Principle of Precedence

Joshua - the fact that you can't see why the mana should not be shared out equally between the orders is exactly why those of us who can think it is so important.

Iñes i Guerra

The Principle

The Principle of Precedence states that the size of an order determines the priority given to them by the Conclave.

Application

At the start of the meeting the chamber is sealed. No more magicians are allowed in until precedence is established. This is done by counting the number of magicians in each order. The count is usually performed quickly by civil servants who will check their figures with the grandmasters of the orders.

To help the civil servants, many magicians have taken to standing close together in groups of five to speed up the process of counting. There is no requirement to do so, but it is everyone's best interest to get precedence set quickly so that as little time is wasted as possible.

Once the count is complete, the precedence is established and the chamber is unsealed. Magicians may now enter or leave freely without affecting the recorded precedence for the meeting.

If two orders are tied for Precedence at the start of a Conclave session, then the tie is resolved in favour of the oldest Order. The Order of establishment, from oldest to newest, runs Celestial Arch, Sevenfold Path, Rod and Shield, Golden Pyramid, Shuttered Lantern and Unfettered Mind.

The Principle of Precedence directly affects speaking before the Conclave, resourcing of gambits, and the allocation of crystal mana and ilium to the vaults.

Speaking

After the presentation for an address, declaration, or gambit is complete, there is an opportunity for others present to speak. The grandmaster of each order nominates a speaker in turn, starting with the smallest order present and proceeding to the largest. When every grandmaster has nominated a single speaker, then the process can begin again with the smallest order.

The grandmaster must nominate a speaker who has not already contributed to the current agenda item; no-one may speak for a second time on the same address, declaration, or gambit. A grandmaster may pass at any point - if they do not wish to nominate a speaker. If they do this however, they may not then nominate any further speakers.

Gambits

When the presentation and debate of a gambit is complete, each order decides how much resources, if any, they wish to allocate to the Gambit. Each grandmaster announces their order's decision , starting with the largest order present and proceeding to the smallest.

Vaults

The business of the Conclave produces mana that is collected that is collected by the civil service. These supplies are supplemented by mana confiscated from barbarians and sorcerers and crystals harvested by civil servants working for the Conclave. These supplies are redistributed to the orders in direct proportion to the total count of their precedence at the previous summit. An order which is twice the size of another receives twice as much mana.

Intention

The Principle is intended to make it simple to determine who will speak next when an agenda item is being debated by the Conclave. Like the Principle of Proportions the support of the assembled magicians for a clear set of rules makes it possible for the Conclave to operate without appointing an individual to chair a session.

The principle also resolves the thorny issue of how to allocate the mana possessed by the Conclave - by ensuring an egalitarian distribution that grants an equal share for every mage who attends the Conclave.