"I don't think so?" She says nervously. She doesn't know 'register' or 'committee', except that people were yelling about them earlier, so she can't be entirely sure.

"May I nominate you for the committee on the forms of the monarchy? They are looking for someone who was selected from among the people of Cheliax, and it will be a quiet and tedious committee where it will be all right if you don't end up having any opinions."

     "Monarchy means the queen," says the halfling next to her, helpfully. Gemma can't read, either, but she pays close attention to what people say.

"I don't know anything about that," says Purificació, uncertainly.

"Is there some other committee you would rather be nominated to?"

Purificació doesn't know 'nominated', either. If Gemma knows it, she's not helping this time. She's too embarrassed to say anything for several seconds.

"I think you should go on the committee for the Queen, and if you don't like it you can change to a different one. I think it will be quiet and not have a lot of arguing, and if you think of any rules about how one should talk to the Queen, that's fine, and if you don't that's also fine."

"Oh!" She didn't know it was about talking to the Queen. She doesn't know about that, but it's much less complicated than it sounded. "I can try. If it's helpful."

     Gemma looks like she has a question, but it's a question for the Duchess, and she doesn't know how to speak to Duchesses, so she decides she'll swallow it.

Carlota wrote up notes for each committee on relevant precedents and matters of interest, for her allies, but she's pretty sure neither of these people can read. "Thank you for your service," she says gravely, and points them to the right committee gathering area, and leaves.

Well, Purificació will walk over and see what a committee is, even if it means braving new faces again. At least Gemma is with her.

He’ll go with his first idea on the best opportunity to show loyalty.  So he heads to the area where other people for “A Committee On Any Necessary Alterations To the Forms of the Chelish Monarchy Given Its Long Interruption” are gathering.  He thinks he already knows the answer (complete restoration to full power with no alterations needed), but he’ll keep an eye out for any other tests, this morning proved it might get tricky.

Cansellarion knows what the most important committee is. Most of the rest of the convention doesn't seem to, but he does.

Valentí doesn't know what the most important committee is. He signed up for the two that had the word "monarchy" in the name, in the hopes that they are the most likely to involve offering direct advice to the Queen. He plans to wait to say much, to be sure that he understands what is even under discussion.

All men, at her first glance. Purificació inhales sharply. The wizard woman told her to expect it, so she doesn't panic. She told her - very seriously, more seriously than Purificació thinks anyone has ever told her anything - that if any man forces himself on her or attacks her, he will be expelled from the room. All of the men know this, so none of them will do it. If one is very stupid and does anyway, she is to scream, not fight. The President will hear it and appear right away. If the President hurts her, the wizard woman will tell the Queen herself, and he will be removed, too.

     "We should sit," whispers Gemma. Purificació wasn't sure; it's a very important-looking table. She nods, and selects the two chairs farthest away from everyone else. Then she scoots her chair back a bit more, for good measure, and balls her hands into fists.

That woman looks scared... is this a little side test of Goodness?  Fernando isn't actually sure how to say comforting words (if that is even the intent of the test)?  He'll... give a polite nod and then politely ignore the apparently afraid woman?  That way he at least avoids making it worse?  

The poor woman is terrified. He very much doubts she wants to be at the convention, let alone on an important committee. Someone else told her to take her seat. He can't do much about that, at least not right away, but -

"Do you want to be less afraid?" He asks, softly.

Purificació - understands what the question means, if not why she's being asked. "Yes, but -"

     Gemma takes her hand and holds it. "Forgive her, sirs, we won't make any trouble. Go ahead and start."

Ricard-Blaise Roig is taking notes, having been recommended by the Lawful and Good authorities as someone good at taking notes, a factually true statement.

Marquis Artur de la Codonera is also here to vote that everything the queen wants should happen and nothing the queen doesn't want should happen! Unless the archmages disagree with her. Probably Count Cansellarion will tell him what the queen wants?

Purificació can be less afraid, then.

Lucia arrives late, but bounces in with a a happy smile. 

