The Order of Hermes

The Theban Tribunal is a curiosity in the Order of Hermes. As an organization it predates the founding of the Order, albeit in a very different form than today. It was originally much larger, but early in the Order's history split in two, to form the Transylvanian and (modern) Theban Tribunals. Most distinct is its political system, which departs radically from that found in the rest of the Order. The Theban Tribunal is occasionally depicted as a model Tribunal, where magi live and work towards a common goal rather than being riven with strife and political bickering. More often, however, it is seen as an interesting anomaly rather than a model for the rest of the Order to follow.

Hermetic History

The lands that eventually became the Tribunal of Thebes have a long history of magicians. Rich sites of vis and the attentions of magical and faerie entities made fertile soil for arcane practitioners, and the natural geography provided hundreds of isolated pockets in which these magicians could co-exist. While the East may have had its "Dark Ages," it never suffered the literary severing that the West did, meaning that Greek wizards were more literate than their Western counterparts. While their language evolved, it was not splintered into many different tongues like the West, and pre-Hermetic sorcerers could more easily communicate through letters, allowing them to cooperate if a specific venture proved fortuitous. The long-standing superstition that killing a wizard would curse the killer also helped.

Such cooperative couplings predated the founding of the Order. Wizards in Greece and the islands would form temporary leagues — groups that followed a charismatic leader or banded together for a common goal. Members found that the less they actually met, the better the league succeeded, and so relied on communiqués and individual assignment of specific goals. Once the goal was reached or the leader departed, the group would separate, retreating back to its members' individual pursuits. While interesting to politically minded Theban magi, none of these early leagues merit individual mention.

The wizard Prokopios preceded the founding of the Order of Hermes. In much the same way as Trianoma united the 12 Founders, Prokopios attempted to execute a similar vision among the wizards of Thebes. But lacking secrets to offer such as the Parma Magica and Hermetic theory, he had only limited success despite his Gentle Gift. Central to his scheme was a typikon — named

Prokopios' numerous children and apprentices joined the Order of Hermes, and there are still some (principally in House Jerbiton, and among the Trianomae of House Bonisagus) who identify him as an ancestor. These magi claim that the Daimon of Aristotle is the daimon syggeneias (family spirit) of their line; and that he still offers them advice, particularly with regards to preserving the unique political system of the Theban Tribunal in favor of that of less-democratic Tribunals.

after the charter used by Orthodox monasteries — which regulated how wizards should act, how collective decisions should be made, and what sanctions could be brought against the foresworn. Prokopios claimed that the typikon was dictated to him by the spirit of Aristotle, who wrote copiously on politics in his day. The Typikon of Prokopios became the charter of the pre-Hermetic leagues; although it failed in its intended goal to unite the Greek wizards in a Panhellenic Congress. However, when the Order of Hermes came to the lands of the Greeks, the magi used the typikon as the foundation document of the Hermetic polity still practiced today in the Theban Tribunal.

The first notable league was the League of Iconophiles, formed in the early eighth century to save religious icons from the Byzantine emperors who thought they should be destroyed. Thirty years into their struggle, the league's leaders met Trianoma, and though declining her invitation, the League of Iconophiles serendipitously provided the origin for House Jerbition (described in detail in Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 40–1).

The expansion of the Order into the Byzantine Empire had little actual impact. The Order, primarily House Jerbiton, was only present in the major cosmopolitan areas of Constantinople, Thessalonica, and Adrianople, since the countryside was ruled by hostile powers — malignant faeries, capricious gods, bands of vampires and Infernal witches, and superstitious peasants — and magi settled where books, learning, and civilization were strong. Jerbiton magi were content to live alongside the various Gifted and unGifted practitioners who already existed, a détente born from the previous centuries of coopera-

tion between magical folk and the non-aggressive philosophy of House Jerbiton. Few magi of other Houses bothered with the area, content to explore their native soils in Western Mythic Europe. At the founding of the Order of Hermes, the Byzantine Empire extended into Hungary and Bulgaria, and deep into Asia Minor. This vast area contained wizards from many disparate traditions, who were all members of the Eastern Empire and showed little desire to join the nascent Order. Distrustful of Westerners in general and Latins in particular, they saw little need to replace their freedom under the typikon of Prokopios with the restriction of the Oath of Hermes.

In 775, House Tremere invaded Greece, slaying wizards and taking vis and magical items as spoils. None of the wizards slain were members of the Order, meaning that the participating Tremere magi did not break their Hermetic Oaths. The response, however, was swift. Wizards suddenly found the need to defend their territory, and formed the Theban League to repel the invaders. Followers of Jerbiton and Trianoma renewed the invitation to join the Order, and many accepted in order to receive legal immunity from these attacks. This act, more so than the military reprisals, ended the conflict. Tremere magi who were ready to slay outsiders balked at attacking members of the Order.

One hundred years later, House Tremere again threatened the Tribunal and the entire Order. Always watchful, Theban magi successful intercepted messages indicating Tremere's grand plan to become the Order's overlord (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 113 for more details). His most trusted lieutenants and advisors were due to meet at

Dorostolon, a Tremere covenant in southern Bulgaria. A secret force of magi clandestinely entered the covenant and broke the minds and loyalties of Tremere's lieutenants. Although no one officially claimed responsibility for the Sundering (as this event it is known), the most commonly held local opinion is that the magical bindings holding Typhon (see Chapter 9, Magic: The Titans) were undone, and a pact forged with it. This group of magi — probably from the covenant of Hedyosmos, among others — directed the creature at Dorostolon. Once Typhon had removed the threat of Tremere's ambition by destroying the covenant and incapacitating the magi, it was re-imprisoned. Tremere himself died shortly after.

At the sixth Grand Tribunal in 865, the Theban Tribunal was officially instituted, and named after the Theban League that had formed in response to the depredations of House Tremere. The territory granted to the Tribunal stretched from the Ionian to the Black Sea, and extended into the lands of the Bulgars and into Anatolia. The fact that the Tribunal contained just one domus magna — Coeris, Tremere's home — but was named after and centered on the lands of the Theban League was testament to the distrust that the Order held for House Tremere at that time. The formation of the Bulgarian Empire thirty years later, along with the gradual recovery of House Tremere from its self-imposed isolation and subsequent expansion, convinced the ninth Grand Tribunal in 964 that the Theban Tribunal was too unwieldy in its current form, and the Transylvanian Tribunal was formed from its northern reaches. The Theban Tribunal's boundaries have remained constant since then.

The Tribunal of Thebes played almost no part in the Schism War, although some Greek magi enlisted in the cause and fought battles in Western Mythic Europe. As the war tailed off, a Byzantine army invaded Bulgaria in 1014. House Tremere insists that Theban magi assisted the emperor. This claim hasn't been proven, but it is true that certain magi, especially Gentle Gifted Jerbitons, had close connections with the emperor and other powerful families of the Byzantine Empire. House Tremere's response came in 1185, when the House supported the lords behind a Bulgarian rebellion. Military aid was withheld, but materials and advice were supplied. This led to a few Greek magi announcing their support for the emperor, and forming the League of Advisors, who took up residence in Constantinople to openly participate in the emperor's court. They did not benefit monetarily from this association and claimed they only offered advice, mindfully treading the line between the permitted role of advisor and forbidden post of court wizard.

In the midst of this affair was the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and the loss of the Anatolian plateau to the Seljuk Turks. Byzantine magi occupying the area fled Asia Minor following the invasion of the sultan, and have not returned to the region since.

The Collapse of an Empire

Many Theban magi avoided the entire imbroglio of the League of Advisors, concentrating on their own interests and participating in the Tribunal's culture and political responsibilities. Some paid no attention at all, until 1204 when Constantinople fell to the Italian and French forces of the Fourth Crusade. Once boasting three covenants, the fall of the mighty City of the East saw the end of them all. Thermakopolis was destroyed utterly, and its only survivor, Mathieus, is in self-imposed exile (see The Lion and the Lily, page 87). Moero's Garden, a covenant more concerned with poetics than politics, relocated to Nicaea, following the exodus of many Greek nobles. Xylinites became more insular and closed its walls to outsiders.

In the aftermath, accusations flew as rapidly as arrows. House Tremere was blamed, as was House Jerbiton. The League of Advisors, which had lost many of its members with the fall of Thermakopolis, couldn't weather allegations of interference with mundanes, and disbanded. Although the Theban Tribunal failed to secure a conviction against members of the former league, House Tremere has appealed to the Grand Tribunal of 1228 for the case against the two surviving magi to be reconsidered. Should this appeal be successful, it could have important consequences for the autonomy of Tribunals in general and the Theban polity in particular.

