"Delegate, would that prohibit the discussion of taxation? It seems to me that no conversation about matters of economics and property can avoid discussing taxes, and much as I would be grateful to learn that all delegates are for life exempt from taxation in recognition of our contributions to our state I do not expect it."

She smells a rat. She smells ten rats. She usually smells rats. But she can't afford to make any more enemies so she's not going to push it here.

"—I didn't intend to prohibit all discussion of taxation," says the elected delegate. "But I don't think a committee can properly function if, for example, a bandit threatens to rob other members, or for that matter proposes a law saying that bandits should be allowed to rob people. I'm happy to amend my proposal to clarify that discussion of taxation is allowed." 

"I propose that all delegates be exempt from taxation for life in recognition of our contributions to our state!" shouts another delegate.

"I don't see that such a law shouldn't be proposed in a committee, given that it will fail any committee vote let alone a floor vote. We all know what you're really talking about, so you may as well just say it."

Alexandre thinks this entire concept is hilarious and proves he was always, always, always right about everything.

"If committee members have to fear that other members of their committee will propose that their property be taken from them in retribution for their suggestions to the committee, it seems difficult for said committee to properly function," says the elected. "I'd like to hope that such proposals wouldn't pass the committee, let alone the floor, but I don't see why we should enable them."

“I second that proposal for delegates not having to pay taxes!”

He'll try to get to the front before anyone else does!

"Ladies and gentlemen of the convention," he says, "since our clerics of Abadar lost the race: A two hundred percent yearly tax on the value of" he makes air quotes with his fingers "'Something', is in fact a larger taking from the owner than outright confiscating it by order of the state. By declaring all takings from convention members illegal we ban taxation; by permitting taxation we allow greater takings from convention members than you just attempted to outlaw. What the would-be head of the committee on economics has just demonstrated is that he doesn't know any of it, and is therefore utterly unqualified to sit on the committee he himself has just proposed."

"Oh, also, I join my voice to my comrades in voting that delegates to this convention should become perpetually immune to taxation."

"There's a difference between paying taxes lawfully to your lord and being held up at swordpoint on the road," says the elected. "In any case, I think it would be perfectly reasonable for the committee to be chaired by a priest of Abadar, with membership selected by same, and if he doesn't wish me to serve then I accept his judgment."

He laughs at that, but he doesn't seek out the podium to do it from.

So, wait. There’s a committee on financing infrastructure, and a committee on trade and travel, and now someone also wants an economics committee??? Why! Why do they need so many different groups that talk about the same thing! It’s money. It’s always money. (She hates money. This is why she avoids using it. It leads to insanity like this.)

And now they’re voting about…. How they should be immune to taxes??

“I am against delegates being immune to taxation on the grounds that this is ridiculous,” she says, because it is.

"You're a druid, do druids even pay taxes?"

Delegates to this convention include all the major lords. A tax exemption for all of them would be a disaster for the country, or at least for the central government of the country.

"I...support granting the delegates to this convention an exemption from taxation." That feels twisty and underhanded and not at all the way he's used to doing things but he can still detect evil so - that's a matter to discuss with his confessor tonight, and not to worry about right now.

”I motion we send the tax men into the forest to see if they come back with valuable acorns and leaves from the druids.”

“Slander against my chosen profession is not relevant to my point. I would be happy to pay my fair share of acorns and leaves as the state would like.”

What in every gods' name Alex???

... Did Alexaera Censellarion just go mad or was he hit by a Dominate? Is he close enough for a Detect Magic?

What is Cansellarion doing, this is an insane proposal that will destroy the country - surely Iomedae doesn't want that -

Alexandre will go into full-scale evil laughter mode when he sees that the madness has infected the planet's most powerful paladin of Iomedae.

"No taxes on delegates!!"

This is ridiculous.

"I propose that those delegates who do not hold a noble title, and all of their descendants, are exempt from taxation for-ever but those delegates who do hold title are not."

There, that should kill it.

Aww, killjoy.

“All of their descendants to what generation. In six, half the country will be exempt. I repeat: this is ridiculous.”

"Every delegate has, when this convention ends, the option to board the next ship for Absalom and never pay another cent in Chelish taxes. But should we choose to remain I think we should be subject to the very laws it is our solemn responsibility to create."

Do you have any idea how much willpower it takes to not say ‘good idea, I propose delegates being exempt from all laws’ right now? 

"I stand with the Duchess," he says, giving Iker a 'you should know better' look. "Any man who wants to leave the laws of Cheliax behind should do so now. Those who would sacrifice the country's wealth by Mephistophelean decrees for the sake of their own purses are worse than honest thieves, who merely bankrupt men, not nations. This proposal is unworthy of us."

"I join my voice to the Duchess of Chelam and the Archduke of Sirmium in condemning this idea as simple Asmodeanism!" because for the sake of all the gods we need some common sense here.

"The paladin said he supports it, it can't be Mephistophe- however you say it. Or Asmodean."

Ah well if the hot guy is opposed. "With no revenue we will be unable to raise an army and will be invaded by Galt and Rahadoum again!"

...He may have misjudged the level of personal avarice among the Chelish nobility.

…. Wait, maybe she should vote for the ridiculous law, then. An invasion would distract everyone from the forests. … probably bad for Whisperwood. Oh, well.

"I believe the paladin Alexaera Cansellarion has been stricken with some grievous illness or temporary madness," he says flatly, looking Alex straight in the eye, "possibly as a result of a spell cast by an Evil wizard or more likely as a product of overwork caused by his long hours providing sterling service on behalf of the nation, and I dearly hope he will recover."

Enric is pretty sure that archduke who just said that thing about “honest” bandits who just rob men being better than everyone voting for no taxes… has enough guards to never really worry about bandits on the road. 

Well, maybe Cansellarion just knows a different way to fund the state once it's not Evil, like a portal to the Elemental Plane of Gold or something. But Valia's not planning to speak up in this conversation because she doesn't really know anything about economics.

On the one hand, taxes are bad.

On the other hand, legal innovations are bad.

On the mage hand, this place is a madhouse and if she says nothing maybe they'll forget she's here.

It didn't even occur to Livi that he could pass a law saying delegates have to pay taxes! What a great idea!

...Can he also pass a law saying delegates get to keep their slaves but everyone else doesn't? He'd get a huge advantage over the competition that way. It would probably get voted down, but gods he would love it if he could.

Well.

In the first place, he's relieved that the body has gotten itself away from the topic of outlawing outlawing slavery. He's not disappointed in the delegate who proposed the absurd tax exemption. He did kidnap one hundred and fifty people in the hopes that they would speak out in their own self interest. Besides, why should he know better? The difference between a bandit and a Chelish tax collector is that the worst a bandit can do is kill you. They'll learn. 

Alex doesn't have an excuse. If he was planning to bankrupt the country unless they replaced Alfirin as queen he could just have told them that.  The redeeming feature of paladins is they're predictable about these things. There's probably a book about it in Lastwall: Official Diplomatic Guidance 334a-4, regarding allied polities currently governed by immortal body-stealing witches. He explained the whole immortal body-stealing witch situation precisely because Alex was his ally and deserved to know and he wanted to deal with him as fairly and honestly and openly as was possible given the admittedly deranged circumstances. He's not asking for much! He's not asking for anything! He'd have done it even if he'd known that Alex was going to approach this whole project with the attitude that the stability and prosperity of the Chelish nation and its twenty million inhabitants was less important than finding something Evil and stabbing it in the back. Iomedeans shouldn't be allowed in government. They'd have found a different monarch if he'd asked. 

Nothing to do about it now but look disapproving enough that Alex picks up on it but not so disapproving that everyone else starts trying to placate him. He's given them the rope: they may hang themselves with it, if they like.