Purificació gasps, quite loudly. She can't remember ever feeling the way she feels now, calm and safe and sure of it. She knows no danger is present here, feels even more at ease than in the kitchens. She wouldn't know how to describe it at all, if someone asked her, but it's like a person who's been carrying a massive weight around all day, and has picked up and set down other things, but never realized they could set down the weight itself.

     "Are you all right?" asks Gemma.

"I think so. Yes. I - am. Thank you, my lord."

"I suppose now that we are all gathered, I'll begin. If we turn to the example of the past seventy years, we will all, I hope, see some of the dangers of an overly-powerful monarch. Great authority is always a temptation to selfishness, to vice, to tyranny, all the moreso when the population of subjects is so accustomed to those traits in a ruler. And even a good and just queen may produce heirs who are less so, and their heirs even less, each generation falling further from the righteous examples of the past. We may do best, then, to surround the crown with institutions that form a check upon its powers, to restrain this corruption of purpose and to limit its damages should it occur. To that end, I suggest we review the old forms, and look through them for examples and guidance, but not keep to them blindly or uncritically. It was written in the holy texts of Aroden that it is our duty and birthright to surpass our forebears. We have before us an opportunity to do just that, not merely to return to the Cheliax of old but to build something better, more just and more secure, and I urge us all to take it. Thank you."

Valentí, who has decided based on Cansellarion's handling of Purificació that he is a true paladin, claps at this. "Just so."

He heard the Queen was Galtan, and this is her friend. Fair enough. "Bravo, Your Excellency!"

So the Law will be stronger and the Queen will be weaker? Roig has no reason to object to his, especially not when it's someone Lawful saying it.

Gemma whispers, trying to explain something she only half-understood herself.

     "What would be better?" asks Purificació, after a moment. She'd decided not to speak, but she decided that when she was afraid, and has completely forgotten about it now. Gemma flinches beside her.

Well the Paladin apparently isn't in favor of just approving all the Queen's former powers and authorities and such, so... his mind hits a blank as pure loyalty and clear lawful goodness collide.

He tries to process the words.  Maybe one or two of the 'old forms' will be clearly flawed (and hopefully not really important to the Queen).  And then he can disapprove of them with the Paladin, and score well for lawfulness and goodness. (That has to be a real Paladin right?)  And approve of the rest of the old forms?  Maybe even compensate by finding some extra stuff not in the old forms to give the Queen?

He starts to clap along, but then realizes he missed the moment.

The worst that will come out of the other committees is a decision to free the slips and he has already sold all his abroad. If this committee can be persuaded to propose things de Litran doesn't like and the archmages back it ... 

This committee will hopefully be less stressful than the other one. He doesn't ask the paladin to cover him too because that seems like it would be an attention-getting sort of thing to ask. He gives the poor girl plenty of space.

"I don't know what would be better yet. Something that protects the people of Cheliax from abuses of power, something that teaches them to be Good and Just, something that helps the queen or king to use their authority for good causes and impairs them in using it for evil..." He'd suggest an Iomedan theocracy, except that the Goddess can't afford it. "It's not a small task. We have a lot of work before us, gentleman and ladies. Let us begin. Now, I don't have copies of any other law codes with me right now, but we can devise a broad outline - a few broad outlines of how a government might work today, and return tomorrow with more examples and the knowledge of how they've failed in the past. First, the power to make law. In many places the monarch or ruling council can make law, but in Andoran laws are written by a popular assembly..."

They aren't just reading the historical Chelish examples?  He struggles to agree with the powers and laws that match with his vague understanding of the historical powers of the Chelish monarch while demurring at other examples.  The Paladin isn't really helping either, just putting out open questions.  By the end of the meeting he is mentally exhausted.  This test is much harder than he thought it would be!  If he buys up a bookstore and gets lucky on an accurate history maybe he can do better on this test tomorrow.  Maybe he can find a Gnome with a history obsession!  Okay yeah he is desperate.

Roig, as it happens, has an excellent memory for ancient and obscure legal traditions. He is happy to share.