The reorganizing of the Byzantine Empire into smaller empires has forced some covenants to adapt to the changing political landscape that results from new rulers, but others have been left untouched. Every Theban magus has an opinion on the current situation, but not all are willing to commit to the various leagues that have formed as a response (see The Leagues of Thebes, later). Not all believe that the situation threatens the supernatural balance that existed, but the majority does. It has been just 16 years since the fall of Constantinople, and while Frankish magi have followed the mundanes eastwards, they have not settled in sufficiently large numbers to have a noticeable impact on the Tribunal's practices. However, some have already rebelled against the Theban polity, and the Tribunal of 1221 promises to be an interesting one as they seek to make changes to their adopted home.

Theban magi have a propensity to form leagues: alliances of like-minded individuals devoted to pursuing a specific goal. There are several leagues currently active in the Tribunal; each league has only a few members and none is powerful enough to accomplish its goals quickly or privately. Each will need more members or cooperation from other sources. The overall goal of each is altruistic: to continue the prosperity and hegemony of the Theban Order of Hermes. Each league, however, has a different idea how this should be done. Some of the leagues presented below might have goals that could be construed as contrary to the Code of Hermes. However, actions are prohibited by the Code, not ideology, so none of these leagues contravene the Code merely by existing. On the other hand, the actions of magi pursuing the goals of their league may well provoke other magi to prosecute them for a crime. The following are just examples of some of the leagues currently active in Thebes.

Constantine was the Roman emperor who founded Constantinople, dividing the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves, revitalizing the empire, and pouring new energy into the faltering state. While the West was lost to barbarians, the East still maintains its imperial traditions and nature. Constantinople has been conquered several times over the centuries, but in the past, the conqueror would marry into one of the noble imperial families and continue the Roman tradition. The Latins have not done this. To make matters worse, they have subjugated the Church to the pope's authority, something

no conqueror has done before. The League of Constantine hopes to return the empire to its true path, put a legitimate Greek emperor back on the throne, and return the empire to the hands of God. The league is composed entirely of Jerbiton magi, although that is not a requirement for membership. Each has an apprentice who is nearing gauntleting age, a member of the antigones (Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 43). The apprentices are more martial than their parentes, and this league promises to be more effective than Jerbiton magi in the past. The league is currently centered at Moero's Garden, the covenant near Nicaea. For more information on this league, see Chapter 11.

A small and eccentric league of magi who have dubbed themselves The Children of Olympos believe that the Tribunal would be better served if the magical patrons of each covenant were the Greek gods of old, rather than the sundry assortment currently occupying those positions. Centered around the charismatic Lucian the Scholar of House Merinita (see Chapter 4: Theban Covenants, Aegaea), the league declares that the Order should step away from the ebbing fortunes of the Divine and Infernal by adhering to a more permanent and ancient supernatural foundation. Magical creatures are too temperamental, and uninterested in mortal affairs. Faeries, however, are intrinsically interested in the fates of men. The Greek gods have outlasted all others, Lucian claims, with Christ's reign casting a shadow over their long involvement with the hearts of men. See Chapter 10 for more information on this league.

Dorostolon (815 –848)

A covenant on the south bank of the Danube, and temporary home to several powerful Tremere magi who were orchestrating their Founder's plan to dominate the Order. The fortress was ripped apart, allegedly by Typhon in its efforts to get to Tremere's lieutenants during the Sundering of that house.

Estropi (914 – 1069)

A sept of Bjornaer magi all with heartbeasts of predatory birds. They lived on Mount Erciyes, the highest mountain in central Anatolia, and fled after the invasion of the Seljuk Turks.

Grammaton (980 – 1092):

Grammaton of Bonisagus and his filii were devoted to the completion of original research connected to binding magics. The covenant, named after its founder, was disbanded over a hundred years later when it became apparent that the research was not going to achieve its goal, despite several interesting innovations and discoveries. The remaining magi joined other covenants.

Diadelphia (1004 – 1067)

Founded by the two brothers, Cosmas and Baztas of House Verditius, on the island of Kalymnos. Other Verditius magi joined, but left due to the bitter rivalry between the brothers. Cosmas was ostracized in 1067, and surprisingly his brother left the Thebes Tribunal with him. With no other magi living at the covenant, it was disbanded by default.

Kyddopetre (1039 – 1076)

Founded by a collection of Flambeau magi at the Cilician Gates, a narrow pass south of the Tarsus mountains that lead to southern Anatolia. After the Battle of Manzikert, in which the emperor was soundly defeated by the Seljuk Turks, the Byzantine Empire lost Cilicia to the Sultanate of Rum. Living outside the Byzantine empire was not a legal problem, but the magi disbanded, feeling too isolated from their Greek fellows to remain.

An itinerant Ex Miscellanea covenant full of mystics and soothsayers, which toured throughout mainland Greece. It was in Constantinople at the time of that city's destruction, and was destroyed in the fires. Several of its magi have resurfaced in 1220.

The pride and shame of House Jerbiton, pledged to the protection of Constantinople, a task in which it ultimately failed.

Lamites (1123 – 1127)

A short-lived Anatolian covenant devoted to prophecy, and claiming the Phrygian Sibyl (see Chapter 9) as their patron. It is believed that Lamia killed them all for their presumption, although it may have been the faerie called Lamia (Realms of Power: Faerie, page 68) who objected to the competition.

Thumachia (1151 – 1185)

Founded to protect the Tribunal's western border after ravages from the Second Crusade. The primarily Jerbiton magi trod a fine line between intervention in mortal affairs and protecting their sodales. Thumachia was sacked during the war between the Sicilian Normans and the Byzantine Empire. Instead of reforming Thumachia, the surviving magi joined Thermakopolis.

Novocastrum (1207-1212)

A short-lived covenant of Frankish magi in the western borders of the Kingdom of Thessaloniki, land which has since been conquered by the Principality of Epiros. It had little time to prepare for the Greek attack, and was destroyed when its magi unsuccessfully resisted; few in the Tribunal mourned their loss.

The League of the Vigilant was formed very recently. Most magi know that Infernal forces were active in both the Latin and Byzantine armies when the city of Constantinople fell, and many suspect that the Order may also be infected. Hydatius of Ingasia and Proximios of Alexandria have banded together to form this league, the former to act as its general and the later to provide funding and magical supplies (see Chapter 8: Anatolia, The Covenant of Alexandria for more on Proximios).

The league is just forming and its membership is small. It has no formal home or central meeting place at this point; Hydatius and Proximios are just beginning to recruit members. Hydatius and Proximios want magi who are not native to the Tribunal, hoping that fresh blood can hunt out bad. They plan to keep the identity of the other members of this league secret so as to best search out corruption, while the two of them seek cooperation and assistance publicly. Demon hunting is dangerous, demon detecting nearly impossible. The league knows that Hermetic magic can not detect demons, but hopes that careful investigation will. They watch their brethren patiently, waiting for a tainted member to accidentally reveal his true nature.

The Tribunal of Thebes accepts this league, as they do any, but wonders at its effectiveness. Persecutions have a history of growing out of control, and the more reserved magi of the Tribunal are wary. Others think this is a necessary step to ensure that the Order isn't corrupted like the ruling factions of the mundanes were. Hydatius and Proximios' glowing reputations give the League of the Vigilant an air of respectability, making naysayers reluctant to criticize it.

This league consists of those magi who strongly oppose the remnants of pagan practice in the Order's traditions, and work actively to remove them, principally through the workings of the Legislative Board (see later). Their main focus at the moment is the Ceremony of Propitiation, which they consider to be idolatrous. This small league consists in 1220 of the magi of Oikos tou Eleous and Gigas, with sporadic half-hearted support from Artoud of Xylinites. The league actively opposes the Tribunal's recognition of patrons, and in particular the maintenance of the altars and vis sacrifices practiced at Delos in Tribunal years. These practices are seen by the covenants mentioned as clearly pagan — and going beyond veneration and the respect due to an entity, which is proskynesis timetike directed to the subject, and crossing the line to worship (latreia). The league is highly controversial, and the outbursts and anger that the issue raises have yet to be resolved. The tradition of the Tribunal is ancient, but the league claims that these practices constitute a mortal sin, and bring the anger of God upon the magi who participate, and upon their sodales.