Yes, he misstepped, though he's not sure of the exact nature of the misstep here. He'll do his failure analysis when the assembly is over.

"Perhaps we ought to return to the original proposal, which was -" he's guessing, here, but he's pretty confident in his guess " - to create, by underhanded trickery, a committee whose primary purpose is to perpetuate into eternity the evil and Asmodean institution of slavery."

...Damn, that's a count, thinks the elected delegate, there's no way to properly respond to that insult that won't get him laughed out of the room.

"Slavery is of course one matter that I expect to be of interest to the committee," he says levelly. "Alongside other matters, such as tariffs, debts, and the question of whether every man here should be permanently exempt from taxation. I of course would likewise prefer to keep Asmodean men from enshrining their view of contracts and other economic matters into the Constitution; was there something unsatisfactory about my proposal to allow a priest of Abadar to determine the composition of the committee?"

"To forbid by your rules of conduct, without debate and without acknowledging to the greater body that it would do so, that any proposal to end slavery be raised in your committee is an act of Hellish trickery. Remove that clause and I, at least, will have no complaint about the formation of your committee."

If the committee gets derailed into arguing that banditry is good he's blaming the Count. "Very well. I make an amended motion for the creation of a new committee, to discuss matters of economics and property, the composition of which shall be determined by a priest of Abadar. ...And that all members of the committee conduct themselves with decorum, as determined by same."

“I am against this motion and committee on the grounds that you seem like a massive prick.”

...Huh. Perhaps there are merits to a body of such mixed composition, if people who are not gentlemen will say the things that no gentleman would ever say but all of them are thinking.

"I am opposed to this committee on the grounds that it amounts to finding a priest of Abadar and doing whatever he says, and if we want to do whatever a priest of Abadar says we don't need a committee for that."

Aspexia-Isona is against this motion on the grounds that she won't be on it. She should try to find a better excuse.

"...If anyone has another idea for creating a Committee on Economics and Property without allowing bandits or Asmodeans" or slips "on it, I am open to alternative suggestions. I trust that we are all in agreement that economic matters are of considerable importance to our Constitution."

There already is such a committee, but he's not going to draw attention to that fact because he doesn't actually want this obnoxious character inviting himself in to cause trouble.

Yes, the point of giving it a boring name was to set a minimum competence standard to find it and participate in it. The first session was boring and useful. They recorded the old imperial taxes. It is exactly what an economics committee should be.

Message to Permira. "One of you should probably try to get on that committee if it passes, to keep an eye on it if nothing else."

"The good Count of Sanaüja has made an excellent point. We all know the intended purpose of this committee; it is one which Delegate Barro knows full well the body of this Convention would not favor, thus his underhanded trickery in pursuing it. But this matter, in fact, need wait for no committee. I move that the institution of chattel slavery* be henceforth and forever abolished in Cheliax, and that neither the constitution and law of Cheliax nor the business of this Convention henceforth recognize any reasoning being as property."

(*) But not any of the several other forms of unfree labor that currently exist in Cheliax. It's not that he necessarily supports all of these, of course, it's just—one thing at a time.

Oh, shit.

...Korva would really like a formal definition of chattel slavery right now!! Which things count? You can't ask without looking super invested in slavery!

"To clarify for those delegates less well versed in legal matters," he adds, "chattel slavery is the arrangement whereby one person is considered as the property of another, to be bought and sold; this is the current situation of most nonhuman slaves in Cheliax. My motion does not encompass serfdom, voluntary indentures, the corvée, or hard labor as a sentence for a crime."

What the Hell are they thinking. This will just make it harder for more subtle tax dodges to go through. Time to shut up and let the insanity pass.

Too many people wanted to speak and so Feather didn't get to move for Ravounel Forest to pay taxes in leaves and acorns. By the time she gets to the metaphorical head of the line, the crazy humans are talking about something else entirely. This might be even worse than committees! That horrible woman managed to speak in time, what trick is she using?

Now they're talking about slavery again and saying that she's against slavery will presumably cause some of the humans to be for it, so she keeps quiet.

This seems like a good opportunity to establish her anti Asmodean credentials.  The topic shifts back and forth by the time it actually becomes her turn to speak, but her point is still on topic, and in fact she can also work on her goal of distracting the anti-diabolism committee from Theopho.

“Irori opposes that which would abuse and waste people’s potential.  So I support the motion to abolish chattel slavery.  Furthermore many contracts of indentured servitude contain tricky and abusive Asmodean terms, so I propose that-” she takes a moment to check her notes to get the full committee names right “-the Committee on Slavery and the Committee on Excising the Influence of Diabolism and Asmodeanism From Our Country investigate and consider this matter and proposals for addressing it.”

Could that extend to abusive and tricky loan terms?  Could he have his debts owed to the wizard school abolished or annulled or whatever the legal term is for it?  It seems like a blatant test of his lawfulness personally, but maybe it’s a test on goodness more generally?  He could try to join the antislavery committee.  Are the inventions of this grand loyalty test actually going to get treated like real laws?  Well, he’s studied hard so he thinks he knows the Good answer to this, so even if it doesn’t help his debt problems he can pass the test.

"The Committee on Slavery does not yet have a full proposal ready for the floor, but an internal vote for the abolition of chattel slavery passed. The motion has my full support. We have not reviewed indentured servitude yet, but I can add it to our list of priorities." He didn't expect this vote to happen now, but hopefully the support of the Slavery Committee will help it pass.

Oh dear, oh dear, no wonder her daughters chastised her for not paying attention yesterday.

"Could the good Archduke Blanxart define for us a reasoning being?"

He took the phrase from the constitution of Andoran and doesn't actually entirely know. The definition that seems obvious to him, 'an ensouled being having the use of language', will just have the druids arguing that the beasts of the forest ought to count, since they can allegedly speak to animals.

"I defer that question to the President of the Convention, who surely has more experience with the term's use than I."

"I support the motion for abolition; slavery may be practiced beyond Hell's claimed territory but it is the most Asmodean of all civilization's flaws."

He'd like to suggest an amendment that all reasoning beings are born free, not inheriting serfdom or indenture or other forms, but probably better to suggest it to the committee.

"It sounds as though the slavery committee is already working on a proposal. I think we should wait for them to finish that work, which should clarify points like 'what is a reasoning being,' instead of having an impromptu floor vote on a proposal that hasn't had the same amount of time and devoted attention given to its drafting."

All right. All right. This is probably salvageable. He was counting on more time, months of it ideally, for his letters home to get the silver mines to accelerate their plans for switching to convict labor, but this is fine. An archduke proposing the complete abolition of slavery in terms that make it clear that arguing against the proposal will be considered disloyal is -- fine. Just fine.

Should he voice agreement with Delegate Plensa? No, that risks attracting the enmity of the archduke. This is fine.

"The abolition of chattel slavery, while unambiguously Heaven's will, should be done carefully and thoughtfully so as to avoid chaos, violence, failed harvests, and further suffering. The eagerness of this body to demand it speaks well of them but it is not just our duty to get the right answers but the right implementations."

"I also vote for the abolition of slavery!" She says, because the lady is stonewalling it.

"A room full of angry slips is manifestly not capable of coming up with implementation details of any kind. They aren't smart enough, they aren't literate enough, and they aren't Chelish and don't care about our country. That's not to say we shouldn't pursue abolition, but I don't think we can realistically kick it to the Committee Of Furious Slips and expect anything workable."

If the committee is mostly slips and they are all stupid that means there is an opportunity to show leadership and savviness on such a committee by deftly guiding the halflings in writings the ‘laws’.  Fernando is more firm in his resolve to join the slavery committee.  Hopefully it will make up for his mediocre performance in the monarchy committee yesterday.

