"I'm not sure, Jilia. It's... still too complex for most people, I think? And they're probably wrong to trust nobility to handle it but they might do it anyway."

"You may be right, but I'm not sure what could be cut down to simplify it. Do we have anyone recruited locally this week I could ask?"

"Hmm... Albalat, the first-circle copyist we hired away from pamphlet distribution? I'll bring her in to ask."

"Miss Albalat? Her Grace would like to get your input on a bill about publishing."

She looks up from her work. 

"Of course, ma'am, I'd be happy to provide it. Do you have a copy of the bill?"

"It's in the other room, please come with me. Also, it's not guaranteed that she'll propose this, depending on the debate. We'll be trusting your discretion about the matter if she does not; it would be an embarrassment with her allies in Kintargo."

She follows Sofia into the other room.

"You have my word that I won't share it without permission." Llora does not entirely understand the complexities of the political situation in Kintargo, but "don't share around your employer the Archduchess's plans when she specifically asked you not to" is really very simple.

"Thank you, Miss Albalat. I'm expecting several proposals to be made around censorship, to limit the possibility of more pamphlet-inspired riots. I'd like to, while we're doing that, not put all our country's booksellers out of business, and hopefully allow some pamphlets as long as they aren't inflammatory. I'd like your thoughts, as a native of Westcrown with good instincts for your neighbors, on what I and Lady Sofia have written so far. Will it work, is it confusing, what will people's reactions to it be, anything else that comes to mind."

She reads it over.

"I'm not entirely clear on how people are supposed to go about publishing works that are political or religious, if they don't fall under one of the other exceptions. I assume that's what the censor boards are for, except this doesn't say anything about how to submit political or religious works to them, or what process they're supposed to use, or what sorts of things will or won't be allowed, or how long they have to review works if they aren't the kind with no religion and no politics. I think — most people will expect the censor boards not to allow almost anything religious or political at all, unless it's very flattering to the Queen, or the Church is pushing hard for it.

...There's other things I notice too, but I figure that one's probably the most important one, it matters for a lot of the other things I noticed."

"That's a real concern. I was hoping to leave it open, because nobles always like getting to run things their way, and we have quite a few of those in the convention. Do you think people will still think that, if they see books and newspapers from other countries which aren't especially flattering?"

"...I think if you leave it open, it'll be set by whichever noble is loudest, or richest, or most Splendid, and maybe that noble has good ideas or maybe they have bad ones and there's no real way to know in advance."

Llora has heard on good authority that the nobility includes oathbreakers — not even men who broke oaths to the Thrunes, but men who broke oaths to Cheliax's allies. She absolutely does not want to rely on the least reasonable noble being reasonable.

"I think it'll depend on what sorts of books they are." She frowns. "I'm not certain what sorts of books and pamphlets are common in other countries, almost everything anyone hired me to copy was something that was written in Cheliax. But I think — most people are going to be cautious about what sorts of books they bring in from other countries, even if the law says they're allowed, because they won't trust that the Queen really won't have them punished for it." Llora absolutely does not trust that the Queen won't have her punished for it. "And most people don't know of very many books that were published in other countries, so if someone did want to bring in foreign books, they probably wouldn't even know what books to ask for, and might not be able to afford to have them brought from another country even if they knew."

"My intent is... that nobles who want lots of books will approve them, and ones who do not will forbid them, and the publishers will move to the ones with more freedom if they can. The more radical cities like Pezzack will probably give themself quite a lot of freedom of the pen, and most other places will have much less. Is there something else I could write, that would look more like that to you?"

There's not much she can do about the distrust of the Queen, besides hope it's misplaced and the people learn that eventually.

"—That ties into one of the other things I was thinking. It seems to me that this law is placing a lot of faith in the judgment of whoever the least reasonable count is, and relatedly that it makes it hard to know for sure if what you're publishing is legal, if you're travelling between different counties, or even possibly if you aren't. There's nearly a hundred fifty counts, it'd be nearly impossible to keep track of which ones respected whose censorship boards, especially when it could change at any time. And then there's still the risk that whichever Count has the worst judgment would just... allow people to stir up all kinds of trouble. If the other counts didn't already know not to trust his judgment, it might be too late by the time anyone noticed they shouldn't.

