open | full circle pt 1

[exequy]

WHO: Concerned mages/rifters/others
WHAT: An emergency meeting!
WHEN: Solace 20
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Explanation in the OOC post. Please tag this like a network post. There are top-level comments to provide a little chronology/structure, but threadjack to your heart's content.

Before and during dinner on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday, there's a chain of whispers (or notes, or perfectly audible comments from the particularly unsubtle) about an emergency meeting, at an evening hour, in a basement room, regarding a matter of concern to rifters and mages.

The basement part is probably unnecessary. It's certainly ineffective; the organization is too small, the Gallows too contained, and the halls too echoey for something arranged with this much finesse-wrecking haste to truly remain a secret. They could have done it in an empty office or the recreational dining hall, probably, and sat on chairs instead of storage crates. But Kostos picked the location, and he's dramatic. If nothing else it signals a clear intention to do this as unofficially as necessary.

Anyone who accepts the invitation (or just decides to come see what the fuss is about) will first encounter Marcus Rowntree, posted up outside the door like a bouncer, letting mages and rifters move through undisturbed but stepping in to question and likely bar the arrival of anyone else. Inside, Kostos is nothing but a dark scowl in the room's far corner, picking at a splinter of wood on a crate and not mustering a word of greeting for anyone who comes in. Derrica has parked herself within arm's reach of Kostos, a long gold-edged shawl spilling over one shoulder. Her diplomacy pin gleams from the front of her tunic. The worried pinch to her brow is the only outward sign of anxiety; otherwise, she is tightly contained, watching people enter. Julius–notably not in robes–is serious but calm as people come in, standing next to the ever-composed Madame de Cedoux.

Once as many people have arrived as seem likely to, Marcus closes the door, remaining beside it, and they explain what the problem is.

Comments

Some Particulars

[exequy]

[ Along with notice that this is happening at all, they have a copy of the proposal the "College" intends to make. Someone's paraphrased recap of it, anyway. No one had time or inclination to make copies to pass around the room, but Derrica reads it aloud: ]

1. Resume operations – Cumberland, Val Royeaux, Antiva City, Ostwick, and Redcliffe.

2. Chantry stations Templars at Circles.

3. Consolidate books and goods from abandoned Circles into op. Circles.

4. College can investigate dangerous magic w. Templars.

5. Custody of mages who present a danger.

6. Custody of mages who have been convicted of crimes.

7. Custody of children with magic (voluntarily surrendered by parents).

8. Phylacteries for Circle residents.

9. If mages enter Circles involuntarily, Harrowings required before future free travel.

10. Tranquility or execution choice for uncontrollable mages.

11. Annulment requires preliminary investigation & report by Grand Enchanter from a second Circle.

12. Mage/Templar/Chantry committee for grievances.

[ (OOC note: feel free to have your character interrupt mid-list rather than listen to the whole thing; you can use the numbers to indicate where they're jumping in.) ]

3 (replies to my own comment, whatever)

[exequy]

[ He has read this several times already, but #3 still makes him snort and mutter, with the smugness of someone who knows where some of the books (and art and money and valuables) are buried, ]

They can try.

[inkindled]

[Not that Matthias is sitting next to Enchanter Averesch, or anything--but then again, even in a mutter, it's not as if Enchanter Averesch is trying not to be heard.]

Where is that stuff, anyway?

[hornswoggle]

[ Who else is staying more or less out of the way? John, who ostensibly has no reason to be here.

However, this query requires nothing from him if he answers— ]

Safely kept, and not easily found, I imagine.

[ ;) ]

post-12.

[luaithre]

That there is talk of annulment, execution, custody, and none of what could guard against corruption amongst their Templars and ranked Chantry officials—

[ A sound of derision. ]

The proposal wants killing entirely.

[notathreat]

Sh'yeah. Not to mention the whole "custody of mages who present a danger" thing. Who decides what's dangerous? That could be strongarmed into meaning fucking anything.

Existing while magical.

[luaithre]

Aye. The Loyalists and the Chantry both will make good use of all that's left implicit. That's how they've always been, interpretation left to the discretion of each Circle, each First Enchanter, each Templar.

[delphian]

All would not be forgiven and no one's hearing our 'grievances' if they got some of us as rebelled behind closed doors with no witnesses.

[evilstick]

[ muttered— ] I should certainly hope some of you are dangerous.

[ is this not a literal army fighting Corypheus, etc. ]

[tender]

Yes. It does. And their committee is weighted in favor of the Chantry. We would be outvoted, if it suited.

[luaithre]

[ Agreeing— ]

There won't be a vote.

[ipseite]

Smothered in the cradle, ( in agreement, ) but if we cannot prevent them crying to her for it, it can be made toothless in other ways.

Those mage children that have gone to Skyhold, perhaps some that have not, how many families have not been parted because they could all, indeed, go or not go? How many mothers and fathers of these parents expected to voluntarily relinquish their children have been able to live alongside them and see their accomplishments or seen them taught by mages that have not been imprisoned and might be susceptible to the knowledge of what relinquishing their children could mean, what this proposal makes no indication of an intention to protect them from?

A whole generation is growing that has not been stripped of their connections. It is a cultural shift we might take advantage of.

[luaithre]

[ A considering beat, thoughtful, before he says— ]

We can't approach them with a discussion dependent on good faith. With logic or empathy.

11.

[tender]

[ a pause after, for— ]

If any are not clear on what Annulment is, we—I can define it for you.

[notathreat]

[There is a heavy beat, but Ellie doesn't take her eyes off of Derrica. Her voice is quiet.]

Please.

[tender]

[ This is a necessary definition. But still, it feels unfair to saddle them with it. ]

An Annulment is when the Grand Cleric decides a Circle is too dangerous to continue operating, and beyond salvaging. When the Chantry grants permission for an Annulment to be carried out, it means they will destroy the Circle, and all of it's occupants.

Of #8

[overharrowed]

I suppose this answers the question of whether the current Divine will honor negotiations done in the interregnum. Or rather, the popular perception of whether she can be expected to.

[He distinctly remembers a lot of hours poured into securing that particular promise, at the cost of many headaches and being polite to a lot of very rude people.]

[armd]

(Pardon, for the unaware,) What are phylacteries?

[overharrowed]

Ah. They're small vessels, most often glass vials, and they're magically keyed to a mage. Or another magical being, we know they can be made for rifters, too. They contain a bit of the target's blood, magically treated, and can be used to track that individual. And, we unpleasantly discovered a few years ago, under certain circumstances to target that individual with magic from a distance. But the first use was more common before the war.

It was standard, in the days of the old Circles, to make them for apprentice magi. Everyone up through and including First Enchanters had them.

10

[inkindled]

The mage gets to choose between Tranquility or execution? Is that meant to be a kindness?

[glossator]

How else would you propose handling dangerous mages?

[This, from the gloomy looking man lurking at the fringe. It seems like a real question in an inarguably Tevene accent.]

[notathreat]

Are you in the right room, buddy?

post 4

[armd]

Let me guess. All magic is now dangerous.

Re: post 4

[sparklequeen]

Well, yeah. That's the vibe I get from these people--they think anyone who isn't in a Chantry is dangerous. They probably have a lot of self-hate going on because of all the stuff they've been fed since they were kids about how dangerous they are to everyone around them, too, if I had to guess.

Kinda sad, honestly.

[delphian]

Don't forget the politicians, loves, ( tsenka is a thick starkhaven accent, sat in a chair with her boots kicked up on the back of the one in front of her, ) who've got an eye for sitting at the top of the pile if they can just get the pile back.

( this is where cassius fucking went, isn't it, is a thought not without some annoyed fondness. )