Oh thank Pharasma they aren't all about to be put to death just for having servants -

As a procedural matter, Jaume Agramont is completely correct.

Permira is absolutely vibrating in her chair with sheer furious energy at the thought that they're going to get away with it -

Aspexia del Mar is listening to Elie. Do people who wield true power usually sound like this?

The opening move by the noblewoman is brilliant and aggressive.  It seizes the initiative on organizing 600 people, puts the issues she cares for in front, frames the issues how she wishes, and puts the people she wants in charge of the discussion.  Anyone that pushes back against it might look non-Good.  And anyone that pushes back will be resisting an opportunity to organize the 600 people.  The noblewoman's framing barely includes the issue Thea cares about, so she would be forced to decide between arguing against the framing or accepting her own goals put on the back foot.

It is an immense relief when the Archmage himself pushes back.  Thea will have an acceptable opportunity to present a committee topic or two that better reflects her concerns.  It does indicate he won't allow a noble to smooth over everything, but that is for the best, Thea doesn't think she would trust any nobles with doing that, even Lucia.

And now they are arguing about slavery.  Thea has an obvious personal interest against retroactive punishment (even if no one has evidence or witness of her retroactive crime).  Can she retroactively loose her lawfulness?  The Archmage's reminder and support of previous decrees about retroactive punishment are a further relief.  It is more evidence against the more disastrous intents the Queen and Archmagic might have had for the convention (i.e. induced civil war). 

More urgently, that halfling looks like she is having to actively suppress her assassination instincts.  Thea is impressed by the halfling's discipline in keeping her instincts held back, Dia didn't think that was possible in their discussions of halfling biology.

Thea will wait for the moment the slavery committee name argument reaches a lull then jump in with her own committee names.  She think all of the followers of Neutral Gods will see a least slight insult once she points it out, so she should have them on her side.

He was thinking about which committee would be the best chance to show loyalty when the Archmage makes the obvious clarification.  Of course!  He should be thinking of a novel committee name and topic by which to show his loyalty.  'Does Her Majesty perhaps have any questions -' The other noblewoman is an idiot, asking for the answer to the loyalty test to be given away.  He ignores the argument about slavery that follows to work on his own committee name.  How about 'A Committee On Preserving the Essential Form of Chelish Monarchy From It's Form Under The Line Of Aspex'.

He waits on his chance to share his loyal and brilliant idea.

Druids aspire to understand people in their natural state; to understand what is natural for them, and promote that.

Humans (and some other humanoids) are some of the very hardest people to understand in this way. Their natural state is highly disputed, not least by themselves, and now apparently some of them are claiming that their natural state is to actively decide their natural state!

This convention is probably something only the wisest arch-druids could make proper sense of. Feather has no stake in most of their debates, and no real wisdom to offer, not until they get to the committee on People Kin To The Chelish, where she will probably need to argue that - all Good and/or Lawful people are metaphorically kin because they have shared interests and shared views and, uh, if they need to be more literally kin than that it can probably be arranged -

Anyway, for now she's fascinated by the way these people are trying to make decisions about making decisions (about making decisions, and several more removes after that), and acutely aware she has no real understanding of what's going on. Right now they seem to be arguing over the decision already made in calling them all here instead of writing lots of letters to each other?

(Poor people. Not knowing their own natural way of life must be so hard on them. No wonder so many of them couldn't explain themselves to her; they didn't really understand themselves!)

Levrolurment is enthusiastically taking notes. The formation of an entire constitution--! Deliberation about the proper role of the state--! Evidence for his paper about whether governance is inherently founded on the state monopoly of violence!

Tetula is pretty overwhelmed by everything that's happening. She thinks she's probably supposed to be in favor of killing slaveowners-- that's what the Placards implied, anyway-- but she doesn't want to kill people who didn't know they were doing anything wrong and she doesn't want to be rejected by her god this clearly. She wishes that Cayden Cailean had ever provided any clear guidance on the formation of constitutional committees. 

On the bright side: at least he's got people talking. 

"Delegate Ferrer. The primary purpose of this convention is to determine the structure of the new Chelish government. I am sure the body will wish to discuss the abolition of slavery and the status of forced labor more broadly" – let's get that on the table, to begin with – "but our business is to look forward, not back. Delegates – and indeed every other citizen – will be expected to comply with that laws you make here once they are established."

The Condesa makes her way over to the Archduchess, and curtsies, and speaks in a low tone "Archduchess- I would be happy to support your committees unreservedly, if I could be sure that I might be part of the the one which might usefully discuss my recent proposal for a Senate to advise the Queen."

A Senate is the sort of thing where she'd like it to be discussed by serious people only, so "I would propose it in the committee for examining necessary alterations to the forms of the Chelish monarchy, when that committee reaches Section IIX.V, on processes for the high nobility to vote on taxes for the crown."

"- I propose that all who own, take, or whip slaves from this moment forwards be put to death!" They won't have time to stop before justice catches up to them!

The sortition was a terrible idea. It scooped up crazy people. And a strix??? Although it seems to be sitting with the elected delegates for some reason.

"Can we put that proposal to the committee on slavery?" He's going to have to be on the committee on slavery, isn't he.

"I'll add the delegate's suggestion to the list of proposals up for debate while we conclude our discussion of committees." 

Are they off slavery?  Now's her chance.  She could wait, but she has no idea when next she will have a window to speak.

"I would propose amending the name and topic of one of the suggested committees, or else adding a new committee, to account for the chosen of Gods that are neither Good nor Evil!  A Committee On The Teachings Of non Evil Churches To The Chelish People.  Or perhaps A Committee On The Many Teachings Of Neutral Churches To The Chelish People"

She looks across the religious delegate section of the seating at the many Pharasamins and Calistrans to illustrate her point.  Hopefully some of them will add support to this point.

"My phrasing was deliberate. While I have of course sought counsel from many priests of the Neutral gods, and lived for a time in Axis witnessing their wisdom, Cheliax's most urgent problem is that diabolists attempted to make its people Evil, and this must be countered by making its people do Good, even if the hope is ultimately simply that they'll make a Neutral afterlife. I hope that some Neutral churches see Cheliax as an environment where it's to their benefit to operate, but I think they are owed no special concessions for this, motivated as it is not by beneficence."

“So? You’re just another delegate. Maybe the committee should focus more on Good than Neutral gods, but that doesn’t mean Neutral gods shouldn’t be included.”

"As a cleric of a Good god, I think we should revise it to 'non-Evil Churches' and the Committee itself can decide whether and how to handle Good and Neutral churches differently."

"I approve of the Duchess's goal, but in my experience it is easier to sway those with Evil habits to Neutrality than to Good, and a Neutral church has significant advantages in this respect. The Lawful Neutral churches have much to recommend them; at the very least Abadar and Irori. You might call the committee For Improving the Moral Teachings of the Misled Chelish People Via The Virtuous Churches, and let the committee decide which churches are virtuous enough."

"Fine words from one in thrall to the Queen of Dis!"

"I second the motion of the priest of Erecura. Aroden, on whose faith this empire was once founded, was neither Good nor Evil, but the same may also be said of other gods whose influences I would rather not promote." Such as, probably, Erecura. "Which gods ought have a role in the governance of the new Cheliax is a complicated matter and not one that can be settled without more careful deliberation than we seem to be capable of here."

"Neutrality? Are we neutral between Hell and Heaven? Abadar's coins will not save us from the flames. The Good gods alone have the power to bring our souls away from the horrors of Hell, not those indifferent to whether or not we burn."

There's a servant of Hell here? Openly? What is even the point of getting a new Queen???