The Roman Tribunal

The Roman tribunal comprises mainland Italy, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Malta, and a small part of Tunisia.

Governance
The tribunal convenes every 7 years at a neutral location in Venice. All covenants of the Roman tribunal have a chapterhouse of some kind in Venice. The current Praeco is Severin of Tytalus. Until his election in 1335 A.D., the position of Praeco was vacant. The Praeco runs the agenda for tribunal meetings and approves the appointment of the Presiding Quaesitor.

Unique to the Roman Tribunal, in tribunal voting matters, all covenants cast a single collective vote. In court cases of great severity, the Praeco may elect to grant judgment authority to neutral 3rd party judges rather than the open tribunal votes.

No new covenant can be founded in the Roman Tribunal without a vote at the tribunal meeting. There has only been 1 new covenant in the past 250 years, the covenant of Vulcanal. Independent wizards can set up in Rome if they become the client of an existing covenant. These client wizards do not have legal sanctum rights. The client/patron relation is rooted in ancient Roman tradition.

If an independent wizard who is not a client tries to set up in the Tribunal, the Roman Wizards coordinate successive wizard's wars to harass that wizard out.

Culture
Mundane interference is a given in the Roman Tribunal. The key ruling is that such interference cannot be to the "detriment of one's sodales." At Tribunal meetings, wizards openly coordinate spheres of influence and long-term mundane plans to prevent inter-covenant disputes. (This does not stop secret interference if a magus believes they won't be caught). On occasion, multiple covenants may work together on a scheme the Tribunal thinks in the best interest of Magi.

Feuds are common, especially among the Corsican/Sardinian magi. Verdi and Rellantali have a feud that predates all current living Magi by hundreds of years. Magvillus, Harco, and the pragmatic Tremere of Potestas consider themselves above this squabbling.

Most covenants do not have many vis sources due to the strength of dominion and supplant with trade to other tribunals, such as Thebes and the Levant.

Code Rulings

 * The Tribunal held that ungifted Hedge Magi were barred from joining the Order of Hermes, except for those in House Mercere. (1335 A.D.)
 * Members of the Roman Tribunal are prohibited from raiding the Normandy Tribunal (1328 A.D.)
 * The Tribunal affirmed that teaching an apprentice the Parma Magica before gauntlet is a High Crime. Fabius ex Miscellaneous was marched for this offense (1335 A.D.)
 * The Hedge Magi of Vulcanal, though not members of the Order, will enjoy protections as "friends of the Order." (1362 A.D.)
 * There are two elements of the Peripheral Code related to the Silver Consensus. The tribunal has long realized that the higher standard of living in Italy, plus the need to supplant magical resources with mundane, means that magical production of wealth is inevitable. Regardless, *direct* creation of wealth -- pure gold or silver, coins, jewels, pearls -- items that have no intrinsic value except as a unit of exchange -- is prohibited, save for creating items for lab enchantment. (902 A.D.)
 * The second ruling is that any covenant that uses magic to enhance its wealth (which is all) cannot earn a profit, that is, earn more money in a year than they spend on covenant expenses. (902 A.D.) Those who exceed their expenses are subject to Hermetic fines (vis). This law has a critical loophole which is that "covenant expenses" was never defined and test cases have allowed a sweeping interpretation, including but not limited to covenant facilities, salaries, business investments, opulent labs, artwork, patronage, bribes, and so on.
 * The enforcement of the financial laws is handled by Mercere auditors. Most covenants rely on redcaps to handle their ledgers already.
 * The only real cap on covenant spending is the provision of the code prohibiting interference to the detriment of one's sodales. In multiple cases (972 A.D., 1173 A.D., 1190 A.D.), the court has punished a Magus whose magically influenced wealth caused economic troubles in a region that another Magus holds investments in.

= Active Covenants =

Harco
Symbol: The staff of Mercury

Season: Winter

Founded: 778 A.D.

Affiliation: Mercere, Domus Magna of House Mercere

Members: At least 8 permanent residents including 1 Gifted Maga; does not include traveling redcaps

Resources: Extensive magical and mundane resources. A few nearby magical resources are supplanted by the Order's greatest trade network.

Founded by Mercere early in the history of the Order, Harco is located in Piedmont by a village of the same name. It is home to the Mercurian portal network and has a Mercurian portal in its Venice chapterhouse as well. The magic aura here is weak. There is 1 gifted Maga in permanent resident, and many redcaps, including the Mercere Primus/Prima. Harco is the central hub of a continental trading and services network. The Black Death has hit Harco hardest of all covenants, taking the lives of many unprotected redcaps, and caused the covenant to slip from Autumn to Winter status.