When the Order of Hermes formed, a typikon offered by a Jerbiton magus of Prokopios' line was influential in constructing the Order's system of governance. As a result, the Order developed into a democratic organiza-

tion largely unknown to eighth century Europeans. However, the Theban League did not feel that the Order went far enough in its principles of fairness and democracy, and when the Theban Tribunal was formed in 865 they swiftly executed rulings of the Periph-

eral Code that moved the governance of the Tribunal closer to that used by the original typikon of Prokopios rather than the diluted version practiced in the rest of the Order.

The members of the Theban Tribunal are very proud of their political system. They consider the weakened governance practiced by the rest of the Order to be inherently corruptible, requiring men and women of great character to prevent that corruption from affecting the members of the Order themselves. In the Theban polity, all decisions are delegated to the Hermetic Assembly; that is, the magi of the Tribunal. However, the business of the Assembly is initiated, prepared, and implemented through magistrates who are selected by lot — the magistrates themselves are excluded from the actual decision-making procedure. Theban magi believe that their system removes block voting and factionalism (since magistrates are chosen at random), prevents cronyism (since the figures in power cannot serve for more than seven years at a time), and negates corruption (since magistrates have no executive or political power). Furthermore, the system encourages a sense of responsibility and altruism by rewarding acts that strengthen the Tribunal, and punishing antisocial acts.

The cornerstones of the polity of the Theban Tribunal are twofold. The citizens of the polity have all the executive power, whereas the Council of Magistrates has all the administrative power.

Take, for instance, the most common example of an alleged violation of the Code of Hermes: in Thebes it is the magistrates who prepare the evidence for the prosecution and the defense, not the principles involved. The decision of guilt or innocence is determined by the citizens (which is true for both Thebes and the usual Hermetic system), but deciding the punishment to be levied against a guilty party — which would normally be the job of the Quaesitores — is again the prov-

The Athenian political system has long been held up as an ideal government. Modeled on political theories of Plato, Aristotle, and Polybios (to name but a few), it reached its height in the days of Demosthenes (384–322 BC). It was lauded for its fairness, in that the laws were both determined by and protective of the people rather than the rulers. Technically not a democracy but a polity (politeia), a key feature was that individuals could not amass political power: they were not elected into positions of authority, but rather chosen at random; they served for no more than one year at a time; and they could never serve in the same capacity more than once. Furthermore, those who served in an authoritative position had no executive power; all decisions were made by the Assembly as a collective rather than by any individual. Despite its noble beginnings, through successive reforms the governance of Athens became corrupted from its philosophical ideal, and eventually vanished.

ince of the polity. House Guernicus remains the expert in the study of Hermetic law, but has little role in the execution of it. This is quite deliberate; by putting the interpretation of the Code into the hands of amateurs, the Tribunal ensures that its rulings are intelligible to the average member of the Tribunal rather than being the arcane minefield common in so many other Tribunals. Technicalities of the law and legal loopholes are far less

common in the Theban Tribunal.

The Tribunal's procedures are mediated through the election of archai (singular "arche"), a council of 16 magistrates who manage the Tribunal's resources, review the law, and investigate cases. Archai are selected at each Tribunal meeting, and serve for seven years at a time. They elect one of their number to be the archon, who acts as chairman to the council. There are two other executive positions: the logothete who marshals the Tribunal's bureaucracy, and the polemarch who ensures its edicts are carried out.

The magi of the Theban Tribunal are its citizens. All citizens are equal; anyone trying to claim superiority over a member of the Tribunal based on lineage, reputation, age, or raw power is violating local etiquette. Theban magi do not acknowledge titles such as Archmage, Chief Quaesitor, Primus, and so forth, although they do respect job titles such as Quaesitor, Redcap, and hoplite.

Not every magus in Theban territory is a citizen, however. The Tribunal recognizes two categories of individual: politai and metoikoi.

A polites (pol-LEE-tees, "citizen") is a member of the Order of Hermes who passed his Apprentice's Gauntlet in the Theban Tribunal, and who remains in good standing with the Tribunal by maintaining his civic duty. This civic duty is measured by the possession of tokens that are awarded for certain acts. Only politai are entitled to become magistrates.

A metoikos (MEH-tee-kos, "resident foreigner") is a member of the Order of Hermes who is not a member of the Theban Tribunal. They are either guests to the Tribunal, or politai who have lost their rights due to failing in their civic duties. A foreign magus can become a polites through a citizenship decree of the Tribunal (see Tribunal Procedure). This caste exists to keep those who have not contributed to the well being of the

The Theban Tribunal

In the Tribunal of Thebes the polity (in the form of a board of magistrates, see later) conducts investigations into potential breaches of the Code of Hermes, rather than the Quaesitores. Furthermore, another faculty traditionally devolved to House Guernicus — the review, updating, and expansion of the Peripheral Code — is also performed by the polity. Rather than emasculating the House, Theban magi (Guernici included) argue that this permits them to be more than simply investigators and judges, and removes an onerous and sometimes time-consuming duty from their backs. Thanks to their training, members of House Guernicus remain the experts in Hermetic Law, and are often used as expert witnesses or sources of information, which enhances rather than diminishes their prestige in the Order.

As a consequence of this shared responsibility of Quaesitorial duties, members of House Guernicus tend to be as variable as other houses in their magical interests and studies, rather than concentrating on investigatory magic. Furthermore, they feel less obligation to remain neutral parties than in other Tribunals, and partake in voting readily. It is a matter of personal choice as to whether a Theban Quaesitor uses his vote when attending meetings of other Tribunals, such as the Grand Tribunal.

polity from benefiting from it. The Tribunal of Thebes does not tolerate parasites easily.

The Phylai

To ensure equal representation of citizens in the administration of the Theban Tribunal, all its politai are divided into four phylai (feel-EH, "tribes", singular phyle), and each phyle is represented four archai. Phylai are determined purely by the covenant in which a magus maintains his sanctum, and one's phyle is meaningless outside of the political context. A phyle never functions as a political party, and there is no precedence or hierarchy among the phylai.

The four phylai are:

The Ionian Phyle: Covenants on the western mainland of the Tribunal contribute to the Ionian phyle. Thessaly, Epiros, and the Peloponnese are counted among its territories, which currently include the covenants of Erebos, Epidauros, and Hedyosmos.

The Aegean Phyle: The lands around the Aegean Sea all under the Aegean phyle. Boeotia, Euboea, and Macedonia are within its territories, as well as the northern islands. The covenants of Aegaea, Oikos tou Eleous, and Ingasia contribute members to the Aegean phyle.

The Kretan Phyle: Candia, the Cyclades, and the Dodecanese are the principle territories of the Kretan phyle, along with southern Nicaea. This includes the covenants of Alexandria, Favonius, and Polyaigos.

The Propontian Phyle: Covenants to the

east of the Tribunal, in Thrace, northern Nicaea, Constantinople, and any covenants in the Black Sea, are members of the Propontian phyle. This currently includes Moero's Garden, Gigas, Xylinites, and Michael's Tabula.

The role of arche (arkh-EE, "magistrate") is a duty rather than an honor; it confers no additional political rights but greater responsibility. Archai assist in organization and administration on behalf of the Tribunal's citizens for seven years. There are 16 archai, four drawn from each of the four phylai; and the Council of Magistrates also has two executive members — the polemarch and the logothete — and is lead by the archon, who is chosen from among the archai.

The archai constitute three boards and the treasury council according to the capacity in which they serve the Tribunal. No citizen can serve two consecutive terms as arche, but apart from this restriction, any citizen can serve as a magistrate regardless of age or experience. The Council of Magistrates meets as a whole once at the Tribunal meeting that formed it, and once more midway through the inter-Tribunal period. This mid-term meeting is held at the archon's covenant, or an alternative venue of his choosing. At this meeting, matters of jurisdiction are discussed, and archai can request advice or assistance from the Council. If a case re-

quires vis expenditure, the Council can release funds from the Tribunal coffers on a simple majority vote. Members of House Guernicus are invited to meetings of the Council to provide advice according to the Code of the Tribunal, and their guidance is

considered invaluable since most archai have only a passing knowledge of the law.

The duties of an arche do not usually consume much time, and can often be completed in between seasons, or require the occasional month to attend meetings. Nevertheless, these duties can disrupt seasons of study or laboratory work, and the arche is compensated by the awarding of tokens (as described later).

The Archon

As a council, the archai elect one of their members — through a simple casting of votes — to be the archon of the Tribunal. This position is exactly equivalent to the Praeco of other Tribunals, except that the archon is rarely the oldest magus of the Tribunal. A magus can serve as archon more than once. As well as his Praeconic duties, the archon is the chairman of the Council of Magistrates, and it is his duty to settle disputes between its members and oversee the conduct of the archai during his tenure. He is expected to report back to the Tribunal any mismanagement or wrongdoing by the members of the Council.