I think... it would help if there were more details about how the censor boards were supposed to work, so that people had any idea at all what to expect. Anything that they should definitely not allow, besides what the Queen already made illegal, any reasons they shouldn't be allowed to not allow something, if you can think of any, whether they're allowed to punish you just for submitting something that they decide to reject, whether there should be a time limit like there is with books that aren't religious or political, that sort of thing. ...Probably in a lot of places they'll just only allow people to publish who bribe them enough, but I can't think of a good way to prevent that." Llora has never seen a law against bribery that was actually well-enforced.

"Hmm. I think most people currently publishing don't travel very much. They stay in their town and make copies of what they already have, and occasionally buy books from elsewhere and add them to their stock. So they would talk to their count, or perhaps their duke or archduke, and add fewer things to their stock, but not be worried much by what any other count says."

"But I should definitely say something about changing which boards a lord listens to, and a timeline for approval - I don't think it can be strict, just in case they get many more books to approve than they thought, but something - and definitely protection for submitting something that gets rejected later. For trusting the count with the worst judgment..."

Well, honestly that's actually Jilia's hidden goal, here, only as a worry instead of an aspiration, but she's not saying that to anyone but Sofia and that only in private.

"...I think an unwise count in the north of Sirmium can't have much effect on anyone down here in Westcrown, nor anything in the Duchy of Crownbay on Sirmium or Ravounel. Things don't move quite so easily, and a count's neighbors can appeal to him to stop, or to their shared liege. Does that make sense, or are you worried about something else?"

"I agree most people don't travel much, but some people do, if they didn't there'd be no point in having the rules about being allowed to publish things approved in other counties at all. 

...I think there are two things I'm worried about. The first is that even if a copyist is trying very hard to follow the law, they might get confused about what they're allowed to publish, if the rules are different everywhere, and they might change at any time, and even if you're doing your very best to follow them someone might lie or be mistaken about where a pamphlet was originally approved.

The second one is — I really don't want more riots. And, I don't know for sure what the people stirring up riots were thinking, but I don't want to leave open ways for them to do it and be allowed to. ...Or even for them to just lie and say a pamphlet was approved in some other county when it wasn't, if it's anything like the pamphlets that were calling for people to rise up against the Queen — not the ones that were obviously breaking the decrees, I assume those would be illegal either way, but even just the ones that were being subtle about it. It seems like it'd be hard to check quickly enough whether it was really allowed in some other county."

"Hmm. Maybe I should limit it to duchies rather than counties, so there are fewer places to ask... I'm not sure about that, but let me write down some sections to address things you've said. Just put these new pieces between the other numbered paragraphs:"

1.5 Publications which have been approved by a censor board may additionally add the name and jurisdiction of the board and a date of approval to the first page alongside the mark. Falsifying this approval is a crime punishable as above, but writing a date later than the official date of approval is not considered falsification, so long as it remained approved as of the date written. Publications which are approved but do not have a mark and date indicating that approval may be seized temporarily by agents of the crown or local nobles while the claims of authorization are expeditiously verified, but if the approval was genuine they must be returned and the publisher or distributor compensated for any other penalties imposed.

4.5. Publications may be submitted in whole to any censor board for approval, with the mark and date affixed. Such submission is never a crime, even if it is not thereafter approved by the board. A board of censors should expect to render judgement on works less than twenty pages in one month and on longer works in one year, but are not required by law to meet these standards unless the board or its lord charges taxes on the process of submitting publications for approval within its jurisdiction or on the publishing of approved works within its jurisdiction. If it does charge such taxes, a judgement must be made in the expected time, and any fees or charges for submitting a work for approval must be returned at the end of that time if it is not approved.

8.5 A proclamation that a certain noble's jurisdiction will henceforth permit works approved by a given board of censors may take effect immediately, but a proclamation that a certain board of censors will no longer be honored may not take effect for one year from the time it is made public. Selling or distributing a publication which is marked with a censorial approval in a jurisdiction which honors the approvals from the board of censors indicated, or which honored that board of censors until recently, is not a crime, even if that mark of approval has been falsified, unless the individual seller or distributor already knew that the approval was false or invalid in their locality.