Notable Members: Notable Redcaps:
 * Aurora of Mercere, elder gifted Mercere maga, purported slayer of Mages
 * Jozef of Mercere, former companion of Tethys of Tytalus
 * Consolata of Mercere, fiancee of Marco (slain)
 * Marco of Mercere, long-time associate of Vardian's Tomb (slain)

Literatus
Symbol: Golden towers

Season: Winter

Founded: 1001 A.D.

Affiliation: Predominantly Jerbiton

Members: 3 - 5

Resources: Poor magic resources. Mundane wealth from its fief. Access to many educated mundane specialists and Learned Magicians. Has the greatest library of mundane subjects in the tribunal. Supplants its magic economy by trading high quality books.

Literatus was founded by a donation of a fief by the Archbishop of Bologna, with the blessing of Pope Sylvester II. The grant was originally meant for a school of magic, to teach Gifted students. This goal was put aside due to the practical difficulties of teaching the Gifted, but the covenant maintains a mission of encouraging academic scholasticism both among Mundans and the Order of Hermes. The covenant was a sponsor of the University of Bologna and has extensive ties to the Bolognese academic community. Literatus has a chapterhouse within the city of Bologna itself. Its main establishment is a walled villa in its fief a few miles outside the city, in a weak magic aura. Literatus controls access to nearest entrance to Devil's Lane, a faerie regio. Starting in the 1360s, Literatus has feuded with Luctatio, mirroring Bologna's existing troubles with the Milanese nobility.

Notable Members:
 * Andronicus of Jerbiton, parens of Artemisia

Magvillus
Symbol: Scales balanced on a sword

Season: Autumn

Founded: 830 A.D.

Affiliation: Guernicus, Domus Magna of House Guernicus

Members: 7, not including visiting Quaesitors

Resources: Moderate magical resources and control of most magic sites in the Kingdom of Naples. An extensive magical library. Magvillus is rumored to also have many strange and wonderous ancient magic texts in its possession. Its economy is supplanted by service charges to Quaesitors and loans from Harco.

Established by Guernicus the Founder in an easily fortifiable part of the Apennine mountains. The covenant has no fief or presence outside its fortress and no relations with nearby mundanes. Its extreme defenses deter any nobles from trying to enforce their rule over it. Magically, Magvillus is known to have the strongest Aegis of the Hearth in the entire Order of the Hermes.

The fortress has three wards. The outer ward hosts the rare visitors the covenant gets. No one but Quaesitors and Redcaps are permitted beyond into the central ward, which contains the fort's library, barracks, and stables. The inmost ward is off limits to all but the members of the Guernicus inner council.

Magvillus keeps a close eye on the activities of the Roman Tribunal but tries not to get involved in politics. Most of the native Guernicus are some form of Transitionalists who recognize the need for mundane interaction in Italy.

Notable Members:
 * Milo of Guernicus, elder Quaesitor and friend of Archibald
 * Pruinus of Guernicus, member of the Inner Council and presiding Quaesitor of the Roman Tribunal 1356 A.D. --

Rellantali
Symbol: Moor's head

Season: Summer

Founded: 838 A.D.

Affiliation: Mixed

Members: 6 - 8

Resources: Extensive mundane resources from its interests in Corsica, Sardinia, and Venice, reflected in its opulent Venetian chapterhouse. Secretly the covenant also runs a Thieve's Guild in Venice. Has access to most magical sites on Corsica.

Rellantali is a mixed covenant of multiple houses, with no fixed purpose or aim. The magi work on their own tasks separately, only coordinating on grand assignments lead by an ad hoc autocrat. Some of its members spend most of their time in Venice. The covenant's chapterhouse has a functional library and even a lab, though it is swamped by the local Dominion aura.

In the 11th century, Rellantali fought with Verdi over control of magical resources in the Italian islands. Rellantali avoided destruction but lost its claim to anything beyond its small home island of Asinara, off the northern coast of Sardinia. The covenant adapted by increasing its mundane resources and presence in Venice. In the 13th century, as Verdi's fortunes waned, Rellantali successfully reclaimed many sites through Tribunal rulings, wizard's wars, and certamen. The two covenants remain bitter rivals.

Notable Members:
 * Julius Trianoma, the Trianoma Tenens of the Roman Tribunal (HoH:TL p.12), archmagus, and priest of the Cult of Mercury
 * Invidia of Merinita, mystagogue of the inner Merinita mysteries

Verdi
Symbol: An anvil and metalworking tools

Season: New Spring

Founded: 775 A.D.

Affiliation: Verditius, Domus Magna of House Verditius

Members: 6 - 8

Resources: Moderate magical resources from the island of Sardinia, some on Corsica. Supplants its economy by trading enchanted items, to other Magi and rich mundanes alike.