At the last Tribunal the archai elected Aiakia of Hedyosmos to serve as archon (see

Chapter 5: Greece, Hedyosmos for more).

The Polemarch

The polemarch ensures that all the Tribunal's sentences and decrees are enforced, and although her selection is based on her capacity to execute Wizard's Marches against convicted breakers of the Code of Hermes, such events are sufficiently rare in the Theban Tribunal that the polemarch is largely a precautionary measure. Nevertheless, the position of the polemarch is not left to the whims of chance; rather, the Council of Magistrates elect a magus with sufficient capabilities from all the citizens of the Tribunal. An arche can be chosen as polemarch, in which case she must satisfy both roles. She is also granted the executive power to award tokens to those magi she designates to assist her in performing a Wizard's March. The polemarch also gains the use of some enchanted devices belonging to the Tribunal that place constraints on a magus' body and Gift: reducing movement with Rego Corpus and casting totals with Perdo Vim.

There is no limit to the number of times an individual can serve as polemarch, and it is typical for the same magus to be elected Tribunal after Tribunal. The polemarch is entitled to withdraw herself from the election if she is unwilling to serve a subsequent term, but no other exclusions are permitted.

The current polemarch is Maria Laskarina of the covenant Polyaigos, and she

The Logothete

The logothete is the Chief Redcap of the Theban Tribunal. The role of the logothete is to record all business of the Council of Magistrates, and to oversee all bureaucratic procedures. The logothete used to be an elected position chosen every seven years from among the Tribunal's Redcaps. However, in 1186 a motion was successfully passed making the logothete a permanent position. This was to remove the strain on the Tribunal's bureaucracy imposed by a continually changing administration. An election for the position of logothete is now held at the Tribunal meeting only if the post becomes vacant: through death; Twilight; resignation; or if the incumbent fails a vote of no confidence from among the Tribunal's Redcaps. The logothete receives no tokens for his service.

The logothete maintains the records of tokens and shards, and neutralizations as witnessed by a Redcap (see later). Each phyle is assigned a Redcap to assist its archai in their duties, which usually reduces the burden of travel. The polemarch, boards, and the Treasury Council (see later) have additional Redcaps who have specialist knowledge about the relevant subjects. The disposition of all Redcaps is in the hands of the logothete, although he is usually willing to entertain equests from Redcaps or archai on the disposition of specific individuals.

The logothete must also perform the usual functions of House Mercere's chief representative in the Tribunal, although many of these tasks are delegated to his personal staff of Redcaps. Redcaps in the Theban Tribunal, as in the rest of the Order of Hermes, by tradition do not vote at Tribunal meetings. Despite being members of the phylai, they do not participate in the sortition of archai, and cannot serve as polemarch. If there are insufficient eligible archai to constitute a board, then a Redcap is assigned to the vacant seats; these Redcaps are chosen by the logothete based on their abilities and knowledge.

The current logothete, Leontius of Alexandria, is planning to step down at the next Tribunal, and there is much speculation as to whom House Mercere will choose as his successor. One possibility is Proximios of Alexandria. (See Chapter 8: Anatolia, The Covenant of Alexandria for more on both.)

The 16 archai are all assigned to one of the three boards or the treasury council; nominally there are three members of each board, and seven members of the treasury council. Because archai cannot serve on the same board more than once, it is not always possible to assign three members to each board. If three members cannot be achieved, the logothete assigns qualified Redcaps to make up the numbers. The logothete and polemarch do not serve on a board, although the polemarch is invited to meetings of the Judicial Board so he is apprised of the duties he may be required to perform.

The boards technically have no power to convene themselves, since an arche cannot request that a board meets to discuss an issue. Instead, a board is convened by a citizen who has a complaint or a matter for consideration; he makes an application to the appropriate board through its Redcap. The board will then agree on the location and time of its subsequent meeting. The Peripheral Code states that a board must convene within six months of the request, and at a place either convenient to the board or pertinent to the issue under consideration. If an arche needs to convene a board, he must do so as a citizen. He cannot be present at a meeting where a case involving himself is being reviewed.

The use of amateurs in Hermetic justice has been strongly criticized by outsiders. However, Theban magi claim it is fairer. Make an enemy of a Quaesitor and you'll lose every case before a Tribunal until one of you dies. However, should an enemy get elected to a board, you will only suffer him for seven years at most. Furthermore, action can be brought against an arche who fails in his duties through the awarding of shards, yet it is almost unheard of for a Quaesitor to receive equivalent censure.

The Judicial Board prepares the cases for all High Crimes. This board has precedence over the other boards; it can request that any matters seen by the other boards be transferred to its purview if they are deemed to be in clear violation of the Oath of Hermes. When an accusation of a High Crime is made, the accuser brings his complaint before the Judicial Board. A defense principal and prosecution principal are assigned to the case from among the board members by lot, and the accused party is notified of the charge against him. It is now the job of the two arche to gather evidence to support the prosecution or defense, and to prepare testimony. The principals do not need to work in isolation; in fact they are required to share information and present the salient points before the Tribunal. (See The People's Court, later, for the process of trying a case.) In cases where haste is required, such as the apparent illegal slaying of a magus or accusations of diabolism, the Judicial Board can also convene an interim Tribunal if they can gather together at least 12 magi from four different covenants. The polemarch is dispatched to bring the accused to the Tribunal.

The Legislative Board is responsible for reviewing and revising the Peripheral Code of the Theban Tribunal. Any polites can apply to the board for a change in the Peripheral Code. The application must be accompanied by an alternative to the current Code ruling; a ruling cannot simply be repealed. Two members of the board are selected by lot; one to defend the current ruling and the other to defend the alternative. The archai must gather evidence in support of their argument, which will be presented at the Law Council at the following Tribunal (see Tribunal Proceedings, later).

The Conciliatory Board has as its purview all personal conflicts between magi, including conflicts over lands and resources, and between masters and apprentices (including investigation should an apprentice die). It can also issue decrees of contrition (see later) and solemnize agreements, such as the distribution of vis sources, the founding of a new covenant, and the taking of the Oath of Hermes by new members. Magi are not required to bring every argument to the Conciliatory Board, but where the outcome of a disagreement is required to be legally binding, the resolution must take place before the Conciliatory Board. Occasionally, the board is convened to witness a certamen, or act as arbiter in a debate (see Houses of Hermes: Societates, pages 90–93). The conclusion must be supported by the unanimous decision of the Conciliatory Board that the conflict was resolved fairly and without trickery. An appointed spokesman of the board announces the ensuing agreement as a decree during the People's Assembly phase of the Tribunal meeting (see later).

Certamen in the Theban Tribunal is generally restricted to cases of legitimate and substantive dispute. The use of certamen as a means to establish dominance or precedence over another magus is frowned upon in this Tribunal, since it violates the principle of equality. The use of certamen to determine the claimant to a vis find is especially badmannered. In such a case, it is more usual to

Lysandros

Lysandros is an expert in Hermetic law, and probably one of the most knowledgeable individuals on the Code of Hermes in the Tribunal. He is always assigned to an arche on the Judicial Board, but is often consulted on obscure points of law by all the archai. Unfortunately, he is both abrasive and excruciatingly pedantic, and answers exactly the question which is asked, without extrapolation or necessary auxiliary information.

Diantha

Diantha is one of the most popular Redcaps serving the archai, and the logothete usually has to field several requests for her assignment. Not only is she beautiful, she is charming and easily makes friends with both men and women. She is particularly useful to those archai whose role brings them into contact with nonmagi, since she has an almost supernatural ability to get people to see her side of any story.

Niko

Niko is young, but enthusiastic. His father is a magus and he was raised in the Order of Hermes, so Redcap seemed an obvious career choice. He has not yet served as an assistant to an arche yet, but is eager for his first assignment.

Aristides

Aristides is one of several Redcaps directly serving the logothete. He is approaching his sixth decade but is still hale; and he is widely believed to bear the Blood of the Hero Odysseus. Certainly he is well-traveled, and his one-man fishing skiff is in almost constant motion; he rarely spends more than one night on land.

divide the vis equally, or for one party — usually the richer one — to graciously concede.

The Treasury Council

The apodektai (Treasury Council) is the informal collective name for the remaining seven archai who are not assigned to one of the three Boards. Their primary area of responsibility is the magical resources of the Tribunal, principally the gathering and storing of vis from sources claimed by the polity as a whole, and the discovery and welfare of Gifted children destined to become apprentices.

