right O.... gimi a bit to scavenge for info outa the books

Thank you.  Correct me I'm wrong but it was also a place where a lower ranking warrior and a higher ranking warrior could speak on equal terms?

Aurora Paradox

It's often used when a subordinate challenges the orders or view point of their superior.

COE's seemed to have gone into decline a bit after the invasion.  IIRC, there are frequent examples of superiors denying COE's to their inferiors, usually on the grounds that the challenger is in no way their equal.  There are also a number of examples of commanders completely prohibiting them, usually on the grounds that the Clan had already suffered too much attrition because of combat and couldn't afford to lose any more able-bodied warriors.

Usually the narration mentions that these denials of COE's were considered outside of protocol and a bit controversial - that seems to imply to me that COE's were pretty much always accepted before the invasion, but the integrity of the Clans degarded some during and after the invasion

You probably knew this anyway, but my post was in reference to the novels.