Editing Tradition Politics (section)

==TRADITION JUSTICE==

Even though the Council has fallen, a system of justice still exists among the Traditions, and mages who violate that system’s laws can expect to be brought before some sort of formal tribunal eventually. Considering the magical and mundane resources a gathering of mages can bring to bear, it is usually not terribly difficult to ascertain a subject’s guilt or innocence. Mind and Time rotes are common investigative measures, not mention highly effective ones, al- though all of the other Spheres and a host of mundane Abilities can play a part as well. Resisting the use of investigative rotes performed by a tribunal is usually considered an admission of guilt, unless the accused can prove that some foul play might occur during or as a result of their use. Suffice it to say, however, there are seldom many doubts as to the veracity of these verdicts, so most mages accept the punishments that are handed down, however sorrowful it may be to do so.

When it comes to crimes themselves,each Tradition has its own particular notions of what counts as a crime, and they police their own on such subjective matters. (See the Tradition descriptions in Chapter Two for a general idea of what they do and do not find acceptable.) However, there are some crimes that all Traditions recognize, and they will go to great lengths to punish those who commit them. The type of punishment depends on the severity of the crime of which a mage is found guilty, and it can be anything from temporary ostracism to a permanent mark of shame to the destruction of an offender’s very Avatar.

===Certámen===

Two mages who exhaust normal channels of resolving a dispute sometimes turn to certámen, a wizard’s duel that pits the mages’ skill with their Spheres against each other. Certámen is traditionally performed with at least one witness who acts as a judge, and it is almost always non-lethal. Indeed, it was invented as an alternative to the blood feuds that were too popular in darker times. To avoid Paradox, certámen is almost always performed in a Chantry, although Hollowers and others without many mystical resources occasionally practice so-called“gutter cert6men” in back alleys and smoky clubs. Within a proper certámen circle, k however, mages have free rein to conjure all manner of Effects, since certámen never incurs Paradox. The ultimate goal of a certámen is simple: You do not attack your opponent directly, you destroy his reservoir of Quintessence Traits.

To this end, each mage uses his Spheres to form a gladius, an aegis, and a locus. The gladius is the attacking Sphere that the mage uses to launch his assaults on his opponent’s Quintessence. The aegis is his defensive Sphere, and it governs how he must attempt to thwart his opponent’s strikes. The locus is the Sphere that represents the mage’s Quintessence Traits. A mage may switch which Sphere he is using for any one of those three purposes at any time, but doing so takes up his action for the turn. In addition, a given Sphere cannot be used for more than one of these purposes at a time. Finally, for each successful attack that slips past an opponent’s defenses, the attacker destroys one of his foe’s :: Quintessence Traits, and the first person to destroy all of his opponent’s Quintessence is the winner. As part of the certámen oath, the loser is expected to accept defeat graciously and live by it.

Running certámen is primarily a descriptive exercise, based on the Spheres each mage is using. For example, an attacker using a Forces gladius may declare that she is manifesting it as a bolt of flame and lashing out at her foe, while her opponent (using Matter as his aegis) declares that he is conjuring a wall of water to douse her flames, and so on. Certámen can be over in seconds or hours, but it is seldom dull to watch. Regardless of what dramatically descriptive forms they take, though, all strikes, blocks and dodges are resolved like normal magical tests and retests using the Spheres involved. The order of challenges likewise proceeds normally.

Storytellers should emphasize the wits and ingenuity of the mages involved over strict systems as much as they can, however, and possibly even offer bonus Traits or other benefits to players whose attacks or defenses are particularly clever. Certámen is supposed to be a battle of wits and magical prowess, not a showcase for brute force and Trait-stacking.

===Ostracism===

A form of collective shaming,ostracism is the typical punishment for those found guilty of spilling secrets unwittingly, disrespecting an elder mage, wasting Quintessence on unnecessary magic, harming or manipulating Sleepers for no good reason, feuding with a fellow cabal or Chantry member for petty reasons or other lapses of judgment that are not necessarily especially dangerous, but which still warrant a substantive punishment of some kind. Ostracized mages get the proverbial “silent treatment” from their fellows for a proscribed number of days or even weeks. During this period they are also denied further instruction by their mentors or access to libraries or other magical resources, in order to give them more time to think about their crime. They may also be required to perform menial tasks to teach them proper humility. While they will not be denied aid in an emergency, this otherwise total loss of personal contact often proves very effective at ensuring that the offender doesn’t repeat his mistake. This is the most common form of punishment in most Laws of Ascension games.

===Branding===

More serious crimes may get an offender branded, permanently marked by magic for all to see. Branded mages lose all Reputation Traits, they are removed from any leadership position they might have held, and they can be banished from the area. Some may even be declared Errants by their Tradition if the crime is serious enough.

In addition, they are two Traits down on all Social Challenges with mages who know their status (which is usually obvious, either to mundane sight or Prim magic). Breaking solemn oaths, leaking secrets intentionally (as long as no deaths arose from them), attacking another mage without provocation, wantonly killing one abusing Sleepers, destroying a Wonder or committing other clearly intentional acts that represent a serious disregard for the lives and trust of other mages are all potentially worthy of branding. Brands cannot be removed without a great amount of effort, and word of the offender’s deeds usually travels quickly enough to make removal of the actual mark a moot point anyway. This punishment should be rather infrequent in most games, since it usually means that a character must depart the chronicle. When it is necessary, the Storyteller should ensure that it is enforced, or the attitude toward Tradition justice will quickly become too relaxed.

===Death===

Mages who commit depraved acts such as rape or kidnapping, who betray a Node or Chantry to enemy forces, who spy on and/ or betray fellow Tradition mages for any reason, or whose deliberate actions of any kind bring death or serious injury to other mages are usually sentenced to death. These kinds of crimes stain souls, spread needless misery and set back the efforts at Ascension that lie at the heart of , all Tradition activities,and that simply cannot be tolerated.Even if the mage did not specifically intend to end someone’s life (say, he leaked secrets to someone who later utilized that knowledge to kill another mage), he may still be sentenced to death, since he knew that the original act was wrong and went ahead with it anyway.

The penalty of death is still not a common sentence, but most mages aren’t in the least bit squeamish about enforcing it when it’s called for. Many still consider themselves at war, after all, and one cannot afford to be undermined from within during a war. Obviously, both death and Gilgul should never be used lightly in a chronicle, since they put an end to a character once and for all. Storytellers should make sure that these punishments are not applied inappropriately.

===Gilgul===

Mages who commit the most irredeemably foul, vile, and unspeakable acts of murder, betrayal and corruption are sentenced to Gilgul - the destruction of the Avatar itself. This punishment prevents the mage from being reincarnated and destroys any magical talent the subject might have, so it is performed only when it is determined that there’s absolutely no chance to redeem a particular mage, in this lifetime or any other. Most of the time, such an immense pronouncement is reserved for the Nephandi, since their blasphemous ways leave an indelible taint on the souls they touch. Unfortunately, even untainted mages are capable of performing hideous acts without any outside help at all.

Naturally, no mage will submit willingly to such a punishment, so offenders are usually restrained physically and magically before the sentence is carried out. Once the ritual is completed, the accused is either released (often after being mind-wiped as well) or executed, depending again on the overall severity of his crimes. Some criminals are deemed too dangerous to live, even after such a terrible punishment, while others are let free, to live out the rest of their lives as a broken shell. It’s anybody’s guess as to which fate is worse.