“I disagree with everything Count Bellumar just said. Halflings in other countries where they aren’t systematically denied opportunities show just as much mental faculty as humans.”

"Well, we don't have any of those on the committee, so I don't think that has much to do with this situation."

Feather would offer to cast Owl's Wisdom on them but she doesn't have nearly enough to cover the whole day.

Is this the kind of thing you ask the archmage President to arrange? ...no, because then he'd probably have to give one to the horrible woman too and Feather does not want a Wiser Eulàlia on top of everything else.

"Many of the halflings that I've met," and led into the woods and recruited, because it was a thousand times better than being enslaved in Infernal Cheliax, and halflings can learn to be druids like anyone else, "in this very country are just as smart as humans. Often smarter, actually, or at least more practical. They have had to be crafty and strong under very adverse conditions. Have you met many free ones, sir, or is all your experience with the ones your country was in the middle of beating into submission?"

He would intercede on this point, but unfortunately he doesn't know the current status of the slavery committee. If they can't find some new (hopefully moderate) members, the halfings might actually push a 'kill all slaveowners' policy to the floor, which would be a disaster. If Delegate Permira and her friends get attached to unworkable policies, voting on abolition now could save it.

"I'm not making any point about halflings in general! There's halflings, and then there's slips. I am saying that the committee is full of angry slips who are not smart, well-read, or Chelish enough to figure out the implementation details."

Okay, now Livi is speaking up himself. 

"Yesterday every slip on the committee voted to kill anyone who kept holding slaves. Not anyone who did it on purpose after hearing it was illegal. But anyone, starting right away, even if they live in the countryside and didn't hear yet."

"The druid is correct. Halflings rescued from the flaming ruins of Chelish noble estates and whisked off to Absalom find high-paying work as artisans with more ease than humans do, and six of them among my own students have already picked up the arcane arts to no inconsiderable degree."

"Or, in other words - Count Bellumar, they're smarter than you are." Now please challenge me to a duel, I love killing Chelish nobles.

It doesn't take a weathervane to know which way the wind blows right now in this chamber and urban professional Lluïsa was not really planning on ever owning a slave, so:

"If there are founded Worries that our Esteemed Halfling Delegates despite having the greatest Firsthand Experience of the Issue may be Unlettered or lack the requisite Knowledge, they may prevail upon me to draft Language with great precision, or any other Lettered Draftsman. I had not heard expertise in drafting Law, or even mere Literacy, to be required of any Delegate to have his proposal considered."

"Sorry, they voted to immediately kill anyone who held slaves?"

"Perhaps the Slavery Committee's position on 'killing all slaveowners' would be more reasonable if you and Moles didn't obstruct the vote and leave the room, Delegate Barro. And that proposal did not pass, by the way."

"Señor Ibarra, I am sure I've misunderstood you."

"Delegate Barrio - misunderstood. We voted to kill all slavers after the law came out. We hadn't decided how much time to give them to hear about the law, because the law didn't pass." Permira is good at lying to Chelish people.

He probably shouldn’t agree with a lawyer too much, but he had already been waiting to speak before hearing her.  Time to get some points for loyalty, goodness, and lawfulness all at once!

“The Crown should feel able to punish law breakers as it sees fit, including violators of a swiftly implemented but lawfully communicated law, such as one immediately ending slavery.”

Oh shit did he interrupt a duel about to start?

(Jaume buries his face in his hands.)

"I didn't leave until after four members voted to murder my entire family. And the slip is lying, the Baron said it was Asmodean to make a law like that without giving people time to hear and they voted for it anyway."

"All of the slips voted to kill all slaveowners? Just clarifying because I thought we were forbidden from proposing the murder of other delegates."

"They voted for 'the penalty of illegally holding a former slave' to be death."

"As I said, ladies and gentlemen, the slips are vengeful and stupid. That's why we need someone else to responsibly work out the details of abolition."

"I would be delighted to improve your understanding, Count Bellumar, should you wish to request it of me."

"Was it your intent to allege that Her Majesty appointed to the rule of Bellumar a man less intelligent than your average slip."

She wonders if the wizard who's trying to get the nobleman to duel him wants a Barkskin. She has one prepped for today. ... Eh, he looks like he'll be fine. Better to save it if this all turns into infighting and chaos and she needs to flee.

“Sorry, is the former slaves being this mad about it supposed to be evidence against slavery being an Asmodeus institution? Don’t we have an entire committee for rooting out diabolists because the people of Cheliax feel the same way about the Thrunes and their infernal masters as slaves feel about slaveowners?”

"They didn't just vote for the penalty to be death for people who were holding slaves on purpose. The baron said you shouldn't kill people without letting them find out the law changed and they ignored him. Because they don't want to enforce the law, they want to kill as many people as they can."

"The claim is not that they are unjustified in their anger, nor even that they were not wronged, it's that their policy proposals will be very stupid."

Wait, are they allowed to duel other delegates?  Thea needs to look up the rules on how weapons and terms are chosen, she could easily kill someone normally stronger than her if she can force the fight to be empty handed or with obscure monk weapons.  She should start prepping a combat relevant spell each day as well, she can cast swiftly even holding a weapon thanks to one of her more unusual divine boons.

“Delegate Barro, lying and misrepresenting the actions and motivations of the committee to make it less embarrassing that you stormed out isn’t going to work.”

"It sounds like Delegate Barro alleges the slip is lying and the slip alleges Barro is. Perhaps both would be willing to undergo an Abadar's Truthtelling to clear their names and clear up the matter for the convention."

"Fiducia Agramunt, can you confirm that the baron pointed out the issue I mentioned? And that the slips — and the bird-monster — didn't care?"

"It has always been my steadfast belief that Her Majesty appointed men for the purity of their hearts, not the quality of their wits, though I admit I'm somewhat surprised you passed that test, too."

SHIT that spell didn't exist in the old regime she thought she would get a duel and the scary guy would be her champion because he looks like he likes killing people 

"Would the floor like me to read the minutes I took of the meeting of the committee," says Jaume flatly.

"Yes, please."

“I’m not a halfling but I’m willing to pay to subject myself and Delegate Barro to a truth spell.”

(Count Bellumar will step off the floor to challenge Ibarra to a duel while that's ongoing.)

Republicanism was a mistake.

What's minutes.

"Now, Count Bellumar,  I don't see that it matters what the rogue says of your faculties, any more than if an orc had said it."

Ibarra is happy to accept!

"If the bird-monster wants to pay for a truth spell I'm happy to oblige it."

"A truth spell is not a bludgeon. It will only be useful if, reviewing the facts, we find any remaining interesting disagreement and come to an agreement on what statements would be worth hearing under Abadar's aegis. I am willing to read the minutes free of charge."

"Did the members of the committee against slavery vote to immediately execute all slaveowners, including those who had not yet learned of the law barring the continued holding of slaves?"

“No, we did not.”

"Please do read the minutes, Fiducia."

“Can I move to censure anyone who says things like ‘bird-monster’ and ‘slip’ instead of someone’s actual species name to refer to another delegate?”

Well that's rich, considering the particular words used by the bird monster yesterday.

"Sorry, people shouldn't be allowed to refer to you unless they happen to offhand recognize what species you are?"

“I have a placard. They can use my name if they don’t know what I am.”

"Ah, so it's just a proposal to censure everyone who can't read? In favor."

Okay, that one's pretty good.

"Perhaps we should fix an Enumeration of acceptable Names for the various Species comprising the Empire," suggests Lluïsa very helpfully.

"I second the motion, and if it fails, I move to officially allow the natural result - referring to a delegate by any lies or slurs without consequence. For example, if Eulalia de Seguer is allowed to call Delegate Liushna a monster, I should be allowed to call her a horrible Evil woman and the pride of Asmodean Cheliax."

