For the most part one mage does not tell another how to practice her Art, but a practitioner who uses her magic recklessly enough to endanger the Awakened may run afoul of the Lex Magica. Consilia use this body of magical law to establish limits on the behavior of the Wise and to punish infractions. The hundreds of years of past trials and rulings represent a wide range of precedents, many of which contradict each other, and this grants Consilia considerable latitude in rendering judgments on those they feel have acted unwisely or immorally.

The Lex Magica recognizes four kinds of laws, each layer overruling the ones following it — Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron. Gold Laws are those the Diamond believes were laws in the Time Before, gathered from Artifacts, from time-lost ruins, and by the agreement of multiple Consilia. Gold Laws are rare, and mostly concern the individual rights of mages to follow their studies unless they conflict with another’s, to maintain sancta and Hallows without fear of trespass, and to be recognized for greater skill in the Arcana.

Individual Consilia create local laws — called Silver Law — as part of their charters or by “concord,” where all the Consilia in a Convocation agree to alter their laws in the same way to harmonize the Lex Magica. Bronze Laws make up the body of precedent — every ruling by a Consilium or its officers becomes a Bronze Law a later mage can point to. Silver and Bronze together form the bulk of the Lex Magica, and in the millennia since the Diamond Orders were founded, several Precepts are commonplace, found in almost every Consilium. These include:

• The Precept of Secrecy: Also called “The Veil.” It is regarded as a serious offense to speak of magic to the unenlightened or to openly practice it in front of Sleeper witnesses.
• The Precept of Protectorate: Prohibits cabals from trespassing in, spying on, or attacking another cabal’s sanctum.
• The Precept of Hubris: Frowns upon mages who use magic to manipulate or harm others without good reason.
• The Precept of War: Sets rules of engagement by which mages and cabals may engage in magical warfare. For disputes that cannot be resolved peacefully by the Consilium, the Lex Magica strongly encourages the use of the Duel Arcane, which minimizes bloodshed and the potential for accidental mayhem.

Finally, Iron Laws describe all rules, oaths, and treaties ratified by a small group of mages within the Consilium’s jurisdiction — such as cabal charters, a mutual protection agreement between two cabals, or a sworn oath by one mage to perform some service for another. Whenever two laws come into conflict, the Gold Laws take precedence over the Silver and Bronze Laws, which in turn hold more weight than any Iron Law, but the Consilium may choose to sit in judgment over any infraction within its jurisdiction.

Consilia also take action against Left-Handed mages. While the exact definition varies from Consilium to Consilium, a mage is frequently regarded as Left-Handed if her Obsessions or magical practices involve the abuse or destruction of souls, the destruction of the world’s magical potential, routine interference with a Sleeper’s Awakening, the cavalier abuse of Sleepers, Abyssal corruption, contact with the Lower Depths, or the evasion of death by extraordinary and ethically questionable deeds.

When a Consilium finds a mage guilty of a crime against the Lex Magica, it levies one of several punishments. Lesser crimes merit public reprimand, payment of debts, or acts of penance on the behalf of the Consilium or wronged party. Serious crimes result in imprisonment, banishment, death, and for the most terrible crimes, death combined with the destruction of the accused’s soul.