She points at 8.5. "I think this is good for helping people know they won't get in trouble, but bad for if someplace turns out to be approving pamphlets that might cause riots. Is there a way to say — you won't get in trouble for a year, if no one has told you that you weren't allowed to publish works from those places anymore, but once you've been told you have to stop right away even if it hasn't been a year yet?"

"I think 'unless they already knew' should cover that, but I can say 'unless they already knew or had been warned by the guard or the crown' if that's clearer."

"The part that's making that unclear is the part about how the proclamation can't take effect for a year, not the 'unless they already knew' part."

"Oh, I see, my apologies. Right, let me re-write that:"

A proclamation that a certain noble's jurisdiction will henceforth permit works approved by a given board of censors may take effect immediately, as may a proclamation that a given board of censors will no longer be honored. But in the case of removing approval, there may be no criminal penalties for continuing to attempt distribution of works no longer permitted for one year, unless the individual seller or distributor already knew that the approval was false or invalid in their locality. Selling or distributing a publication which is marked with a censorial approval in a jurisdiction which honors the approvals from the board of censors indicated is likewise not a crime, even if that mark of approval has been falsified, unless the individual seller or distributor already knew that the approval was false or invalid in their locality.

"Better?"

She nods. "And maybe you could also add something about the Queen being allowed to take away a specific noble's right to run a censorship board, if he runs it too badly. Or, I mean, of course she could, she's the Queen, but if you write it down then the nobles might be thinking about it when they set up their censorship boards, and they won't set them up to approve anything that would start a riot."

But then the Queen might tell Jilia she can't have a radically permissive censorship board and she'll have to let Jackdaw fight a war of secession...

"I think nobles will almost always be too restrictive, since it's their own lands that are being affected first if they allow incendiary things. But I think I can put that in as a warning; 'Nobles have a duty to not permit the publication of works inciting serious crimes and Her Majesty may invalidate their censors if they fail in this duty,' might do. ...Was there anything else that came to mind? Or things I've forgotten in making my edits?"

"I can't think of anything else, Your Grace."

"Good. I'm hoping there's something better someone's been working on all week, but I want to have something suitable ready. If you think of something else tomorrow, let me or Lady Sofia know. And thank you very much for your help, Llora."

1. Publications must bear a date of publication, and an arcane mark on their first page indicating the wizard responsible for creating it, or else the holy symbol of an approved church or seal of a noble responsible for creating it and the arcane mark of a wizard on record for certifying such approvals. Falsifying this date, symbol, seal, or mark is a crime subject to not less than 60 days in prison, and is taken as proof of intent for incitement, proselytization, or any similar crime such a publication may be considered to commit.

2. Publications which have been approved by a censor board may additionally add the name and jurisdiction of the board and a date of approval to the first page alongside the mark. Falsifying this approval is a crime punishable as above, but writing a date later than the official date of approval is not considered falsification, so long as it remained approved as of the date written. Publications which are approved but do not have a mark and date indicating that approval may be seized temporarily by agents of the crown or local nobles while the claims of authorization are expeditiously verified, but if the approval was genuine they must be returned and the publisher or distributor compensated for any other penalties imposed.

3. All publications approved by an official censor board within Cheliax or approved in a friendly Lawful country may be produced and distributed freely provided they have minimal differences from the version approved and those differences are not judged to deliberately change the message in a politically or religiously significant manner.

4. All publications approved in another friendly country which have gone one year from initial publication without violating the local laws of that country which permitted their publication may from that point forward be produced and distributed freely in Cheliax, provided they have minimal differences &c.

5. Books of the Law of Cheliax or any jurisdiction within it are automatically considered approved by the Queen. Books of the Law of allied countries are automatically considered approved by the censor board of those countries. These may be abridged so long as the abridgement is no shorter than twenty pages, the abridged sections have minimal differences from the original, and neither abridging nor differences are judged to deliberately change the content in a politically or religiously significant manner.