.... Feather what the fuck.

Voshrelka's palm: meet her face.

WHY. WHAT DOES THIS GAIN ANYONE.

"AHEM! 1. Following some remarks in an unspecified language between Delegates Permira, Alonso, and Millet, Delegate Barro moved that business be conducted in Chelish Taldane, seconded by Delegate Vivas.
2. Following an ostensible translation of these remarks into questions about the then-chair Delegate Moles's personal property situation, discussion devolved into personal attacks. I moved that inquiries into the personal business of any member be grounds for expulsion. Delegate Permira attempted to put it to a vote on her own recognizance. After several mixed votes were issued - I have these in a sidebar if they are of note but they are largely as one would predict - I noted that if I were to depart the committee would lack representation from the religious delegation and therefore plausibly be invalidated..."

SIGH. “I will accept ‘bird person’ or ‘person with feathers,’ if someone really honestly can’t do any better. Is anyone going to claim that someone uses the word slip because they can’t recognize a halfling?”

This is a madhouse.

"Perhaps the delegate from Ravounel mistakes me for some other party, as I have spoken here only to request the wise Fiducia clarify what was said in the committee against slavery, and have made no reference to Delegate Liushna at all. I request that she withdraw her mistaken and outrageous insult."

Wait, you're not the only person with feathers here! -

yeah OK Feather can recognize when she should slow down, a lot of strange people quickly shouting at each other isn't her forte even when they aren't Outsiders.

Lluïsa dutifully copies down "bird person" and "person with feathers" to her List Of Acceptable Terms.

"Fiducia, what was the result of the initial vote on Delegate Moles' election as chair?"

"Ahem. I will touch on that in item seven if ever I reach it. 3. Delegate Moles remarked that he had hoped that the first order of business could be to overturn the new regime's law permitting the existence of free halflings but that it might be impossible with the committee composed as it was, and speculated about removing the halflings from the committee."

Message to Eulalia: If she doesn't need it to be to the death, he's prepared to get the druid to withdraw the insult.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

“Dude, what the fuck?”

Oh yeah that was someone else wasn't it? Feather got rather fixated on Eulàlia after the committee yesterday, when any horrible remark could be reliably inferred to have come from her direction.

"I merely pointed out the result of not voting to prohibit slurs and lies," she says half-truthfully.

He scowls at the Desnan.

"Item FOUR! Excuse me! Item four. I announced that I expected - that is, I expected at the time - that a committee changing composition midstream in such a way would likely attract attention from the President."

Awww cute boy's willing to duel for her. She does not need it to be to the death. She would gratefully accept his defense and desires only that the insult be corrected, she replies by message.

"Fiducia, were these Minutes approved by Vote as well? I recognize that it is Customary to vote on the previous Session's Minutes at the Opening of the next Session, but in the face of such Acrimony and Controversy it would do well to seek such Confirmation earlier, before reading them into the General Record."

"As far as I can tell from my copy, the minutes are accurate. I do not believe Fiducia Agramunt would misrepresent them."

Cute boy thinks you back up your allies when they are attacked or you run out of allies.

"I am also prepared to truthspell myself if there is any doubt about the matter. 5. Delegates Vivas and Ramirez expressed that this approach would be ineffective and reduce the perceived validity of the committee.
6. A detour into the question of whether slavery is, per se, Asmodean."

Voshrelka is looking at Feather and shaking her head desperately. She mouths across the room, "SAY YOU ARE SORRY."

This is boring. Can they go back to voting on not having to pay taxes ever again.

Feather isn't looking at Voshrelka! She's looking at the horrible woman!

"Your particular choice of examples of a vile lie was poorly chosen, but if you apologize for it and make it clear that it was indeed a vile lie then I would be happy to move past the misunderstanding."

.... Well.

Baby druid is probably going to die, so. That'll be fun.

(Why did her forest send her. What the fuck was their plan.)

"Minutes cannot be approved by Magic, esteemed Fiducia! The votes to Correct and Approve Minutes are a vital Procedure to ensure that the Record reflects the Consensus of the Body in Question. There is no dispute, I believe, that the Fiducia believes his Minutes accurate in his own mind, sufficiently so for any known Magic."

How can they just neglect procedure like this! Procedure is the foundation of deliberation!

"True and accurate as they undoubtedly are, I urge this assembly to disregard such Minutes until the Membership of the Committee in question have an opportunity to offer Corrections."

Five year olds. All of them, fucking five year olds.

"I am prepared to receive corrections and disputes of this account, yes. 7. This detour was punctuated by Delegate Permira observing that the chair was appointed without vote. She nominated Delegate Vivas. Delegate Barro nominated myself. I indicated support for Delegate Ramirez but agreed that I would serve if called upon. Predictable vote distribution is available in the sidebar. Delegate Vivas won the seat."

Wow, it's even crazier than Thea said it was yesterday!  Also, it's a major relief to Dia that Thea is hearing one of the committees yesterday was also full of conflict and disagreement.  Thea had been naively assuming the committees were all much more orderly than the open floor, and would have entered into the anti diabolism committee unprepared without Dia's caution warning her otherwise.

Ugh. More drama probably won't help at this point. "It was certainly vile. And would be a lie for me to say, since I cannot personally vouch for all of it." Except the part about her being horrible. "I apologize for - making the discussion even more heated and chaotic, which was unproductive and immature of me." There, that should be enough for miss 'kill everyone you know, we have the archwizards'.

... That wasn't the right kind of...

It's like she's an earth elemental and she's got it into her head that she just needs to go deeper.

Okay, so, on one hand: Bright Morning Feather is clearly not very useful as an ally.

On the other hand: She doesn't exactly have the chance to be picky, does she.

On the prehensile tail while wildshaped into a monkey: Even if the baby druid is incompetent, if this turns to actual violence that ends in death, it will absolutely spiral even more out of control.

She stands abruptly out of her chair.

"Motion that any and all duels between delegates not be to the death," she says, because that is ultimately the thing she cares about most here.

Message to Feather: I think no one told you the rules. When you insult a noble, they are supposed to ask that you apologize. If you don't, they get to fight you or pick a friend who's willing to fight you. If you can't fight you can pick a friend but it makes you look weak. There's more rules like about where you fight and whether it's lethal or not, but that's the heart of it.

"Seconded. Let's not waste the Archmage Naima's resurrections, shall we?"

"Seconded," says Eulàlia graciously. "The foolishness and cruelty of a few should not sow bitterness and division in Cheliax when what is needed is unity and forgiveness."

And to the fucking stupid druid, "It is a lie as it is untrue, not merely because you are personally ignorant of its truth."

"I object to such a Resolution not in Principle, but only at the present Time, as it would create uncertainty regarding the Duel currently in Progress should one of its Participants die, though a Resolution that all Future Duels not be to the Death would satisfy such objection."

Aww, no fight. 

They aren't dueling right now, their seconds are arranging a time. Let's be gentlemen, shall we?

"I think they have not actually started dueling and are arranging it, so: hey you two, don't kill each other!"

Reply to Message: wait, we could have asked to fight her all day yesterday in the committee and instead we sat there taking her insults?! Was she insulting us hoping for a fight?

(Feather is not used to the Message cantrip, or particularly conscious that her reply will be heard)

“I motion that if there’s a duel over what someone says in here, the duel has to be somewhere we all can watch.”

"Seconded; the Outcome of any Duel originating from this Body is of interest to the whole Body."

Eulàlia is perfectly happy to stand here patiently being the obviously aggressed-upon and outraged party and waiting for her apology. She's hoping not to get it, but not getting it is even better if she's been perfectly mature about the whole thing.

