IC Scene: The Council Chamber (Provinces / Free City Event)

Sir Azrael envied Celdiur and Zekic. They could just leave when they didn't like where the conversations were going, unlike him. Oh no, he had to follow the meeting so he could record it to the archives. Stopping yet another scribble in his notebook, he took a moment to stare at the fruits. They didn't have to bother with politics, wars nor arrogance. Clearly the fruits were a superior lifeforms to knights.

Sir Mitchell was dumbfounded in his seat when everything happened. He remained in his chair to say something.

"Well that escalated quickly.."

^Joke post
v Real post

Sir Mitchell was shocked at the sight of the crossbow in the council room. Taking no hesitation..

"Guards! Grab that man and make sure he does NOT leave this building. If his kingship was here, he'd be in mortal danger and that man free to roam. Strip him of his concealed weapon and bring it too us. And lock him in the jail below. I may not command this council but I sure as hell won't see the potential danger he is to just wander out with no repercussion and remain a danger to everyone in this room!"

Varys frowned when he saw Celduir go. He didn't want to be the only Eventide in the room. Taking Celduir's seat, he spoke up.

"I remember I made a jest about poisoned wine a while ago. I didn't believe that any assassination attempted would be so uncouth, ungraceful, and ignorant. This is a disgrace."

He took a large gulp of his wine, savoring the taste. It must be done, he thought.

He stood up.

"Now, we cannot afford to convince others to leave! We are knights, for Astraea's sake! Others look up to us! Some of you are Grandmasters! And yet you resort to bickering and petty feuding? If this is the best the kingdom has to offer, the kingdom is in grave times. Maybe the Cult invading was an omen. Of how undivided, unstable, and petty the people are. The King has enough to worry about without us killing each other, not doing what we are told, and having pointless meanings."

Varys began to pace. He looked at each person in the eyes, clear disdain reflected in his own.

"We have no time to continue to bicker like this. Now, we must stop getting off task. I propose that we vote only on whether the provinces are dissolved or not, and not on whether there should be a system attached to them being dissolved. These are two completely different proposals! You cannot conjoin them together."

Finishing his tirade, he sat down. Wearily, he said, "The Eventide vote for the dissolution of the provinces. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sir Kamos sighs for a moment before leaning over asking Sir Darlion somewhat quietly but clearly not secretly.
Should I go after the Gauntlet member myself with some men or would you prefer me here?

OOC: Should Darlion send me he can control Kamos enough to leave the room.

Zekic entered back in the room,clearly guards didint manage to arrest him yet, he avoided them for a few seconds.

"I don't know who sent those fools, but might i remind you, there is no crime in trying to fire crossbow which is not loaded. If i truly wanted to kill silvermist, he would be dead by now, and then i would bear the consenquences."

Then zekic allowed guards to take him away

After the brewhaha had settled and the wayward gauntlet surrendered to the guards Iskar called for silence.

Your Grace, he said to Darlion, since you asked to take over the security issues of this council, I have to ask you to arrest this man and keep him under custody until we can decide what to do with him.

As for the rest of the council, we still have votes to cast. Since some of you wanted to artificially split the vote I asked for, we can do so, as long as we get the vote done.
So far the Shadow Legion and the Dawn have voted for both the dissolution of the provinces as well as a system of overlapping councils to replace them and the Eventide and the Gauntlet have voted for the dissolution but against a system of councils. We still have to hear the votes of the Dragon, the Griffon, the Immortals and technically the Silvermist.

The latter votes in favour of what I suggested, of course.

Sir Mastifus immediately replaced the dagger in his boot when Duke Darlion returned it to him, thanking him with a nod, then sat back quietly following all that was being said. From time to time he would scratch his neck or rub under the eye patch but they were unconscious actions.

When Zekic tried to assassinate Saeros, he watched with little alarm, though there was a definite tensing of his shoulder. It was Saeros's outburst which moved him the most, and he sat up in his seat as the Halbardier tore the map on the table apart. Once Saeros had calmed a little, Mastifus rose from his place and beckoned one of the Griffon guards over to him. He then dug the knife out of his boot once more, and offered it to the man hilt first.

"Take this and put it with the other weapons" he began, then turned to the council chambers as a whole. "I apologise for meh own actions in disrupting the sanctimony of this chamber. I had a statement to make, it was made and I thank ye all for taking meh kenning in earnest" he continued, bowing his head to those sat around the table.