One of these seven archai is chosen by lot to act as the tamias (treasurer); he leads and coordinates this effort. The treasurer is responsible for vis expenditure, as well as the storing of vis at the Tribunal's treasury (see Chapter 6, Delos). At the start of his term, and before the end of the Tribunal gathering, he withdraws sufficient vis from the treasury to cover the next seven years' expenditure. It matters not which covenant this vis is stored at, although the treasurer is responsible for keeping track of it all. A certain amount of vis is also deposited with the polemarch for emergency usage. A polites may petition the treasurer for a loan of vis from the Tribunal coffers, who negotiates with him a suitable repayment plan. Large non-emergency loans must be approved by the People's Assembly. The repayment of vis does not include interest, since usury is a sin.

Four of the remaining archai are given responsibility for the collection of vis and apprentices, if possible one is delegated from each phyle. They may further delegate vis collection to any willing magus. These archai follow up on rumors of Gifted children (although again, often delegate this responsibility), and test any children found for their suitability to learn Hermetic magic. This duty typically results in the discovery of about 15 apprentices in total every seven years.

The remaining archai are given the title of "tutor" and have primary responsibility for the Gifted children of the Tribunal who have yet to become apprentices. They have charge of their accommodation, welfare, and education, although this is often delegated to another magus who may house the child at their covenant and provide a basic education. Additionally, the tutors must ensure that the Gifted children arrive at the Tribunal in good health, that suitable accommodation is prepared for them, and that a written description of the talents and circumstances of each child is available for consultation in a dossier before the apprentice presentation (see later).

Tokens and Shards

A key feature of Theban citizenship is a system which credits a polites for sociallyacceptable behavior and debits those who engage in antisocial activities. The Redcaps of the Tribunal keep a record of the balance of good and bad deeds of every individual through a system of tokens and shards. These are the true currency of the Theban Tribunal, unlike other Tribunals where vis is the coin of the Order. In the Theban Tribunal, vis is so bountiful that it is more like food than coin; essential for life but easily obtainable.

A token (Greek: psephos) is awarded for performing a service for the community as a whole. Most tokens are awarded at Tribunal meetings, but some special cases exist. The token is a bronze disk inscribed with a gorgon's face on one side.

Tokens are awarded for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list:

• Successfully completing a term as an arche (two per term)

• Successfully completing a term as archon (three per term)

• Successfully completing a term as polemarch (five per term)

• Gathering vis from a source belonging to the Tribunal (one per Tribunal period). Responsibility for these vis sources is assigned by the Treasury Council (as described later);

• Participating in a Wizard's March at the request of the polemarch (see later);

• Initiating legal proceedings against a member of the Tribunal that results in a Wizard's March (three per case);

• Initiating legal proceedings against a member of the Tribunal that results in conviction (one per case);

• Successfully completing a specific service requested by the Tribunal that falls outside the purview of the Council of Magistrates (one per service)

• Crafting of a Longevity Ritual for another member of the Tribunal, at the behest of the treasurer (one; two if the Ritual is of 10th magnitude or higher)

• Delivery of a Gifted child to the Council of Magistrates for the apprentice presentation (one per child)

• Successfully completing the first seven

• years of the training of an apprentice, without abuse (one)

• Successfully completing the 14 years of the training of an apprentice to Gauntlet, without abuse (one)

The shard (Greek: ostrakon) is a shard of pottery, and represents an act that threatens the stability or unity of the Tribunal. Like tokens, shards are principally awarded at Tribunal, for the following reasons (once again, this list is not exhaustive):

• Being found guilty of a High Crime (three per crime in addition to any other penalty);
• Being found guilty of a Low Crime (one per crime in addition to any other penalty);
• Initiating legal proceedings against a member of the Tribunal that result in exoneration of the accused (one per case);
• Being the subject of a successful decree of defamation at the Assembly (see later);
• Losing a decree of defamation that you brought to the Assembly (see later);
• Self-disqualification for election to the Council of Magistrates when eligible (one)
• Neglect of duties as an arche, as determined by the Conciliatory Board under the advisement of the archon (one per instance)
• Neglect of a specific duty promised to an arche, for example forgetting to harvest vis from a Tribunal source (one per instance)
• Refusal to surrender a Gifted child to the Treasury Council (two)
• Abuse of one's own apprentice, as determined by the Conciliatory Board (one per instance)

Tokens and shards are awarded at Tribunal meetings, and the physical object of the award or demerit acts as a currency in and of itself; although House Mercere also keeps a record. The principle use of the tokens is neutralization. A magus with a token can approach a magus with a shard and request a service from them. Subject to full disclosure over the nature of the service, the magus with the shard can decide to perform the service. The agreement must be witnessed and recorded by a Redcap, and the magi surrender to him a token and a shard respectively. The magus with the shard is never compelled to take the service offered him, and he is only bound by the arrangement to spend a single season in service, with no cost to himself

other than time. Neutralization is principally used to secure assistance in the laboratory for a particular project, or the scribing of spells invented by the magus in service. Neutralization cannot occur between a magus' own tokens, nor may a magus neutralize the shards of a magus in his own covenant.

A magus can also rid himself of a shard through a decree of contrition. This must be lodged with the Conciliatory Board (see the Council of Magistrates, later) and presented at the Tribunal (see Tribunal Meeting, later).

Tokens can also be exchanged between magi without neutralization. For example, if a magus is healed by another from a serious injury, or rescued from certain harm, then it is common for him to award his benefactor one of his tokens. A record of this exchange should be lodged with the Redcaps.

Any citizen possessing one or more shards is liable to the vote of ostracism (see Tribunal Procedure, later). Because of this, neutralizing shards and winning decrees of contrition are important pursuits in the Theban Tribunal. Magi who are in the metoikos class cannot gain tokens or shards, and are instead censured by the Tribunal through fines or ostracism (see later).

Other than the political system, there are some features of the Theban Tribunal that differ substantially from those found in other Tribunals.

With the defeat of House Tremere, orchestrated by Theban magi (see Hermetic History, earlier), the cultural influences promulgated by House Jerbiton prevailed. As a consequence, the common language of the Tribunal's magi is Classical Greek rather than Latin. Classical Greek was chosen over a more modern dialect to add a certain gravitas, in addition to the magical significance of using a dead language. The magi of the Theban Tribunal adapted Hermetic Magic into the Greek language (see Ancient Magic, page 29 for the process) immediately before the Sundering of Tremere, although a sizeable

From time to time, it is expected that magi will undertake additional tasks and quests at the request of the Tribunal. Once the People's Assembly (see Tribunal Procedure, later) has determined the need for a specific task, volunteers are called for. Any magus who volunteers and successfully completes the job is awarded a token. It is considered selfish for an appropriately skilled magus not to volunteer, especially if asked directly. In extreme cases, a degree of censure may be employed against such a refuser.

Such tasks, which are a good source of story seeds, may include the following:

• Acting as a diplomat or ambassador to another Tribunal, a mundane agency such as the Church or an important noble, or a supernatural agency such as a Faerie lord.

• Participation in the Grand Tribunal.

• The crafting of an enchanted item for the Tribunal, to be used by the archai and Redcaps.

• The investigation of a supernatural item or relic deemed to be of import.

• The translation of a book (either to or from Greek) or lab text deemed to be of import.

• Writing a book deemed to be especially needed.

• The exploration of a mystical site deemed to be of interest.

• The investigation of a potential new source of vis.

• The hunting of a beast that threatens one of the Tribunal's sources of vis, or the Tribunal site at Delos.

• The investigation of a dangerous hedge wizard.

• The slaying of a renegade magus or a hedge wizard who has refused membership of the Order of Hermes.

minority — those from outside the Tribunal, and from certain Houses — retain a preference for Latin. It is a point of minor annoyance to some magi of the Tribunal in that they are not united under a common tongue, and there are movements afoot that are trying to champion one language over the other.

Magi raised in the Tribunal usually have Romaic Greek as their native language; and, since they use Classical Greek to cast their spells, need not learn Latin as a separate language. However, to read the Hermetic books written in Classical Greek they need an effective score in that language of 4 (ArM5, page 32), so they need to increase their Native Language to 6 to account for the penalty. To write books in Classical Greek requires fluency in that language (a score of 5, ArM5, page 165) rather than Romaic Greek, so magi often learn both languages. Of course, many also learn Latin if they travel beyond the Tribunal's boundaries; or wish to benefit from books written by the rest of the Order, although the Theban Tribunal has sufficient works written in Classical Greek to satisfy many lifetimes of magi. A character who is not fluent in Greek finds it difficult to recognize the spells cast by a Greek magus. Non-Greek speakers suffer a –10 to attempts to determine the Form of a magical effect (ArM5, page 83) if they have no score in Classical Greek, or a –5 if their effective score in Classical Greek is less than 4. Theban magi suffer the same penalties to recognize spells cast in Latin if they lack fluency in that language.