Civilization was a mistake.

Voshrelka is just going to be over here, head in her hands, despairing over how she seems to be the druid in the room who is A: Most able to say words, B: Most diplomatic with those words, and most importantly, C: How she did not show up yesterday and quietly send Feather to the wrong country for the convention and thus far away from the actual one, so that their overall goals could be better achieved.

Message back: I wasn't there and didn't see it, I'm just telling you the rules. Only gentlemen- and women- duel but I think all or most of the delegates get honorary status as gentlemen for the duration of the convention.

"If I may. 8. Delegate Vivas said, I quote, “I do not think we can continue with anything resembling the current situation, but it is not as simple as saying 'no more slavery' and being done with it. If we free the slaves, what will their legal status become? What will we do about existing slave owners—should there be any compensation for their expected losses? If anyone has specific proposals for new policies, I would be interested in hearing them."

He will sit next to his fellow elf, since there apparently is a fellow elf, and sew, and mourn.

(He is privately judging the Countess de Seguer for her conduct here. Challenging a commoner to a duel should really be beneath her dignity. If you can't have a commoner whipped or put to death for the insult without needing a duel about it, that says more about you than it does about them.)

Message reply: can I get her or her friend to duel my strongest friend, who's back in Ravounel Forest?

Of course it is! So she's not doing it, just politely requesting the withdrawal of the insult while her allies do it!

Yeah. Yeah.

... Does Tuimfane want help with his sewing.

"Does anything actually hinge on the contents of these minutes anymore or do I waste my time."

Message: If you can get them fast and bring them here, yes, but not otherwise. I'm her champion, by the way.

Sure. It's good to have another elf here.

"Can you just skip to the part we were actually arguing about?"

It really is, isn't it. They're all mad.

Feather would also like to know whether anything that's said in committee actually matters or if they're going to settle it all with duels later!

"Fiducia, I continue to be interested in the question of whether there was a vote to make slaveowning a capital crime without notifying slaveowners and with no exemption for ignorance, and if so how the members of the committee voted on it."

Yup.

Do humans who aren't like small children stop being that way?

No.

"It's spread throughout the meeting, is the trouble, but some of it is in the next item. 9. Delegate Permira proposed that all slaves be emancipated without regard to species and compensated with a division of their master’s land, and that the penalty for failure to comply should be death."

Message reply: "I have no reason to fight you because even if I win it's not going to hurt her. I don't know you and have nothing against you." (Except that you're friends with a horrible woman, but she manages not to whisper that part out loud.) "Maybe the archmage could teleport my friend here but I really think duelling by proxy is stupid. Sigh." (He presumably hears that too.)

"I apologize for what I said," she says out loud, because the human law turned out to be not as useful as she'd hoped at first. As long as the horrible woman doesn't demand an explanation of what exactly she's apologizing for and why, she can get this past the thing that made everyone she knew able to tell whenever she was trying to lie, when she tried lying once as a child.

It's not a good apology but she isn't sure she has much to gain by trying to take it further, and she doesn't want Cute Boy to feel ill-done-by in having sprung to defend her. "I know you are ignorant of the gravity of the insult you offered," she says solemnly, "and I accept your apology for it."

He's in one telepathic bond explaining to Naima that Cansellarion is trying to destroy the country and they really need to prioritize restoring Catherine to her body as soon as possible, and another trying to talk a panicked assistant through fixing the Westcrown arcane engine, which is leaking chaos energy again, and he only zoned out for five godsdamned minutes – 

"There will be no dueling. Not by proxy, not on the convention floor, not anywhere, not at all. Have I made myself absolutely clear?"

"Is dueling illegal in all of Cheliax now?"

"Are we supposed to simply tolerate these outrageous insults?"

Between this and the fact that he's presumably the one who picked her for this convention, Dolor is beginning to actually like Cotonnet. Before coming to Westcrown she'd assumed the rumors of him being a genuine radical reformer turned rebel were all talk, but shutting down the nobility's nonsense like this is a good sign.

"President, I beg you to reconsider!" He wasn't going to kill the guy!

Duels, with restrictions to the appropriate weapons and methods, would immensely favor Thea, but by the same token the nobility probably has bullshit Asmodean trickiness that lets them rig the choice of weapons and rules to ones they prefer and Thea doesn't, so it isn't really that much of a loss.

This sparks an idea... are nobles not used to being able to duel people?  Thea could deliberately provoke a noble if she really needs to set them off balance, then hide behind the Archmage's ruling.  It smacks of cowardice, but the convention seem to encourage any and all tactics so she'll at least keep the idea in mind.

"I do not have the power to make anything illegal in all of Cheliax. As a matter of order, I am forbidding it for the members of this convention, while they are ostensibly engaged in the practice of government. For the second time in two days, I would like to remind the body that all of you are adults and endowed with the use of reason. Act like it."

These people are absurd. Dueling is for aristocrats and children. 

These people are aristocrats!!

And only barely not children!!

He knows it's not their fault, but they don't have to act like it. 

"Now that all that nonsense has been concluded—Mr. President, what is the status of my motion that the constitution decline to recognize the institution of chattel slavery? To be clear, and to answer the earlier objection of the Duchess of Chelam, I do not propose to abolish slavery at the instant the motion is passed, but only when the constitution created by this convention is promulgated. Nor do I move that the Slavery Committee cease its business, as there are many other questions to be discussed besides that of abolition itself; I move only that its members refrain from referring to any person as property."

TAKE THAT, EVERYONE WHO OBJECTED WHEN LIUSHNA REQUESTED THE EXACT SAME THING. 

He's being ridiculous, and if anyone else in the committee were proposing a vote on abolition without having bothered to deliver their proposal in writing or define all the terms in it she would rip them to shreds on the floor but he's the archduke so she can't do that. 

(The point of the vote isn't to put actual language in the constitution, it's to tell the slavers to fuck off.)

"I must have missed my review copy of the proposal under consideration, did anyone get two by mistake?"

"Count Bellumar, I merely wish to establish the mood of this convention on this critical question so that we do not waste our time forming committees to draft language that will never pass the floor." A glance in Delegate Barro's direction.

"Your grace, I believe and hope that the mood of this convention is that abolition should be done carefully, thoughtfully, and not in a fit of spite, in some reasonable fashion that doesn't lead to half the harvest rotting. And if this is our mood, then no vote in haste can demonstrate it."

"My motion for none of us having to pay taxes was first so we should vote on it first." (Conradí is not even pretending to be following the system where you have to wait for the chair to call on you.)

"I see no reason not to bring your proposal to a vote, Archduke, but I would like to clarify what it is you are asking the body to vote for. Are you asking that the constitution establish abolish the institution of chattel slavery, that it not recognize the institution but make no further proposition to penalize it, or that delegates at this convention not use language suggesting that any person is a slave?"

"That the constitution abolish the institution. I had intended also that delegates not refer to this abolition as though it were the theft of their property, but on reflection I withdraw that part; I see no need to prohibit any line of argument by delegates, however odious I may find it. I do not wish to vote now on compensation, penalties, or any other adjacent issues, only that abolition happen eventually and somehow, with the details to be worked out in committee."

"To answer the objection of Count Bellumar, I do hope that abolition be accomplished thoughtfully and in a reasonable fashion. However, this absolutely cannot happen when the committee created to discuss the issue of slavery is equally divided between former slaves seeking bloody vengeance, and slavers wishing to indefinitely perpetuate the institution. I had hoped that an early floor vote on abolition might motivate compromise on adjacent issues. I do apologize in advance if I turn out to be wrong."