Then, still standing, he began tapping the table with his index finger idly while considering his next choice of words. His face looked relaxed, clearly happy that his concerns about the people of Ravenstern were being addressed.

"The job of this council was to create greater unity within Pendor, but using the old provincial system risked unbalancing the power of one governor over another, and did little to bring the people together under one ideal. I have underestimated the wisdom of meh fellows in this issue, for it is circumstance that moulds a people, a joint cultural heritage that creates an identity. A name is just a name, it is the blood that flows in the veins that matters most. The Dragons support the motion to remove the provincial governors" the tapping stopped as he spoke, and he looked from knight to knight as he spoke, making sure all understood his words. As he spoke of their wisdom, Mastifus inclined his head in particular to Constable Iskar and Duke Darlion. Once done, he sat again, and he began tapping on his arm rest again.

"However I would ask that we continue to debate the new means to assist His Majesty in the administration of his realm, although this may be a question better left to our sovereign to decide, it would not hurt to offer him our counsel on the issue" he added, raising his hand to signal his wanting to amend his words. When he finished, he leaned back in the chair, and lowered his hand to the goblet still lying by his chair and began to sip at the smooth ale.

Aelos had been informed by an off-duty castle guard that things had escalated and weapons had been drawn. He hurried towards the Council chamber with a couple of off-duty Guardsman at his heels. All were armed and in the hall when zekic was escorted out by castle guards, the silvermists under Saeros' control repositioned themselves and had their halberds ready. Certainly the sight of armed guards running towards them must have discouraged them, but they didn't even flinch and stood guard with the utmost professionalism. Aelos felt a lot of respect for Saeros, he trained them very well.

"Guards, four of you help escorting the gauntlet, the rest of you patrol this wing of the castle once and return to your off-duty acitivities, it seems the Silvermists have things under control. Captain Merlic, you stay in the hall."

Then Aelos handed his sword over to the off-duty captain of the guard and Merlic nodded. "understood."

After all that Aelos entered the council chambers, nodding at the Griffons present, and positioning himself after his knight master.

As the commotion erupted around him Darlion seemed to be more annoyed than surprised at the Gauntlet's act. Darlion ordered Kamos to sit while immediately calling for his guard captain, where he explained loud enough for his fellow knights to hear;

"Have that man thrown in the dungeons until further notice. Perhaps he will reconsider the wisdom of his actions after a few days."

As the captain relayed the order to a subordinate, Darlion turned back to his peers, first focusing on Lucius.

"I trust that you have no objections to this? While no bolt was fired, it was still a threat of death within my city. He will be released to you to discipline as you see fit after serving a term locked up and under guard."

The Griffon's Grandmaster stood and cleared his throat then, speaking more loudly.

"I believe you all know where my vote, and the vote of my subordinates stands. The Griffons rule in favor of dissolving the provinces completely. As for this other proposal though, I cannot agree to it, not without more information. Constable Iskar, unless we can discuss this idea more thoroughly I don't think it can be expected for many of us to favor it. I would advise elaborating on the idea and holding a discussion to allow us our own input and revisions before casting a vote on it."

Having finished for the time being, Darlion took his seat once more and waited.

Iskar nodded. Very well, that makes seven votes for the dissoluton of the provinces - a majority - and three for the system of councils - a minority. With a total of eight possible votes the vote of the Immortals will not change anything there, so I think we can save you from wasting breath on a pointless matter, Sir Mitchell.

Instead, let us not dwell on cleared issues but carry on. I have explained the system of overlapping and nested councils. Of those who voted against it I hope that they have a proper counter-proposal as to how the realm should be ruled or at least valid criticism.

Constable, I did not vote against your system of councils, I merely said it was a seperate issue for discussion.

As Sir Mastifus has said, the role of Provincial Governor risked unbalancing dukes, and you simly want to return to a new small council? Should a council of duchies be used, it should be composed of every duchy, not just the ones who previously had more power.

This council, in my view, is so focussed on "rewarding" governorship, despite all the benefits the men reaped while in position, that it is attempting to give them too much de facto power, in a situation where we are trying to make all the Dukes equal. We have far more potential threat to the realm from three angered dukes than one who misses his power, and it also assumes that the former governors are infallible, and can correctly judge what issues to bring to the King.

If the councils take place seperately, then issues are decided behind the backs of those most concerned, where they cannot put their arguments forward. Again, if the Dukes are equal, there should not be a division in representation to the King.