Some vis sources are not owned by individuals, but rather by the polity as a whole. This tradition stems from the days of the Theban leagues, who possessed a superstitious disinclination from claiming something provided by the gods. They felt that vis found at the shrines to the gods of the ancients, along with that stemming from certain mythic sites, was given to everyone rather than to individuals. The vis sources held in common are now clearly defined by the Peripheral Code. The vis from these resources is collected by individuals on behalf of the Tribunal; a service for which they receive one token. The vis from these sources contributes to the coffers of the Tribunal.

In total, the Tribunal harvests approximately 50 pawns of vis from such sources each year. Creo and Vim vis are especially abundant. A certain amount of the Tribunal's vis is used to fund the crafting of Longevity Rituals for its most favored members. Vis is also used for the creation of magic items for

The Theban Tribunal is blessed with relatively plentiful supplies of vis, which allows its magi to be generous; as such, an informal tradition of gifting vis to others has developed. A season of hospitality or access to a library is typically repaid with a small gift of one or two pawns, in addition to the neutralization of one of the hosts' shards. The magical healing of a fellow magus (see later) is usually repaid generously. Gifts of vis from visiting Redcaps are also common, as elsewhere in the Order, but they also gift generously whenever they trade vis on behalf of a magus, so that the effective rate of return on a vis trade is more than the usual 50% (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 85). The gifting of vis between friends and friendly covenants is not uncommon. While there are no rules governing such matters, stinginess or a consistent failure to provide gifts is regarded very dimly; in extreme cases such a magus may even be considered for a decree of defamation. The demanding of a gift in advance of a favor is equally poor etiquette. Magi from outside the Tribunal unfamiliar with local customs find these principles hard to adopt, and are often considered bad-mannered or greedy by the Theban magi. A maga who hoards vis beyond what is needed for her personal projects (such as for study, or the enchantment of a talisman or familiar) is regarded as being insufficiently generous. The exchange of tokens or shards, the true "currency" of the Tribunal, for vis is not permitted.

the Tribunal — principally used by archai and Redcaps — and to fuel the Ceremony of Propitiation (see later). Vis is also set aside for magical healing and other emergencies requiring Ritual magic.

The culture of the Theban Tribunal has a great emphasis on the common good, and the polity as a whole has instituted several procedures that relieve the burden on its members and mitigate personal hardship, principally the provision of Longevity Rituals, healing, and apprentices. On an individual level, the members of the Theban Tribunal use the token and shard system to share duties and favors. Furthermore, the Treasury Council is a means by which an individual can secure a loan of vis for a project.

Provision of Longevity Rituals

The Tribunal spends approximately half of its vis income on funding the crafting of Longevity Rituals for its most valued and beloved members — an extraordinarily generous tradition, by the reckoning of most other Tribunals. Every year, the Tribunal sponsors a Longevity Ritual for a single Theban magus. To be eligible for this honor, a magus must be a polites not in possession of any shards, and without a currently active Longevity Ritual. Any such applicant writes to the treasurer, who has organizational responsibility for this process, by spring. The applicant with the most tokens is chosen; she must surrender all these tokens and the crafting of the Longevity Ritual is then organized before the following winter. The winning applicant typically possesses about three or four tokens; in the event of a tie, the older magus wins. Any suitably skilled magus may volunteer to craft a Longevity Ritual on behalf of the Tribunal; for this service he is awarded either one or two tokens (see earlier). They are traditionally created at the covenant of Epidauros, which is famed for its expertise in healing and longevity.

Provision of Healing

As with longevity, the Theban Tribunal has a long-standing tradition of generosity with respect to magical healing. It is expected that any capable magus, when asked, should provide magical healing to a fellow magus in need. Unless the injured party has the requisite vis on hand, which is usually not the case, the vis cost of the healing is expected to be borne by the healer. The altruistic act of healing can thus be an expensive business, although the recipient of such generosity customarily gifts his healer with vis; by tradition, the gift is usually half the amount that was required for the healing. For example, a gift of two pawns would be appropriate for a magus receiving The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch, which costs four pawns of Creo or Corpus vis to cast. In case of emergency, the needed vis may be paid from the Tribunal's coffers, but only if both the victim and the healer lack the ability to pay. The phyle's Redcaps negotiate the fetching, borrowing, or reimbursement of the vis. The healing party thus typically ends up paying for some of the vis cost of the healing, but this is offset by the token which they are awarded (see earlier). Magi in need of magical healing commonly travel to the covenant of Epidauros, which receives a small stipend of vis from the Tribunal for its services. When a magus is injured at his home covenant, it is expected that the covenant will bear the vis cost; here, no token is awarded.

Donation of Apprentices

If a magus discovers a Gifted individual, he has a duty to notify the Treasury Council. Rather than claiming the individual himself, the potential apprentice is distributed to the most appropriate master through the Apprentice Presentation, which takes place prior to each Tribunal meeting (see later for more details).

A peculiarity of the Theban Tribunal, adopted from the Theban League that preceded it, is that each covenant is associated with a specific supernatural entity with whom they have entered a pact of mutual protection. For example, the covenant of Hedyosmos venerates a nymph Daimon that guards a mystical gate in their covenant; the covenant of Polyaigos benefits from the protection of a giant; and the covenant of Alexandria holds the spirit of a grove of myrhh trees in high regard. Patrons may be spirits, gods, or genii loci, or even saints or faeries. Each covenant takes it upon itself to ensure the welfare of its patron, with whom its identity and fortunes are strongly associated, and enjoys some benefits in return, expressed as either the Powerful Ally Boon or the Local Ally Boon (Covenants, page 21). Each covenant's symbol is usually a representation of its patron in some way. The requirement to secure such an ally before founding a covenant (see later) serves as one means by which the rich lands of the Tribunal limit the number of magi dwelling within its bounds.

Most covenants have a patron with a Magic Might, although patrons associated with other Realms are possible and not unheard of. It is highly unlikely that the Tribunal would tolerate a patron known to be associated with the Infernal Realm, but it is conceivable that either a covenant could deceive the Tribunal, or that an Infernal patron could disguise itself and deceive a covenant. If the patron expires — a very rare occurrence considered to be extremely ill-fated — the cursed covenant should quickly find a new patron, since a covenant without a patron is deemed to have itself expired.

The Ceremony of Propitiation

Arguably the most serious and central ritual of the entire Tribunal gathering, the Ceremony of Propitiation, which has its origins in the cult practices of ancient Greece, consists of each covenant making a public and ceremonial dedication to their patron. This rite takes place on the shores of a sacred lake on the island of Delos (see Chapter 6: The Islands, Delos), which has a Magic Aura of 8. Each covenant has erected a plinth on the edge of the lake. This either contains an Arcane Connection to the patron, or an Arcane Connection is brought along for the ceremony, or else the ally actually accompanies the magi.

The ceremony is presided over by the archon, who begins by the casting of an ancient Ritual spell recorded on a Casting Tablet (see Covenants, page 89) at the cost of eight pawns of Creo or Vim vis, which is provided by the Tribunal. This spell seemingly triggers the lake's power, although most magi do not fully understand its workings. In turn, the magi of each covenant, typically dressed in ritual or priestly garb, begin by recalling worthy stories of their covenant and patron. For example, the magi of Polyaigos might list the enemies that their giant protector has bested, and extol his strength and valor. These stories are often rhetorical in nature, and are not necessarily to be interpreted literally. The oratory is followed by a renewal of their dedication to their patron, followed by a ceremonial offering that is thrown or placed into the lake. This ceremonial gift is most often vis, but sometimes treasure or minor magical items are sacrificed.

This ceremony is rarely discussed with (or witnessed by) magi from other Tribunals, nevertheless it is unavoidably not a complete secret in the Order. Foreign magi who know of it usually hold a negative opinion; they are horrified at the thought of such a wanton waste of valuable vis, and many are wary of the overtones of pagan god-worship inherent in the rite. Even within Thebes, The League Against Idolatry boycotts this ceremony and is actively trying to having it banned, claiming it has crossed the line of veneration and into actual worship.