Verdi is founded on the site of the ancient Cult of Vulcan, atop the hidden forge of Hephaestus. It consists of six towers in a circle around the central keep. Under the towers is a maze of caves and tunnels, leading to the Forge itself, used as a site for initiating the mysteries. The covenant is home to a community of over 100 covenfolk.

In the early centuries of the Roman Tribunal, Verdi's ambition and greed led it to direct martial conflict with other covenants, resulting in the destruction of Auctus and the near-subjugation of Rellantali. Quaesitors intervened and forced an end to this violence, leading to centuries of peace. In the 13th century, Verdi fell into sharp decline. The Primus of Verditius refused to move from his covenant on Lemnos, and the residing members of Verdi grew too involved with bungling schemes to enhance their art. After the final twilight of Primus Stouritus, a new Prima, Iminatosa, reaffirmed Verdi as the true Domus Magna of Verditius and has brought the covenant to New Spring with a new generation of talented craftsfolk.

Notable Members:
 * Enki of Verditius, traveling tournament champion and lover of murder, metalworker
 * Anson of Verditius, client of Vardian's Tomb, famed for recovering one of Verditius' lost rings
 * Kifiyaa of Verditius, former meber of Vardian's Tomb, worker of silks and clothes
 * Iminatosa of Verditius, tinsmith and prima of Verditius
 * Harpalos of Verditius, seniormost member, crafter of Automata, former captor and tormentor of the mechanica Ailuros and Maahes.

Luctatio
Symbol: Red & white spiral

Season: Summer

Founded: 1172 A.D.

Affiliation: Tytalus Members: 7

Resources: Moderate; some magis sites in the Alps; connections to the nobility of Milan and Pavia

Luctatio's main covenant site is in the countryside of Milan. It is known as the covenant that most aggressively tests the limits of mundane interference in the Roman Tribunal. The stated purpose of Luctatio is influencing the politics of northern Italy to keep the city-states in a perpetual state of strife, but never so weak that they could be conquered by the Pope or the Holy Roman Empire. This goal is generally supported by most of the Roman Tribunal, who consider a weak nobility a safe nobility. As of the 1360s A.D., the covenant has increased support for the Visconti family of Milan, opposed to the Papal States.

Notable Members:  Notable Clients: 
 * Heliste of Tytalus, chief schemer
 * Pallas of Tytalus, former paramour of Guy of Bonisagus, now several corpse bits
 * Klybutes, a leper Magus

Potestas
Symbol: Chessboard

Season: Autumn

Founded: 870 A.D.

Affiliation: Tremere

Members: 5

Resources: Minor; claims to many magic sites and trading concerns along the Adriatic coast. Can draw resources from House Tremere as needed

Potestas is situated on a cliff overlooking the scenic Adriatic sea, in the Marche region. The covenant's stated purpose is to coordinate Tremere concerns in Italy and the wider Mediterranean. It is one of the major sources of legitimate mundane wealth for House Tremere. The leader of Potestas also holds the office of Tremere Exarch of Rome, the 3rd senior-most member of Tremere behind the Primus and Legatus. The members of Potestas often lend their services to Harco or Magvillus. The covenant is known to be strictly pragmatic.

Notable Members: 
 * Tolas of Tremere, the Tremere Exarch of Rome and 3rd most powerful in House Tremere
 * Exilieratus of Flambeau
 * Karantia of Tremere

Vardian's Tomb
Symbol: A black badger upon a green field

Season: Summer

Founded: 1014 A.D.

Affiliation: Mixed

Members: (as of 1365 A.D.) 9 & 1 redcap

Resources: Moderate; collects rents from some land in Rome and the islands of Ponza. Has access to most magical sites in Central Italy.

Vardian's tomb is located in the cramped catacombs under the city of Rome. The covenant site was home to a necromancer cult long ago that was destroyed by the founder Flambeau. In the attack, Flambeau destroyed the cult's most powerful artifact, the Skull of Vardian. The surge of magic left behind a weak aura.

The site of the aura was colonized in the early 10th century by a mix of Ex Miscellaneous necromancers and Jerbitons wanting to live in the Eternal City. The covenant went unnoticed by others in the Roman Tribunal until it had existed long enough and developed enough connections that its existence became a fait accompli. Vardian's Tomb's proximity to the Pope both worried other Magi and protected the covenant, as it was feared any sort of magical combat in the streets of Rome would have serious reprisals. To keep a safe eye on the covenant and its mundane interactions, Magvillus built a hidden chapterhouse just outside the city for its Quaesitors.