"I propose in that case an explicitly symbolic resolution to the effect that Asmodeus is the god of slavery and that we abhor the many evils that the institution plays host to and mean to chart a course inspired by the examples of Lastwall and Andoran."

Does anyone want the rest of the minutes or nah.

"Very well." He doesn't need the Duchess annoyed at him, and this has already spun far out of control. "I second that motion and withdraw my own."

"I think that we should finish reading the minutes before voting. Or if not, I can testify under Abadar's Truthtelling that the things I said earlier were true."

Nobody cares what you think.

"That sounds like a good start. I believe Andoran has the right of the matter on slavery, but that doesn't mean we have nothing to learn from them - we should craft the best proposal we can, and also not wait to signal our conviction."

"10. I expressed a concern for the economic consequences of this plan and my belief that it would be an offense unto Abadar.
11. Delegate Liushna moves that it be impermissible to refer to people as property.
12. A digression into Delegate Liushna’s preferred form of address and linguistic accomplishments.
13. An enumeration by myself at Delegate Vivas’s request of the types of unfree labor, chattel slavery being the only one in which anyone is held as specifically property, contrasted with indenture, conscription, minor children, convicts, and other less commonplace situations.
14. Delegate Ramirez volunteered his services as a translator into Draconic.
15. Delegate Liushna expressed a perceived tension between people being referred to as property and also understood to be people. A detour onto this topic ensued.
16. At Delegate Vivas’s request I gave a defense of the notion of compensating expropriated slaveowners on the grounds that doing otherwise would create an economic catastrophe particularly in our already fragile financial state. Delegate Permira had two followup questions; I elaborated in response to the first but the chair did not ask that I go on in reply to the second.
17. Delegate Vivas inquires about minimum economic reimbursement to keep the economy afloat, such as compensating emancipated slaves themselves. I recommend against this on the grounds that it is more urgent than usual to grant money in exchange for activities which build up wealth, but allow that it is not per se blasphemous against Abadar to distribute gifts.
18. Delegate Liushna questions whether the will of Abadar is relevant. I alluded to the expropriation of the banks in Razmiran, prompting a mass exodus of Abadarans from its territory, even without provoking the god Himself, which Cheliax can ill afford.
19. Delegate Liushna impugns Abadar’s alignment.
20. Delegate Permira impugns my personal integrity."

This is spectacularly unproductive.

"I would like to move that the committee on slavery be expanded, to replace those members who quit with others who have some experience with legal proceedings and who have no personal stake in the matter." Reformers and halflings are intended to hear that as "others who are not slaveowners". Everyone else is intended to hear "Others who are not bloodthirsty ex-slaves".

"I see now that clearly I was mistaken in my impression that strix and slips do not good committee members make," he mutters loudly.

Oh, right, that guy sucks. 

"Hang on, I never said I quit the committee." He'd meant to be quitting but if they're going to replace him with a slip-lover that's worse.

"I volunteer to join the slavery committee. I am not a slaveowner, and I have long experience on related legal matters."

Wow that guy is determined to fail as hard as possible isn’t he.  Fernando is looking forward to seeing him dragged off for torture reeducation when this convention is over.

"Bearing in mind that such Minutes remain until Voted on the personal Recollection and Testimony of the wise Fiducia Agramunt, do said Minutes at least record the purported 'storming out' of certain Members of said Committee, and their remarks upon the occasion of the same? Moreover the intentions of said Members upon purportedly 'storming out' is a question of Fact, not completely amenable to Magic but more amenable to it, should this Body desire an inquest into their Motives. I have heard no dispute before now from any who sat in that Acrimonious Room that several Delegates resigned in a great Furor from the Committee in question, and confess my great Skepticism as to this sudden Claim."

Lluïsa doesn't really want to join the slavery committee but maybe should consider it, just so they stop making a mockery of Constitutional Drafting?

"I also volunteer. I have been a slaveowner at some times, freed slaves at other times, and have lived as a citizen in a country which permitted limited slavery in a way substantially superior to Infernal Cheliax. I think the broad experience may be helpful in providing examples which are acceptable compromises to all concerned." Also he's fairly radical on this subject but only people who have asked him about it or talked to the free halflings of Westcrown, which is to say no one but halflings, is likely to guess that.

"I nominate the Duchess of Chelam to the slavery committee, if she be agreeable."

She desperately does not want to deal with that. She nods her head gracefully. "I accept. I want to help the committee arrive at a proposal which will be acceptable to the larger body and Her Majesty and good for all the people of Cheliax, be they free or enslaved."

Well, so much for abolishing slavery.

"I would like to ask the President what the rules are for adding and removing members to or from a committee?"

Hmph. He'd rather almost anyone else besides the Duchess. Ah, well. Maybe they can come to an accord on the matter.

UGH she RESPECTED that guy why did he suggest "ooh lookit me I'm in charge because I said so" bitch for the committee. 

It'll be a headache but they'll get it done and she'll probably when she's done grousing about the headache be glad it was done well. "In that case, may I propose we table the floor resolutions for the time being, and see if more productive work on this can be done in committee with a different committee?"

"The slips and the strix are still on it!"

"Should they be manifestly unqualified for their duties I am sure the floor will hear about it."

”I volunteer for the slavery committee.”

Can he just volunteer or does he need a nomination?  He needs allies and he needs to figure out what the actual rules are to play this right.

"... I do the same," says a druid, sounding kind of irritated about it. Look, if Feather isn't her ally, or isn't a very good one, then she needs to figure out how to make some, somewhere. Her experience actually treating halfings as people is probably able to be leveraged or something.

Liushna is half confident half fervently hopeful that this druid is both a reasonable person with reasonable opinions, and less...inclined to get carried away...than Feather is. So that's good, probably (hopefully).

Why would they want the strix off it, she's perfectly sane and would probably eat a halfling first if she got hungry during committee, which you'd think they want?

Archmage Cotonnet still looks alive up there too, which means he hasn't died and devolved the Presidency on the Duchess de Chelam absent some very strange archmagic, but complaining about this is best reserved for those of at least comital rank or monsters who don't care, really.

"If I recall correctlhy, we're currently debating Delegate Barro's proposal to create a new economics committee, Delegate Vilar's proposal to exempt delegates from taxation for life" urgh, "Delegate Ramirez's proposal to exempt delegates and their descendants excluding nobles from taxation in perpetuity, Delegate de Chelam's resolution condemning slavery as Asmodean, and Delegate Ramirez's proposal to expand the membership of the slavery committee. The last seems likely to require more discussion, but as for the rest, I think we had better have some votes."

If all of the archdukes vote unanimously and very promptly and quite loudly, can the rest of the convention take a hint about which way they're supposed to vote? If not, she's going to have to buy all the sortition delegates for the rest of this convention to not be a farce and she's going to have to mortgage her ancestral lands to do it.

"I vote against both proposals to exempt delegates from taxation."

"I vote against both proposals to exempt delegates from taxation."

"I vote against both proposals to exempt delegates from taxation."

"I vote against both of the taxation exemption proposals." And their descendants is, as mentioned, ridiculous.

The wizard must be ecstatic at all of this. The whole thing is chaotic beyond belief. It's not just that the taxation proposals are short-sighted and self-serving, but there's not really a good system for all of it, which is what he finds most annoying. He knows Elie cares that people don't think he has his thumb on the scale, but some sort of guidance and procedure would not go amiss. But it's not his convention, and the annoyance is mixed with a touch of amusement at the circus of it all. And of course, the paladin trying to hinder the new government, which he can certainly appreciate.

Still, someone should say something.

