expeditions. A majority of Council is needed to deny a member this right. Each associate member is entitled to petition the Council for usage of covenant resources, mundane and magical (including covenfolk), for his laboratory and expeditions. A majority of Council is needed to grant access. Each member, associate or full, has the right to access the library freely. If a book is unavailable, he may request the book from the holding member, who is required to produce it unless he is presently using it during a season of study or laboratory. A magus must return books to the library when they are not being used, save for his personal grimoires and laboratory texts. Each member, associate or full, upon discovering a non-continuous source of vis or mundane profit, must remand half to the Covenant treasury may keep half for himself, unless the needs of the covenant, as determined by Council, demand the resources. Each member, associate or full, upon discovering a continuous source of vis or mundane profit, is allowed exclusive use of the first year's yield unless the needs of the covenant, as determined by Council, are greater. Each subsequent yield beyond the first shall be remanded to the treasury to be utilized as determined by Council. Responsibilities Each member, associate or full, shall abide by the decisions of Council. Each member, associate or full, must set aside one season per year in which he conducts business on behalf of the covenant including, but not limited to, vis extraction, artifact creation, expeditions and so forth. Each member shall recognize that Council may compel him to perform tasks deemed necessary for the covenant, within reason. If a full member considers the task unreasonable, then he may call for a substantive vote on the matter. If an associate member considers the task unreasonable, he may resign membership from the Covenant or convince a full member to make the matter a substantive vote. Each member, associate or full, must inform Council if he has found a source of vis or mundane resource in order to have his right to first year's exploitation recognized as above. No member shall declare Wizard's War on another member of this Covenant. Certamen shall be used to settle disputes that cannot be resolved peacefully. Closing Thus do we, the magi of the Covenant of the Haunted Springs, do solemnly declare this to be our charter. Founders Viola of House Merinita Auriane of House Flambeau Stefanos of House Tytalus Zorya of House Bjornaer Hora of House Bonisagus