Vardian's Tomb underwent a great change around the turn of the 14th century. The departure of the Pope to Avignon and general decline of the city of Rome made most Magi cease paying attention to the small establishment. At the same time, an unknown corruption caused violence and illegal wizards' wars between the covenants members, with only Venator Ex Miscellaneous surviving. Venator extended an invitation to as many Magi as he could find to rebuild the covenant and reclaim its lost resources. The corruption caused another wave of bloodshed in 1342, after which Venator quit the Roman Tribunal and was never seen again. Despite this, the covenant continues to attract new members and grow, and as of 1362 is recognized as an established Summer covenant.

Vulcanal
Symbol: A volcano

Season: Spring

Founded: 1328 A.D.

Affiliation: Mixed

Resources: Access to all magical sites in Sicily. Has a vinyard that earns enough income to support its covenfolk modestly.

The youngest of the Roman Tribunal's covenants, founded for the stated purpose of researching the volcano of Mt. Etna and its magical potential. The island of Sicily was originally split in control between Verdi and Magvillus, the former of which was greatly annoyed by the founding of Vulcanal. The founding Magi met with unfortunate fates: Tasso Agricola of Bjoarner was murdered by a renegade of his own house, and Anson of Bonisagus died in a lab accident. With the Magi dead, but the covenfolk maintaining a stable settlement, this put the covenant into an odd situation. In 1362, it was decided that the area could be reclaimed by Hedge Magi, reparations for the fear most had felt after the destruction of the Capocci Hedge Wizard court. In exchange for the covenant site and protection by the Order of Hermes, the Hedge Magi of Vulcanal would deliver most of Sicily's vis sites to the Tribunal. Time will tell the results of this experiment.

= Independent Magi =

Klybutes of Tytalus
A wandering leper magus of house Tytalus, parens of former Vardian's Tomb magus Aristocritus. Even after the passing of Aristocritus, he enjoys playing strange games with Vardian's Tomb. A de jure client of Luctatio.

Severin of Tytalus (Lycelleus)
Severin of Tytatlus, praeco of the Roman Tribunal, enjoys an exemption from the regular rule of independent Magi. He casts a vote as the covenant of Lycelleus, though the covenant is in fact just himself and his familiar. His lab and home are located in a forest in the Umbria region of Italy. Severin himself is the oldest Magus of the tribunal, due to centuries he spent trapped in a faerie regio.

Anna of Verditius
A maga living under the Adriatic sea, raised in isolation and thoroughly ignorant of the Roman Tribunal and its laws. Discovered by Vardian's Tomb in 1363 A.D.

Galafre the Elder
A ne'er-do-well Merinita whose schemes caused untold grief to the St. Duane family of Naples. Reprimanded and punished by the Tribunal on multiple occasions. Originally from Provence, then briefly a member of Literatus. After a violent run-in with Vardian's Tomb during the Hungarian-Neapolitan war of the 1340s, he left the tribunal for Hungary, along with his son by blood, Sir Valentin St. Duane.

Al-Qasim ex Misc
Sole survivor of the destruction of Sansarron. An unpleasant hedge wizard who is nonetheless trained in Mercurian magic. Among the tribunal, he is known as someone who leaves trouble in his wake. Traded a servant Jinn to Vardian's Tomb in exchange for the magical site on the island of Ponza. = Lost Covenants =

Sansarron
Symbol: Symbol of Tanit (from Carthaginian flag)

Founded: 951 A.D.

Lost: ~1360 A.D.

Location: Tunisia

Sansarron was located not far from the city of Tunis, within the remains of old Carthage. The covenant cloaked itself from mundane society to maintain its studies in peace. Its predominant mix of Ex Misc Sahirs, political abstinence, and lack of presence on the Italian mainland gave the covenant low regard among other Magi in the Order. However, it had access to extensive magical resources in North Africa, which it traded to the needy in Italy for basic supplies.

Sansarron was destroyed around 1360 A.D., among increased tension between the Order of Hermes and the Order of Suleiman. The sole survivor attests that a flareup between a visiting Flambeau and the locals invited a full-scale sahir reprisal that destroyed all. As of 1362 A.D., the covenant's status is up in the air. No one has yet mustered the forces needed to retake and hold the covenant against the hostile locals.

Feritel
Symbol: None

Founded: 1117 A.D.

Lost: ~1150 A.D.

Location: Genoa

Feritel was located outside the city of Genoa. Its founders attempted to replicate the model of Vardian's Tomb by founding a covenant first and demanding acceptance later. They pushed the matter too far by integrating with the mundane governance; taking official status as a subject commune of Genoa and acting no better than court wizards. The covenant was dispersed by threat of wizard's war and its members relocated to Luctatio.

Auctus
Symbol: Unknown

Founded: 800 A.D.

Lost: ~890 A.D.

Location: Western Sardinia

Auctus was a mixed covenant focused on expanding Bonisagus' magic theory. It was destroyed by Verdi in that covenant's ambition for more resources. Little else is publicly known.