Despite these prejudices, the sacrificed vis is not actually wasted; rather it is used to empower the patron with Might and powers. Any patron who is propitiated in the rite gains 25 experience points, which, like other experience gain by Magical creatures, is reduced by the creature's Might score (see Realms of Power: Magic, pages 51–52). However, the offering of vis at the lake is functionally equivalent to the eating of vis, reducing the penalty due to the patron's Might by two points per pawn. For example, a patron with a Might of 25 would normally gain nothing, but if the covenant offered a sacrifice of 10 pawns of vis, it still gains 20 experience points that can be used for advancement or transformation.

It is not especially difficult to found a new covenant in the Theban Tribunal, although there are a number of requirements that need to be met. Every Theban covenant is publicly dedicated to a specific role or purpose, and so a prospective covenant is required to declare its own purpose. Secondly, and related to this, a prospective covenant needs a patron at the proposed site of the new covenant. Finally, a suitable charter must be drawn up. The proposal is then reviewed by the Conciliatory Board, which ensures that the charter is in good order, that the patron exists and is truly willing, and that any other legal requirements are met. A decree of founding is then offered at Tribunal, with a vote to accept. If approved by the Conciliatory Board, this vote is, in most cases, a formality.

The formal meeting of the Theban Tribunal takes place every seven years on the floating island of Delos (see Chapter 6). A Tribunal meeting always has a fixed order of business. It is divided into four phases, each of which fulfills a different state function. The Tribunal begins with a meeting of the Hermetic Assembly, followed by the Law Council, the People's Court, and the Council of Magistrates. There is then a closing ceremony. Each day of the Tribunal meeting begins at sunrise, when the magi are expected to be already in attendance. The Tribunal meeting ends when the magus who is speaking when the sun sets has concluded whatever he was saying. The business of each phase can span several days if necessary.

Each Tribunal meeting is under the governance of a phyle, called the principle phyle. This phyle changes every Tribunal in a predetermined rotation — Ionian, Aegean, Kretan, and Propontian, then back to Ionian. It is up to the storyguide as to where in this cycle his saga is currently, but it is recommended that the second Tribunal that the characters attend has the characters' phyle as its principle phyle. This gives the characters one Tribunal to become familiar with Tribunal procedure before they are asked to assist in its organization.

The phyle responsible for organizing the Tribunal meeting is expected to ensure that the buildings set aside for housing the attending magi are cleaned and ready for their occupants. See Chapter 6, Delos for more details of the challenges this might pose.

Selection of Archai Candidates

A day or two before the Tribunal takes place, members of a phyle gather in their respective houses to enjoy a meal organized by the archai who currently represent them. The order of business is to produce a candidate list, from which its archai will be chosen at the Tribunal. The list consists of all magi belonging to the phyle who are both polites and not currently an arche. They must also give their consent for inclusion, but a magus who is eligible for selection but refuses consent is given one shard. The Redcaps of the phyle's current archai are responsible for the inclusion of candidates who are unable or unwilling to attend Tribunal, and to ensure that the list is an accurate record of all candidates in the phyle.

Interviews with Apprentices

For two days prior to the start of the Tribunal, all Gifted children located by the Treasury Council are made available for interview by magi in search of an apprentice. There are usually between 12 and 20 Gifted children present at this event. Any potential master who is not in possession of a shard, or any Bonisagus magus even if possessing a shard (the Code trumps local customs), may consult the written record of each child's circumstances and may briefly question or test any of the children in whom he is interested. He then gifts one or more tokens to one or more of the children whom he desires as his apprentice. For example, he may give his favorite two tokens, and his second favorite one. According to the rights granted them in the Oath of Hermes, Bonisagus magi may immediately claim any of the presented apprentices. According to tradition, however, they still gift their new apprentice with one or two tokens. Young magi — those who are attending their first or second Tribunal — are recruited to extend their parmae magicae around the children so that they are not affected by The Gift of any of the potential masters.

The first phase of the Tribunal itself is the Assembly. The magi assemble in the forum, politai wearing white robes and the metoikoi wearing grey robes. Archai supplement their robes with a wreath of myrtle leaves, the archon is further distinguished by a staff of office, and the polemarch wears a red sash. All votes take place via a show of voting sigils, and all magi present — whether politai or metoikoi — can take part in the vote. All decrees are passed by a majority vote of those magi present. The logothete is responsible for counting the votes, and the archon announces the result immediately after the vote is taken.

The principle order of business at the Hermetic Assembly is to hear the decrees of the Conciliatory Board, which deal with personal conflicts and disputes. Each decree is read out by one of the archai on the appropriate board, and the archon calls for a vote after each one. If the Assembly rejects the decree, then whatever conclusion was reached by the board is overturned, and the matter must be brought before the Conciliatory Board again after the Tribunal.

Decrees of Citizenship

Once this business is dealt with, any metoikoi present may request that the Assembly grants him a decree of citizenship. He must provide evidence that he has made a positive contribution to the polity, must be resident at an established covenant, and have at least one arche as sponsor. Even if the Assembly accepts the decree, the new polites is not eligible for election to arche at this Tribunal since he has not been registered on the candidate list.

Decrees of Defamation

Any polites who believes that another citizen has acted in a manner contrary to the unity of the polity may stand and present his case for a decree of defamation. The accused citizen is permitted a rebuttal before a vote is taken. If the Assembly finds in favor of the decree, then the accused is credited with one shard. If the Assembly rejects a decree, then the accuser receives a shard. A decree of defamation can be made against someone who is not present, but it is not voted upon. Instead, the Conciliatory Board deals with the dispute after the Tribunal, with the intent to settle rather than uphold the complaint; however, it is still empowered to award a shard against either party if reconciliation cannot be achieved.

Decrees of Contrition

Any magus with a shard can make a plea to the Assembly to have it removed. This plea must be lodged with the Conciliatory Board prior to the Tribunal meeting, and is brought to the Tribunal's attention by the arche assigned to the case. Accompanying each plea is the reparation that the magus

offers the Tribunal: this is commonly in the form of vis, a magical enchantment, or a book; but other services may be offered. After presenting the reparation to the Tribunal, the arche invites the contrite magus to make a formal apology for the actions that earned him the shard. If the Assembly rejects the decree, the magus need not surrender the reparation.

The magnitude of the reparation is determined by the magus himself. Magi with many enemies, or who willfully defied the Tribunal to acquire the shard, may offer seven or more pawns of vis, a summa, or an invested item. A particularly arrogant magus, or one who acquired his shard on a technicality, may risk offering less in the hope that the Tribunal will look favorably on him.

News from the Order

The logothete calls upon members of his House who have received news from the rest of the Order of Hermes. The most significant items of interest are announced by the logothete himself. The final item of news is the names of all magi who have been subject to a Wizard's March since the last Tribunal. Those who have escaped execution of that sentence are especially highlighted.

The Apprentice Presentation

Unlike the serendipitous and chaotic approach common in most other Tribunals, the Theban Tribunal has a highly formalized routine for the assigning of apprentices to masters. At the presentation during the People's Assembly, each child steps forth and proudly (or otherwise) shows the number of tokens she has gathered in the interviews prior to the Tribunal meeting. If she has received tokens from only one magus, then she becomes his apprentice. She keeps these tokens and may spend them as soon as she becomes a maga in her own right. If a child has received tokens from more than one magus, then she may choose who is to be her master. It is usual for her to pick the master who has gifted her the most tokens, both because she may later spend these tokens herself and because a greater number of tokens indicates a master who is either more generous or accomplished, but this is not always the case. All tokens given by unsuccessful bidders are returned to them at the end of the presentation. A child who

Hermetic Kindergarten

The characters are among those sharing their Parmae Magicae with the Gifted children during the interview phase, and are little more than babysitters. Most of the children are apprehensive of what happens over the next few days, and scared by a rumor that children who are not chosen are never seen again. In addition to the normal problems of shepherding a group of children of mixed ages, one of the children is a faerie changeling who is determined to lead the other children to "safety" away from the magi.

Big Sister

A Gifted child is found some time before the Tribunal, and lodged with an arche of the Treasury Council. A bond forms between the maga and child that proves distressing when a Tytalus magus ends up as the child's master. When the boy runs away, the Tytalus magus assumes that the character is responsible and demands her help to return the child. The boy has used the enchanted items he purloined to gain control of a group of robbers and amass wealth for himself. This naturally makes the master exceptionally proud of his apprentice!

has not gained any tokens, which is typically the case only for the most ill-favored, may be claimed by any magus present, even one with a shard.

The Treasury Council ensures that all apprentices are aware that they can lodge a complaint against their parens, delivered to another magus at the master's home covenant; this third party is then required to inform the Conciliatory Board in writing. The board will, after investigation, determine whether the complaint is justified. If the complaint is upheld, then the master is assigned a shard. Due to pressure from House Tytalus, the Conciliatory Board has held that adherence to the infamous Book of Instruction (see Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 82) does not constitute abuse. Conversely, magi are awarded tokens for training an apprentice without abuse, one for the first seven years and another at Gauntlet.