Perhaps you misunderstood my suggestion, Sir Lucius. One cannot address all issues of the realm at once. The dukes of adjacent duchies must be gathered in councils of three or four to address matters characteristic to these duchies under the presidency of the king or an appropriate emissary. These councils will not decide issues that concern more than their own duchies. The organisation of the regular councils along the lines of the old duchies and the new ones I suggested should ensure that in general all important issues can be addressed. Take for example the former province of Ravenstern, since we have been dealing with this for so long now. If there is a Ravenstern specific issue to deal with the king can call the Ravenstern council to deal with it, if the problem is mostly about Mystmountains and Jatu incursions in the north east, the king can call in the Eastmarch council and be sure that the steppe lords will add their experience and troops to solving the problem. The same goes for the Wintersea council when the problem is mainly about supply and trade of the mines and castles of the north. Furthermore the regular meetings of these councils allow the dukes therein to deal with whatever smaller matter occur in an appropriate manner. The Wintersea council, in this example, can concentrate on trade and the related laws, tolls and dues, the Ravenstern council coordinates the dukes ruling the north and the Eastmarch council organises defense against the barbarians.

I'm not asking to let one single council rule the whole of the realm at a time which would be folly, but to let the dukes regularly meet in their councils to deal with local issues. If more than the three or four duchies comprised in a council are involved, the king can first call in the other adjacent councils, for example the Ravenstern and the Eastmarch council at once, and if the whole of the realm is involved the king would call a council of nobles to his court anyway. Perhaps you understand my suggestion better now?

Sir Lucius coughs.

I apologise for the misunderstanding, although I believe this suggestion is fairly similar to my earlier one of temporary administrative sectors to deal with pressing issues. If the areas are only temporary, and not set along predefined borders, they can be moved to encompass the most efficient centres, and then disbanded when the extra bureaucracy becomes a hindrance.

"The Gauntlet speaks the truth. Issues of governance that affect many duchies are the King's responsibility, and must be dealt with by His Majesty in a, what is the phrase? Oh yes, ad hoc basis. Your argument, Constable, is that His Majesty cannot rule this realm, but I say His Majesty can. Attempts to recommend some kind of permanent system would be a waste of our time and that of the King, for His Majesty must rule as he sees fit, and address every concern that affects several Dukes as unique."

Isabel returned to a seat at the table.

You say his majesty can? I'm impressed by the strength and stringent logic of your argument, Lady Tenorio, Iskar replied, his voice dripping with irony. We have lost enough time with petty unfounded assertions.

This realm comprises hundreds of thousands of people, hundreds of nobles and more than a dozen dukes, all with their cities, castles and villages. There is a multitude of laws, tolls, taxes to be handled, sheriffs and bailiffs to be coordinated just as well as guildmasters and watch captains. Most of this is of hardly to no importance to his majesty. A day has no more than 24 hours and even his majesty can only handle a finite number of issues per day. We need an effective administration so his majesty can use his valuable time to deal with the great problems and issues of the realm, those that really require his attendance.

Now, we want to lay the foundation to some more unity, but we cannot concentrate all officials and administration at Sarleon lest the immensely inflated apparatus should create corruption as well as inefficiency. Furthermore a centralised administration in Sarleon might enrage the proud populace of the north for example even more than a provincial split would have done. A central administration is therefore no viable option.

Leaving all administration with the single dukes, however, will fracture the realm even further. Instead of five provinces with different laws and customs we will have 17 duchies and a free city with their own laws, tolls and taxes, their own hierarchy of officials and so on. Moreover it would not leave the slightest trace of the old provinces, which would be just as detrimental to the public order as splitting them, as we have seen. Depriving the people of their hereditary culture all at once will not do any good to the realm.

Calling in councils and creating units of administration ad hoc will lead to tenfold the costs and efforts of administration as using established ones would. Ad hoc installed administrative authorities are likely to have problems with being respected among populace and nobles alike. If the personnel is chosen from the court officials they will most likely not know the intricacies of the problems and situation at hand and personnel chosen from the local populace are not as trustworthy as long serving officials. To do it effectively one needs long serving local officials who have proven their loyalty as well as capability.

A system of overlapping councils ensures that working structures of administration are present and know the areas they deal with and their characteristics, that the laws and dues passed by the councils are the same in all duchies comprised therein, therefore creating some more unity and that his majesty can choose appropriate councils for most of the realms problems, since two or more overlapping councils are easily called in together to deal with a common problem, and having such a system established also allows to even call in ad hoc councils should the unlikely case of a completely new problem arise that can be addressed by none of the other councils, since the dukes and their officials will be used to working in such councils.

