Endowment

Overview

The Imperial Conclave as a body may be granted possession of unusual items or materials. The most common reason they find themselves in possession of such items is due to a bequest from an individual or eternal. For example, an eternal might offer a unique magic item, a supply of vis, or even magical knowledge to the Conclave with the intention that the magicians select someone to take custody of the bequest. Sometimes the person making the bequest places restrictions on who can receive the item; for example a bequest might come with the restriction that it should be given to a grandmaster to oversee.

In these circumstances the Conclave uses the declaration of endowment to determine which person will be responsible for dealing with the gift or bequest.

Declaration

Anyone raising a declaration of endowment must state what property of the Conclave they wish to transfer and who to. The recipient is usually a named Imperial citizen - but depending on the nature of the bequest it is possible to endow an Imperial title such as the grandmaster of a particular order or one of the archmages. In this case, the item or items endowed would become part of the regalia of the title.

Resolution

If the declaration is successful, the named individual or title gains custody of the gift or bequest. If the declaration does not pass, the originator or the civil service retain custody of the gift or bequest.

A declaration of endowment cannot be rescinded; the item or items become the full legal property of the recipient. The Conclave can indicate that they expect a magician to return an item to the Conclave when they are finished with it, but they cannot create a legal obligation to do so as part of a declaration of endowment.

In some cases the donor may specify some limitations on who should be endowed with a bequest. There Conclave has no legal requirements to comply with these limitations - but the donor is able to reverse their decision if they are not satisfied that their demands have been met.

If the Conclave is bequeathed a resource that provides an ongoing income then they may either pass a declaration to endow the resource - almost always to an Imperial title - or instead endow some portion of the income accrued to date. This is an exception to the general rule that only the Imperial Senate can amend a title - if the Imperial Conclave endows an existing title with control of a bequest or item, then it becomes the legal property of that title rather than the individual currently holding the title.

Further Reading

Core Brief

• Conclave Overview
• Arcane Colloquium
• Conclave order
• Conclave session
• Declarations
  • Alignment
  • Candidacy
  • Concord
  • Dissemination
  • Endorsement
  • Endowment
  • Imperial lore
  • Interdiction
  • Sorcery

Additional Information

• Conclave vault
• Key Appointments to the Imperial Conclave
  • Archmage
  • Grandmaster
  • Prefect of the Conclave