"I fear things are getting out of hand, and would prefer some procedure for resolving these matters beyond shouting matches involving the whole of the convention," he says, rising from his seat with a nod toward the chair. "I admire the delegate's belief in the importance of economics. But adding a committee devoted to a general subject when there are already specific committees dealing with specific matters only causes confusion. The issue of taxation has already been raised in at least one committee, and is already being addressed in detail. What's more, the current proposals, while understandably appealing to the members of this body, are over-broad and cut against the very idea of this convention," he continues, looking directly at Alex. "And the issue of slavery is already being dealt with in its own committee, and we should wait on their recommendations before proceeding."

"For those reasons, I vote down the redundant proposed economics committee, both motions to exempt delegates from taxation, and the resolution declaring slavery as Asmodean. I have no opinion on the membership of the slavery committee, other than it should be settled by the regular channels for committee membership."

Having said his piece, he returns to his seat, staring at each delegate involved in the process in turn.

Praised be the new Queen for having at least chosen her archdukes well. 

He's not an archduke but people still look to him. "I - abstain, on the original tax exemption proposal. Against Baron Ramirez' version. Against the economics committee. In favor of the resolution condemning slavery."

Exempting all delegates from taxation: fails by an embarrassingly thin margin, 320-246 with a number of delegates abstaining out of either conviction or confusion. Exempting all non-noble delegates and their descendants: fails by a slightly larger margin, 344-221.

The resolution declaring that slavery is Asmodean passes, 404-160.

Republicanism is still terrible but not quite as bad as it could have been.

Thank Iomedae, sanity prevails. He voted against both tax exemptions, of course. Hopefully the reasonable politicians noticed and the 221 people who voted for his proposal didn't.

You literally proposed the version most destructive in the long term, you self obsessed and hypocritical shit! Well, if the country hadn’t immediately exploded upon the nobles not paying their taxes, but as a druid she’s not actually very clear on what percentage of the thing she doesn’t like (money) comes from certain factions she doesn’t like (nobility) or how that might cause the country to collapse. So, clearly, the short sighted all encompassing generational one was more ridiculous!!! And the guy who brought it up didn’t even vote for it himself!!! Aggravating!!!

(Nobody is likely to care about Voshrelka’s votes, but she voted the exact way she stated she would, which is against the very ridiculous rules, and also agrees slavery is Asmodean.)

The fragment of her soul that likes to encourage her people's independent natures, that makes her love her city as it is and not as it would be if the Thrunes had had their way, is more than a little disappointed follow-the-archduke worked so well on the non-noble delegates exemption; yes, it would be a terrible idea and unprincipled bribe voted to the convention over everyone else, but it ought to have at least gotten more votes in favor than the country-imploding first suggestion. Probably the famous paladin's vote mattered more than she'd have guessed.

(She voted that slavery is Asmodean, and would have even if she didn't believe it. Duh.)

"Having held those votes, I would like second Delegate Permira's request for general procedures for adding and removing committee members. Whether we choose them by statement of the President or, if he prefers, by vote, we need to know. And as Archduke Shawil says, we should settle it by those channels, not just make a single vote on changing one committee, regardless of how needed those changes might be."

Enric was ready to vote with the paladin against the archdukes, because that’s what you do when there’s a paladin standing alone against the world. Then the paladin abstained and now it’s just confusing. It would be nice to know that if he had kids they would never get harassed by a taxman, but it’s not right to put yourself above your neighbors just because you were in the same room as a bunch of nobles and they weren’t. Abstain.

Calling slavery Asmodean is obvious to anyone who knows the difference between good neighbors and manors with cruel lords. Voting yes on that one.

Iker knows where his loyalty stands. Voting against that paladin who keeps trying to turn the army to Lastwall. Voting with his future boss, whichever archduke that might be. 

Taís was going to vote for the tax proposals, not having to pay taxes would be really nice for her family and none of her kids having to pay them either would be even better, but if literally every archduke is against it she can take a hint. Getting murdered by an archduke for voting the wrong way would be bad.

Slavery is not Asmodean. One may hang a the painting on the wall without inviting Shelyn, eat bread without worshiping Erastil, be born and die without the least care for Pharasma, spend and earn without a backward glance at Abadar. Or perhaps it's Asmodean in the terrifically weak sense that the color red is too: chase out the color red and you'll do Shelyn more injury than Asmodeus. (It's more centrally Iomedae's color, but she doesn't seem like the type to care, while Shelyn would miss any color.)

Liushna abstained on both tax questions since she doesn't know enough about taxes to make an informed decision, and also her people don't pay the human crown taxes anyway so she doesn't have any skin in the game at all. 

She votes that slavery is Asmodean. She would also, you know, vote that the sky is blue, if it came up. 

Xavi votes exactly the same way as the delegate called on before him, which in this case was against paying taxes or having slavery.

He votes against, against, for.

Being excused from taxes is... tempting... but seems like it might be a poor idea systematically?  The archdukes are voting against, probably best to follow them.

Of course slavery is Asmodean, the new leadership is probably the expert on Good's thoughts on that sort of thing.  He's already ahead of his peers on freeing his halflings.  The clerks might have dragged their heels and grumbled some, but there was no resulting disaster, and most of the halflings even stuck around to keep working his cash crops!

Against, against, for, all loudly. If they don't need slavery it's a relief to be rid of it.

The Archdukes are watching, vote the way they do. Against, against, for.

The loyalty test is comically easy, even with a Paladin throwing a bit of confusion at it.  He didn't think Paladins were allowed to do that.  The Paladin abstained, so he guesses the Paladin couldn't even really commit to a deception, just put an idea out there to see if people were paying attention and not just copying the Paladin.  Against, against, for.

It is somewhat surprising how many people are failing such an easy test, but maybe Fernando is more ahead of the masses than he thought when it comes to Goodness and Lawfulness and Loyalty?  He feels better about himself already!

Daniel votes against the tax exemptions. Lower taxes is good and all but these proposals are just blatant self-interest.

He votes in favor of recognizing slavery as Asmodean—that one hundred and sixty delegates are complete idiots is disappointing, but it doesn't surprise him at this point.

As goes the cute boy, so goes Seguer.

Feather abstains on taxes and votes against slavery.

Josep votes for the tax exemptions, why not. The treasury won't even notice the absence of taxes from most of the people in this room, he's pretty sure. (The fact that all of the most prominent nobles in the kingdom are in the room and the treasury absolutely would notice the absence of their contributions flies comfortably over his head, despite Ramirez's proposal.)

Slavery is a tougher call. He really does not want to stand out from the crowd, but even more so, he does not want this proposal to pass. There are a bunch of people voting against it, including some nobles and many elected delegates, and he joins them practically on impulse. Then he spends the rest of the session cursing himself out for being so obvious and making himself a target, and not even getting the proposal defeated for it.

She votes against exempting all the nobles from taxes, on the grounds that they're parasites enough already, and against the tax exemption on commoners because it's pretty obvious how the noble who proposed it expects to benefit from all their descendants being immune. She votes against the slavery proposal too, because without Hell footing the bill slaves are the only real way to get enough resources, but unfortunately that one passes comfortably anyway.

Against both tax immunities - she considered voting for the first as a sop to Alfonso, but thankfully he's also voting against. The slavery one is a no brainer, and she's extremely pleased to see it passes so readily. It's also more evidence that Valia is right about the common people, considering how the sortition delegates are voting.

He votes against both tax proposals, and abstain on the slavery question. 

(He has, in fact, gotten his hands on any economics textbooks since being in the city)

"I didn't break any rules. I didn't even vote to kill innocent people, unlike certain members of the committee. He's also lying about what I said. I said that if slaves were freed and other property of the slaveowners was seized to give to them slaveowners would want to just murder their slaves before that happened. He's trying to get me kicked off the committee because I disagree with him — is that even allowed—"

(The last remark is clearly directed at Élie. He would never in a million years have said any of this under the old regime but he's pretty sure Good people have principles, and won't have him tortured at all for it.)