In the medium term the overlapping structures will even lead to an assimilation of laws and dues all over Pendor: Take for instance laws passed in the old Empire province. If they are good and well though out, the adjacent councils of the Sentinel Coast and Eastmarch are likely to adopt them on suggestion of the dukes from the Empire council in these other councils, while, for example, a sound and reasonable military levy regulation from Eastmarch easily passes to the Sentinel Coast council via the Empire council, since the duke of Ethos supports it. If a law or due is good it will quickly spread over Pendor via the councils, while thoughtlessly passed ducal laws are likely to get replaced by better laws from other councils. We should achieve a greater unity by this without upsetting commoners or nobles by sudden abolitions of traditional structures, since the old provinces will live on in the respective councils in a way without the dividing borders in between, however.

Saeros was nodding to everything said by the costable. At the end he had only one further point to make:

"And it goes without saying that a centralized administration poses a great threat to the kingdom. Let us say that a foreign enemy manages to capture or besiege Sarleon: the whole realm will fall into chaos. Let us say that a plague breaks out in the city: the whole realm will fall into chaos. Besides, without regional lords with enough power to dissuade others of certain behaviors, corruption in the furthermost provinces will surely rise."

"Creating a dozen permanent provinces without governors creates far more costs than having His Majesty rule this realm, Constable. And I fear I must remind you yet again, King Mordred rules Pendor, not the Constable of the Silvermist. The Dukes rule their duchies, and it is they that handle sheriffs and tax collection.

"We should not discuss a matter the King did not request of us until we have settled all the matters that His Majesty has. The exact ducal territories must still be defined, and that is what the King called us to do."

"Should we then split the vote? In the first place, we must to decide whether this issue should indeed be discussed, despite Lady Tenorio's protests."

Iskar commented Isabel's claim to 'just letting the king rule the realm' with a but a sigh. Obviously the woman kept ignoring his arguments and insisted on just repeating her impracticable idea.

Yes, King Mordred is the ruler of Pendor, and it is on his orders that we are to work out a recommendation for the reorganisation of said realm. You seem to like mistaking my suggestions for recommendations for royal orders. If you fail to see that difference, I fear I cannot help you any further.

As for the content of the recommendation we are to deliver, his majesty set us this task with the goal to achieve a greater unity of the realm and heal the wounds of the unification wars. Such a system as suggested would - if you agree with the points I laid out - serve this task very well. Furthermore, if we abolish the administrative level of the provinces we need to include a constructive recommendation as to how the realm should be administered instead, lest our recommendation should create more work for his majesty than it was intended to save.

But, very well, the orders' leaders can vote on whether we should address this issue any further. The Silvermist votes 'yes'.

The king or an emissary of his preside over each of the councils and have veto power in the consultations, but your idea is interesting, too, Marcus, Iskar said. But please, by law and custom we must hold the vote that has been demanded, even if only by a lower member of an order. Your votes?

"I would prefer to continue discussing it. Personally I am in favour of the King choosing his own council from among those he trusts most. After all, he can then choose those with the most kenning in whatever problems they are tackling at the time, rather than just having to rely on whomever maybe on duty at that particular time, and who might have their own best interests at heart rather than that of the realm" Mastifus said finishing his drink, and turning to one of the scribes and shaking the empty vessel hoping for a refill.

"This system would also nay limit it to just nobles, but could include influential merchants or clergy" he continued with a nod to Aranor.

Sir Darlion stood once more, as he was oft fond of doing before speaking.

"I am with Mastifus in this matter, I would like to hear this idea more fully. If a vote is required, then the Griffons vote against the current administrative outline laid forth by the chairman. However, the system laid forth by Grandmaster Marcus is a desirable one, provided we can eliminate creating new provinces, duchies, and counties as was outlined originally. Perhaps, a council selected by the king? One man for each Duke, who can filter the information that needs the king's attention, from all of the unimportant issues that administration demands be looked at. I trust our king to pick men who will not be bribed or bought by the men they're assigned to look over, and it prevents creation of new regions of administration on the map."

When he finished speaking, Sir Darlion sat down once more, and awaited the words of his fellow knights.

We're currently only voting on whether we should discuss any administrative system to replace the provinces at all, Iskar reminded the council.

Sir Lucius raised his hand slightly.

I am in favour of discussing this point further, although we may decide to do nothing.