[ CLOSED ] Mage Council Informal Discussion

[fleurdesel]

WHO: Adelaide, Korrin, Sabriel, Benevenuta, Ellana, Vivienne, Hermione (listening in as notary/aide/etc), NPCs @ the end
WHAT: Concerns have been brought to the council that bear discussion
WHEN: Day of Anders reveal by the Advisors
WHERE: Adelaide's Quarters
NOTES: 1) No teal deers, please. 2) This is a quick, actionspammy round robin discussion for hashing out how to address Christine and Morrigan's concerns specifically. 3) General feelings about Anders can be handled elsewhere as that issue has been decided, judged, etc, by the Inquisition at large and the Council does not have authority on the matter. 4) Try to keep timezones in mind so no one gets left behind. 5) Have fun!

It is a simple enough set up; chairs arranged in a circle, a spell for soundrpoofing woven around the room for privacy, wine rather than tea at the ready for what is undoubtedly to be a long and taxing discussion. An informal meeting for informal thoughts- as handling this with any measure of full-hearted, unbiased professionalism is impossible. Sit. Drink. Discuss.

Comments

[ungovernable]

( a deep breath and a slightly more full than is entirely socially acceptable glass of wine -

she's not going to dissuade them from a statement, that's obvious, so she chooses her battles; )

Such a statement must be carefully made. Courting the ire of the Inquisition leadership will not protect mages - we must take care to leave no ambiguity as to our support for them. More than this one man, we cannot forget that division here - weakness - it is the weapon of our enemy.

( and she is much more concerned about corypheus than anders, who should've done them all a favour and died in kirkwall. after a moment, )

And as such, I think to provide our own measure of security in the supervision of a mage more familiar with his specialty than those among the Wardens is a stronger gesture for the fact it is not our responsibility to do so. We do not simply shake our little fists and stomp our little feet at a decision we dislike; we act to ensure our own are not jeopardised by it. We simply do not have the luxury of being as separate as all that. We are not.

[serannas]

[ If anything, Ellana just looks confused now. Briefly, she glances over at Sabriel. Her roommate is going to be bombarded with questions later. ]

But where is the line? How do we neatly draw one between acting and overstepping? We have no authority to watch Anders, as he is under the Wardens' protection. Isn't it overstepping our bounds to tell them we don't trust them enough to watch him? I do think he should be supervised, but sending one of our own to do it in our name is a bad idea. Any mage spending too much time with him is a bad idea. People will already think we support his ideals if we don't make a statement. Think of the message it could send if we have a Councillor watching him. You know how people are. There will be talk of conspiracies, of our council collaborating with him. We can't allow that talk to start in the first place.

[ungovernable]

( with her eyebrows rising, )

We act in accordance with the decision already made, as a part of the Inquisition, by providing an available option rather than forcing ourselves in. If it is not overstepping to declare our opinion of their decision, it is hardly overstepping to support them.

[serannas]

[ Ellana's gaze lowers to her lap. She really feels out of her element here, and like she can't understand the intricacies of politics. So she'll just stay silent until they're ready to give their final vote. ]

[paperwing]

[Sabriel glances back to Ellana, and she half-frowns as she retreats from conversation. Politics can be very cumbersome, but unfortunately, necessary.]

There is no harm in a suggestion. But whether it would, or should, be accepted- [she sighs,] -is only for my superiors to say. He will be watched, regardless of whether the Council offers its presence or assistance. It might be accepted; it might not be, but it is in accordance with what has already been decided.

If we are to offer, a statement will be all the more crucial, for transparency.

[fleurdesel]

All we can do is make that offer. I do not mean to say I would stand instead of his warden minder, but as well as whomever you so choose to watch him- at least when he is casting and healing. That is when the risk is at it's greatest and of the largest concern to us.

[ Adelaide squeezes Benny's hand tight as she drinks deeply, pouring another glass shortly thereafter. ]

How should it be phrased?

[gatheringstorm]

[Korrin's by far the least diplomatic of the bunch, but it was her suggestion, so she'll speak up...after more wine. She also shoots a worried glance at Adelaide about that offer, but she'll refrain from further comment on that...for now.]

Begin with our support of the Inquisition, make it clear that we're not trying to create more fractures. Then we get to the subject of Anders and make our stance known. Transparency all around.

[ungovernable]

( a small sigh. )

Yes; that his actions did not support mages, and we do not condone them or support him.

( she's still wary of how it might play out with the advisors, but it isn't as if they'll be saying anything she fundamentally disagrees with. )

I am happy to draft it, as I have done.