Élie is still working on the problem where Cansellarion is trying to destroy the government, but sure, fine, he can deal with this too.

"I agree with the Inquisitor that committee assignments should be carried out in a systematic fashion and not on a case by case basis, and suggest tabling the composition of this committee until one can be brought forward. That said, there seems to be some disagreement over whether you're being expelled from the committee or left of your own accord."

"I left the room after half of them voted to kill my entire family. I wasn't trying to quit the committee." He is not entirely sure he could testify to the second part of that under an Abadar's Truthtelling. If they put him under one he's planning to focus on all the horrible things the slips and the bird-monster did.

"I believe Delegate Barro's behavior was not on the whole worse than that of some members who are apparently intended to remain on the committee."

"Is there anyone else on the committee who can't tell the difference between a maimed halfling and a goat?" 

Well, looks like Cotonnet isn't going to set reasonable procedures for them. What makes sense...

You probably don't want simple majority to edit a committee, if she'd been able to do that with her aldermen she'd have had a committee of yes-men in hours. Two-thirds vote to remove members, or add volunteers? Sure.

Chair chosen by majority vote or as part of committee proposal, and breaks ties. Can't propose yourself as chair? Bribing someone is easy but doing that in a way that isn't obvious is much harder... sure, ban it.

Minimum size of five, maximum of... eleven? And the representation requirement; even with being a little more suspicious of Alexeara's judgment, Jilia suspects she wouldn't actually like the result if the nobility evaded that on the committees where it matters. If any of the committee are already more than eleven they can stay, but not get larger.

New committees take signups, five to eleven again, must meet the representation requirement and hold spots if they haven't yet. If there's too many signups, let the four types try to sort it out voluntarily. The President, or the chair if there's already a chair, can resolve it if not, or just by lot.

Something to revoke the committee's authority from the floor, like might happen with slavery if this doesn't go smoothly. Propose a new committee at least as large and have a two-thirds vote for it? Two-thirds for everything is easy to remember.

Given the current proposal, if the floor votes by two-thirds to add a list of volunteers, the chair should have to select from them up to the maximum size and add them.

It's more complicated than she likes, and any part of it would be easy to argue against, but other than the representation pieces she doesn't think anyone has reason to try.

...Sure. Good enough. Just write this down and wait for these people to either calm down or make fools of themselves.

"We voted to impose a legal punishment on a crime. Then Delegate Barro stormed out."

Huh. 'Desired for her unique perspective.' That's kind of strange, she would have expected to be gently passed over, but, well. She did go and display a sympathy to halflings. That's probably the sort of thing someone wants to leverage. She supposes she's probably committed now, or something. Maybe she can make, well, not friends, but allies.

"The baron explained that your law would punish people who just didn't hear slavery is illegal right away. You didn't care." He's said this like three times already. Fucking slips.

Permira, that isn't helping! She really needs to learn when to shut up.

'We voted to impose a legal punishment on a crime' isn't a defense when everyone already thinks you want to kill all slaveowners.

Is he getting passed over for the slavery committee?  That’s not ideal, but apparently lots of people are confused slavery is evil and Asmodean so he is still well above the bottom fourth.  He can distinguish himself later in the monarchy committee.  Or maybe try to start a new committee dealing with indentures and loans?  He can do that tomorrow.

"If anyone desires that I read the minutes of the discussed portion of the meeting I have them and did not get that far before."

"Archduchess, your proposal or one like it is unquestionably of the most pressing Need in the current case. However, the Majority of committees have not descended into such Acrimony as to become a Matter of Contention on the General Floor, and I would be saddened to see such a Productive and Collegial Committee as for example that on Virtuous Churches forced to bring its Minutiae to the General Floor, which is already heavily burdened with Debate. I have not enumerated the Committees now active but there are at least seven, of which but one is known to have devolved into Fractious Chaos, and it is a Useful Maxim that hard Cases make poor Law. Moreover the Chairs of my own Committees were chosen with little Strife. I would propose that in the Ordinary Course, a Committee's membership be the purview of said Committee, bringing to the Floor only those Disputes proving Intractable, yielding to such Proposal as you would make for such Intractable Cases."

"The aforesaid Remarks nonwithstanding, I would find myself on firmer Ground were there General Rules on the composition of Committees, the choosing of their Chairs, and other Procedural Matters. I merely do not wish to find an Amicable Committee operating by General Consensus unduly Burdened with Rules tailored towards the most Disagreeable. If a Committee invite a useful Member with no Opposition, need the General Floor concern itself? Therefore whatsoever may attain Unanimous Consent of a Committee, or even a Supermajority fixed at some useful Fraction considering that Amicable Disagreement is assuredly possible, should be able to dispense with such General Rules, treating them as useful Guidelines but not as Binding in the face of Collegial Consensus."

"Yes, I agree with the general thrust of your thoughts, Delegate Oriol. I think two-thirds vote by the committee ought to suffice for adding and removing members, and while the floor could override them, or replace them, as is currently being proposed, only by two-thirds vote. I've written some notes while others were speaking and can start distributing copies; I'd like to pass them by the President to ensure there aren't obvious flaws that he'd notice from experience, but I'm happy to propose them to the whole convention."

This archduchess knows how you do a Constitutional Convention correctly.

After a pause while people are either waiting for the papers to go around or bored, and in which Archmage Cotonnet makes no objections, Jilia reads the rules:

"Proposed rules for committees:

First: committees shall be at least five delegates and as many as eleven. Committees formed before this proposal are not required to shrink but may not grow beyond their current size. As agreed yesterday, the composition should reflect at least one delegate from each of the four major categories of delegate, to represent the convention properly.

Second: The committee chair may be set by a proposal which creates a committee, or by majority vote of the committee. It may be changed by majority vote of the committee. Committee chairs have the power to break tied votes and guide the procedural functioning of the committee.

Third: A committee may add or remove delegates by two-thirds vote of the committee. Additions are voluntary; delegates may refuse. Removals may not break the representation requirements; the committee must first add another delegate of the proper type before they can remove the last of that type already sitting.

Fourth: The floor of the convention may, by two-thirds vote, replace a committee with new membership of at least as many people, or add a slate of delegates to a committee, up to the maximum size. If this passes, the committee may not refuse, but if the slate is bigger than can be taken on, the chair may choose which to add. They can remove any of them the normal way, if they have the majority to do it afterward.

Fifth: A proposal to create a new committee may propose a chair, or impose special requirements on the membership. No one may propose themself as chair of a new committee. This proposal can pass by simple majority. New committees take signups on sheets like we used yesterday. Again, five to eleven members, and the representation requirements are in force. If that cannot be achieved the committee is not valid and cannot meet until it can be achieved.

Sixth: If there are too many, the volunteers should try to agree among themselves. If they cannot, and a chair has been set, the chair may select the members; if there is no chair, the President may select them, or if he declines to intervene they will be selected by lot, attempting to balance the number randomly chosen to the four main types of delegate in proportion to the number of volunteers of each type."

"These rules are not perfect and I am, thank the gods, not a lawyer, but I think they will do well enough, and if they fail in some unusual case we can still appeal to the President."

Someone who is a lawyer is broadly in favor of Rules, and will quibble in various ways like "what if the lone cleric on a committee of 11 wants to leave but can't add a replacement cleric first before leaving because this would bring the committee up to 12" or "should the limit instead be 13" or "is a supermajority 2/3, or 2/3 + 1" or another attempt to require proportional representation.

She's having fun.

And they argued about details, and some of them changed, but it largely stayed intact and got passed by a comfortable margin, because almost no one else could manage to have an opinion on rules of order either.