The Convocation Trials

The event of the Convocation Trials relate to the Convocation held for mages of North-Western England just before Easter, in 2014. It was suggested by Rowntree of The Rose, in response to heightening tensions between the mages of The Consilium by the Bay and those of the Preston Consilium. It ended with the execution or banishment of most of the more powerful and influential mages in Preston.

The Day of Silver
This was a Ladder only event, held in secret from the rest of the mages at the convocation.

Three main items came under discussion in this day. The first was the ongoing feud between Preston and The Bay. Discussion of this matter was guarded and filled with more implications than outright accusations. Ultimately, the matter was agreed to be primarily legal rather than primarily political matter, and as such discussion was postponed to the Day Of Justice.

The second matter was a proposal, made by the Free Council of the Burnley Confederation, to create a new office within their Order. This would be called the Intendant, and would have equivalent duties and powers to the Lictors of the Silver Ladder. There was some debate on whether or not to block this move politically. The consensus was that opposing the move would not be advantageous, and that the best option would be to wait and see what came of the motion. There was some agreement that it was nice to see the Free Council showing an interest in the Lex Magica, though the political veterans of the Ladder were of the opinion that this was the opening move in a broader political game.

Finally, appointments and promotions were discussed. Branwen was elevated to the rank of Magister, while Hawthorne was appointed Lictor.

Though he sent the Wicked Sisters as representatives, de Molay boycotted the Day Of Silver.

The Day of Swords
The Day of Swords started with a demonstration by Pallas of a new rote she had been working on, and a general meeting amongst the Adamantine Arrow.

Following this, the discussion turned to current threats against the magi of the North-West. Churchill made a presentation to the assembled magi, during which she detailed evidence that had come into her hands regarding illegal magical practices by numerous Prestonian magi. She declared that as a result of this, she had sent her subordinates to Preston to apprehend those implicated. She also stated that the entire Prestonian delegation was to be taken into custody. De Molay immediately protested, claiming that this was a blatant political plot by The Bay, and making accusations against Branwen and Matholwch regarding alleged deprivation of magical power. When officers of the Convocation attempted to restrain the accused, a fight broke out. Many people were injured and much property was damaged, but ultimately the Prestonian delegation were taken into custody without loss of life.

The Day of Scrolls
The Day of Scrolls was somewhat subdued and poorly attended, following the arrests earlier of the previous day. The day began with a presentation by Achaikos of the Rose of the cabal's discoveries in The Pocket Dimension. A few other mages gave some presentations, including a set of ten rings, one enchanted with each arcanum, but there was the impression that a number were holding back. The Rose were declared to have made the greatest discovery in that year, and were presented with a set of 6 enchanted necklaces - later experimentation showed the necklaces to heighten awareness and senses.

The Day of Sleep
During the Day of Sleep, the usual matters concerning sleepers and sleepwalkers were discussed. Following the trouble surrounding the awakening of Postmortem and the multiple independent parties following him, it was suggested that The Guardians Of The Veil and the Silver Ladder should be more open about their involvement with potential Awakenings. This was declared a matter for individual consilia to discuss, rather than anything which needed an overall ruling.

Rayth's Adventures in Preston
Rayth was seconded as an investigator by Haderach and Hawthorne, the Lictors in charge of the forthcoming trials. She was promptly tasked with investigating a warehouse that had been identified by Argent as containing evidence pertaining to de Molay's involvement in Left-Handed magical practices.

WHAT FOLLOWS IS A SUMMARY, PROBABLY OUT OF ORDER - PLEASE EXPAND:
 * The warehouse contained a complex structure made from barbed wire, on which three people had been suspended. These individuals were found to be Gifted.
 * Rayth sent Coleridge to get back-up, and in their absence her Unseen Sense activated, leading to her discovery of the Abyssal Hound. Once Coleridge returned De Molay's victims were extracted and given emergency medical care.
 * One of the mages Coleridge brought back deliberately wounded de Molay's Abyssal familiar.
 * Wounds inflicted on de Molay's familiar were found to have manifested on the Hierarch himself. This was the conclusive evidence needed to prove his involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy.

The Day of Justice
The Day of Justice was the last day of the convocation. A series of trials were orchestrated by the Lictors Hawthorne and Haderach. Four of the persons tried accepted legal consultation from Rowntree. The trials were not entirely public.
 * De Molay was found guilty of involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy and murder, as well as numerous other outrages against common decency. He was sentenced to execution.
 * Jaghatai Khan was found guilty of involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy and murder, as well as numerous other outrages against common decency. He was sentenced to execution.
 * D-Bomb was found guilty of involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy and murder, as well as numerous other outrages against common decency. He was sentenced to execution. He was executed by Rayth.
 * Scylla, Charybdis and Dreadnought were found jointly guilty of numerous crimes against persons of their own Consilium and others, as well as actively aiding and abetting the Left-Handed. They were sentenced to exile.
 * Hourglass, Hyperion, Raven and Savage were tried on charges which remain unclear. They were all sentenced to exile.
 * Argent was tried for being an awkward bastard and being too clever by half, despite the arguable legal status of his actions. He made no effort to defend himself from these charges, instead offering information implicating other members of the Preston Consilium in exchange for a lighter sentence. He was sentenced to exile, though he was introduced to a friendly Consilium.
 * Mandrake was tried for murder and numerous charges of crimes against persons of his own Consilium and others. He made no attempt to fight these charges, and offered information implicating other members of his Consilium in exchange for reassurances that members of his cabal would not be held accountable for his actions. He was sentenced to exile.
 * Seventh was tried for murder. He attempted to mount a complex legal defence claiming that he had been framed. He turned out to have committed the murder, and to have manufactured evidence pointing towards someone else having framed him. He was sentenced to have his memories erased, and was relocated to another Consilium.
 * Blaise was tried for involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy. She claimed that she had been infected by a Daemonomicon, a book designed to induct people into Legacies, in Paris. She claimed that she had never used her attainments, and had lived in Preston to avoid stigma. She was relocated to the Consilium Of The Lakes under protective custody.
 * Troy was tried for involvement with a Left-Handed Legacy. She claimed that she had been forcibly inducted into her Legacy by parties who she refused to name for fear of retribution. She was persuaded to testify in exchange for protection. She was relocated to the Consilium By The Bay under protective custody.