As a consequence of the apprentice presentation, most apprenticeships are squeezed into a period of 14 years and align with the Tribunal cycle. The principal disadvantage of this system is that the finding of Gifted children does not align with the Tribunal cycle; in the worst case, a Gifted child may have to wait up to seven years to begin training. The finding of an apprentice at the right time — shortly before a Tribunal gathering — is thus regarded as particularly auspicious. While waiting for the next presentation, Gifted children usually receive schooling at a covenant, typically learning Classical Greek, Artes Liberales, and sometimes Latin. A pre-apprenticeship of one or two years usually compensates for the one year fewer of apprenticeship.

Ostrakismos

The last order of business in the People's Assemby is the ostrakismos, or ostracism. The logothete reads a list of every magus who has one or more shards, along with their current count of demerits, excepting those magi who have become politai at this Tribunal through a decree of citizenship. For each name, a vote is taken as to whether the individual is a candidate for ostracism. Once this process has selected the candidates, each magus present writes the name of the candidate he wishes to ostracize on a sliver of pottery, or else writes "no one" and drops it into a jar. Once everyone has voted, the slivers are counted, and the magus with the most to his name is declared ostracized. If there is a draw, the vote is held again with just the names of the drawn candidates. If "no one" has the most votes, then there is no ostracism this Tribunal. An ostracized magus is stripped of his status as a citizen of the Theban Tribunal, and must leave the Tribu-

The Hermetic Code of the Theban Tribunal is comparatively simple. It consists of the Oath of Hermes, the edicts of the Grand Tribunal that apply to all Tribunals, and a relatively small corpus of the Peripheral Code. Unlike other Tribunals, where every prosecution becomes part of the Peripheral Code and acts as precedent, the Theban Code contains only deliberate acts of law-making, as passed by the Law Council. Each case is judged according to the Code and with no reference to previous rulings.

nal's bounds within one season of the close of the meeting. He cannot return to Thebes for seven years; and if he chooses to return, he bears the status of a metoikos.

In this phase of the Tribunal, which always starts on a new day, the Peripheral Code of the Tribunal is reviewed. The Legislative Board presents any cases that have been brought before it. The two archai assigned to each case debate the relative merits of the current ruling and the proposed alternative. The Tribunal then votes on the matter, and if the alternative is accepted, the change to the Peripheral Code is recorded. The debate between the two principals can be glossed over if it has little relevance to the player magi; or, if it is important (or they are acting as one of the archai), it can be orchestrated using the rules provided in Houses of Hermes: Societates (pages 90–93). As with all tasks assigned the archai, if they are deemed to have not defended their position to the best of their abilities, then they may be awarded shards during the fourth phase of the Tribunal; however, there is no shame in asking an expert — such as a member of House Guernicus — for advice on how to pursue the case.

If a polites suspects that he will be found guilty of a crime at the People's Court, he may preemptively request a review of the law that he supposes will convict him. This must be organized prior to the Tribunal meeting; but can result in negating the case against him. Likewise, if a magus suspects that his aggressor will be deemed innocent, he can pursue the same route. Note that this is a potentially risky strategy, since if the case goes against the magus he has no defense available to him when his case is heard at the People's Court.

In the third phase of the Tribunal meeting, all Hermetic crimes are heard and considered by the Tribunal. At the beginning of this phase, the archon announces the order of the cases that will be heard by the Tribunal. All cases must come through one of the three boards, although the Judiciary Board is responsible for most of the Court's business.

Trying a case before the People's Court proceeds much as described in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages (pages 56–61), except that the prosecution and defense principals are always archai of the appropriate board, exhorted to do their best by the threat of being awarded shards when their conduct is reviewed in the Council of Archai (see later). The principals call witnesses to read prepared testimony, and indicate the sections of the Code of Hermes that cover the prosecution's case. The defense principal provides counter-evidence and declares mitigating circumstances. Once both have spoken, the Tribunal decides the case through voting. No sentence is decided at this stage, only guilt or innocence. However, the polemarch is responsible for ensuring that all convicted magi remain at the Tribunal meeting until sentencing is carried out, and is usually very watchful of those found guilty of a High Crime. The polemarch is empowered by the Peripheral Code to prevent the flight of a guilty party by any means, although the polemarch should stop short of deadly force if possible. In the history of the Tribunal, no magus has been killed trying to escape justice, thanks to the enchanted devices given over to the use of the polemarch.

The final phase of the Tribunal is the Council of Archai. First, sentences are executed, then the conduct of the outgoing archai is examined. The new Council of Archai is then chosen, and the Tribunal is closed.

Execution of Sentences

Every case dealt with at the People's Court is now re-examined in turn. If the case for the defense was defeated, the prosecution principal will suggest a succession of punishments in decreasing order of severity; each one is voted for by the polity, and once one receives a majority of the votes present, it is accepted as the sentence. Typical punishments — and their relative severity — are given in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages (page 60). The punishment is enacted immediately under the supervision or direct action of the polemarch. As with other Tribunals, damages may be awarded to the victim, and fines awarded to the prosecuting arche. A Wizard's March is never conducted on Delos due to an ancient ban against deaths occurring there (see Chapter 6, Delos); consequently, all executions take place on neighboring islands or at sea. The polemarch is responsible both for securing the prisoner and for the March itself, and he often names lieutenants to assist him.

All punishments are accompanied by a penalty of three shards for a High Crime or one for a Low Crime. The magus who brought the case to the board of magistrates is awarded a token in recognition of his accomplishing a civic duty. This is increased to three tokens if the guilty party was Marched. However, any magus who brought a case to a board that was subsequently defeated by the People's Court is fined with a shard as a deterrent for bringing frivolous suits before the Tribunal.

Conduct of Archai

Any polites can ask that the conduct of an arche or the polemarch be scrutinized, stating his reasons. The alleged fault must be clearly stated, along with a proposed fine of one to seven shards. Typical complaints include a failure to sufficiently defend or prosecute a case, accepting bribes, or indolence. The arche has the right of response before a vote is taken. Note that failure to secure or prevent a conviction is not generally considered a dereliction of duty, unless the polites can demonstrate willful neglect. A vote is taken to judge the merit of the complaint, and if upheld, another determines whether the fine is appropriate.

Sortition of Archai

The main business of this phase of the Tribunal meeting is to select the archai for the coming seven years. First, the current archai are thanked for their service by the archon and offered payment in the form of two tokens, and then dismissed. The polemarch then resigns, followed by the archon, and they are awarded five and three tokens each, respectively. All the regalia of office are returned to the logothete.

The Redcaps of each phyle step forth in turn, starting with the principle phyle of this Tribunal, and each read out the candidate list for his phyle. As each name is read out, the Redcap places a token inscribed with the name of the candidate in a large earthenware jar. The logothete then selects four tokens from the jar at random; as their names are called, the magi step forward. The process then proceeds to the next phyle, until 16 names have been chosen in total. Once all phylai have had their candidates chosen, the new archai take an oath of allegiance to the Tribunal and promise to serve faithfully and with justice. If an arche is selected but is not present at the Tribunal, he is required to make this oath of allegiance at the first meeting of the board or council to which he is assigned.

Archai are then assigned to boards. The magi who have served as archai before are assigned first, as they cannot serve on the same board as they have before. If there is more than one choice of board, then assignment is performed by the drawing of lots, again placing the votes in a jar. If there are insufficient magi who can serve on a board, then the logothete assigns an appropriately skilled Redcap to serve on the board. Once three members have been assigned to each of the three boards, the remaining archai are enrolled in the Treasury Council.

The newly elected archai don myrtle wreathes, and then elect, through a show of hands, the archon who will lead the Council for the next seven years. It is traditional that if an arche has no preference for archon, then he votes for the oldest magus on the Council of Magistrates as long as that is not himself.

The new archon asks the archai to nominate magi as candidates to serve as polemarch. Only a magus who has already served as polemarch can refuse the role. Once a pool of candidates has been selected, the archai then vote for their favorite. The magus who secures the most votes is inaugurated as the new polemarch. It is not uncommon for the same magus to be elected as polemarch many times if he has shown himself to be capable in the role.

Rite of Dismissal

The last official order of business of the Tribunal is to dismiss the Assembly. The new archon usually says a few words, and the Tribunal's business is concluded. The magi proceed directly from the agora to the lake on Delos for the Ceremony of Propitiation (see earlier).