6. Publications may be submitted in whole to any censor board for approval, with the mark and date affixed. Such submission is never a crime, even if it is not thereafter approved by the board. A board of censors should expect to render judgement on works less than twenty pages in one month and on longer works in one year, but are not required by law to meet these standards unless the board or its lord charges taxes on the process of submitting publications for approval within its jurisdiction or on the publishing of approved works within its jurisdiction. If it does charge such taxes, a judgement must be made in the expected time, and any fees or charges for submitting a work for approval must be returned at the end of that time if it is not approved.

7. Publications of any length with no political or religious message may be submitted to an appropriate censor board with a date and a sworn affidavit that the author believes this to be true. After two days excluding Sundays for a work less than twenty pages or two weeks for longer works, if not informed by the censors that it is forbidden, they may publish the work under the assumption it is approved. Up to one year after submission to the censors, such board may inform them that it has instead been rejected, at which point they must immediately cease distribution. This is not criminal unless it is judged the affidavit was falsely sworn, in which case it is a crime punishable as above.

8. Any publications of at least twenty pages which were created before Sarenith 4714 may be given the arcane mark of an unapproved wizard and have the date noted as Sarenith 1 4714. Such wizards may personally sell those works and make further copies of them with the same date until Sarenith 1 4719, when this permission expires. Such publications may not be resold unless and until they receive full approval from a censor board. Falsifying this mark is a crime punished as above.

9. Nobles of the rank of Count or above may approve wizards for certifying publications within their lands, and establish local censor boards. Such an approval lasts for the lifetime of the approving noble, or until such time as they step down or are removed from their post, plus five years, or for the life of the wizard if approved by the monarch, unless revoked by the approving noble. Knowledge of such approvals and revocations must be conveyed promptly to the Royal Censorship Board and its ministers, including examples of the arcane marks involved, which will be kept on file to assess whether works were legal at their time of publication. Nobles have a duty not to permit the publication of works inciting serious crimes and Her Majesty may invalidate their boards of censors if they fail in this duty.

10. It is not criminal to attempt to distribute a approved publication outside of the lands in which it was approved, and such publications may not be confiscated, unless their approval is false. However, nobles of Count and higher are permitted to establish rules about which censor boards other than those of their direct or indirect lieges are recognized, and refuse others. If a publication is not legal to distribute within a jurisdiction, it must be kept private until it is in another jurisdiction where it is permitted; violating this after being given warning may be punished by 30 days in prison followed by exile to the publications' point of origin immediately thereafter, permitting return only if no forbidden publications are in the convicted's possession.

11. A proclamation that a certain noble's jurisdiction will henceforth permit works approved by a given board of censors may take effect immediately, as may a proclamation that a given board of censors will no longer be honored. But in the case of removing approval, there may be no criminal penalties for continuing to attempt distribution of works no longer permitted for one year, unless the individual seller or distributor already knew that the approval was false or invalid in their locality. Selling or distributing a publication which is marked with a censorial approval in a jurisdiction which honors the approvals from the board of censors indicated is likewise not a crime, even if that mark of approval has been falsified, unless the individual seller or distributor already knew that the approval was false or invalid in their locality.

12. Personal correspondence, personal notes and records, transcripts of the meetings of the government at any level and in any form (incl. city councils, constitutional convention, legislatures of a town, city, or larger area where they exist, &c), transcripts of sermons, business records, &c, may be produced and copied without authorization, provided they are kept private; i.e., not distributed outside a small audience, not read in a public square or public house, and not put on display outside a private domicile.

13. Notwithstanding the normal approval process, if it is judged that a publication was deliberately intended to incite capital crimes, including but not limited to murder and arson, then whichever of the publisher and author had ill intent, potentially both, are liable for the harm done and may receive the sentence and they or their estates charged for the damages which result.

14. As of the adoption of these laws, Lastwall, Molthune, and Osirion are considered friendly Lawful countries and Andoran, Galt, and the Thuvian city-states are considered other friendly countries. The Queen, or her censor board or any other committee she designates, may change these lists, and any country which declares war on Cheliax is immediately removed from both lists.

15. The monarch has sole authority to override these rules and ban works otherwise permitted by them, by decree or statute, including decrees promulgated before these rules were passed, and the royal word takes precedence.