"Oh, thank you, your Excellency. I was hoping someone had something prepared now that we've seen what a disaster it is to have loopholes everywhere."

"I think we must define 'publication', and may wish to establish some initial list of presumptively approved works - holy books, if nothing else, while the virtuous faiths are still establishing themselves in the ruins of Asmodeanism."

"There was hardly a disaster. One pointless pamphlet, at great expense and effort. If she wants to invite every adventurer in Westcrown to focus their attention on her, then a few days of silliness with no realistic chance of causing unrest is a small price to pay for her to be removed promptly."

"The damage caused by a single pamphlet promoting necromancy may have been limited in this case, but the fact that such a pamphlet was legal at all, when its contents are so clearly objectionable, indicates that the current law is inadequate."

"The lich is the only one to have found a loophole with which to make a mockery of the law within the first eight hours of its passage, but it seems suggestive of how easily such loopholes will be found in general. And I think that the mad Badgers may indeed cause unrest; if nothing else they make the city's government look incompetent, foolish, and utterly disinterested in protecting its citizens. And Evil. Only in Geb and Osirion can one advertise necromantic services in pamphlets papered on the walls. They permit it because they countenance Evil; we permit it out of sheer incompetence."

"The law is perfectly adequate. That a determined sixth-circle wizard, if not stronger, can circumvent it, is no flaw at all; such a wizard could get around this new proposal as well, in just as little time. That she is a lich makes it more embarrassing, but also more easily corrected, as I am sure it will be by Sunday. The point of a censorship law was to prevent what happened with Wain's speech being published and garbled from happening again; this has successfully been prevented. To ban further publications which do no harm to the public is pure tyranny and nothing else."

"In my understanding, the lich's wizardry only sped up her ability to circumvent it, making it possible yesterday rather than next week. Couldn't someone without any spells at all have the same pamphlet approved by post to Osirion?"

"A high circle wizard could suborn a local censorship board by enchantment, which may also be what she did in Osirion for all we know," Jaume observes.

"One problem with the whole conceit of exporting important work to foreign countries is that there's no way to check what happened. Maybe it bespelled them, maybe it just threatened them, but we can hardly investigate. Our publications should be overseen by our own people, and then this won't happen."

Elias is going to sit out this argument because the lich, observably, isn't posting radical pamphlets, just stupid ones, and so he's not invested in her. They need law and order, not quibbling about nonsense.

"Fiducia Agramunt has the right of it. I will remind you all that we cannot possibly afford to staff a Censor's board with enough volume to cover a small fraction of the demand. We did not include other trustworthy censorship boards on a whim, in the draft that Rights proposed! Lastwall and Osirion have the capacity to approve works which are not injurious to the public interest; we do not. I'm surprised they were persuadable that this particular pamphlet wasn't injurious, but they have much better judgment than a Censor's board of less than a dozen people all of whom have other more pressing duties they must attend to. Because the judgment that such a small Censor's board can afford is nearly indistinguishable from the judgment of a rock on which has been written 'approve nothing'. If this proposal is passed, the most literate country in the world will ban books. Not just specific books; all of them. Booksellers in every city and town will have their business ruined and reduced to penury. Cities and towns where eight or nine people in every ten can read and read often will be denied the ability to read so much as a cookbook or book of accounts. If we do not enforce it, we will be no better than Taldor, where no one bothers to get approval and everything is published anyway. If we do try to enforce it, which we also cannot afford to do, there will be riots."

"In forty years, it is possible we could pass this and have it be just. But as it is, in the state we actually live in, it is arguably Evil and inarguably foolish. Much like the Badger's pamphlets."

"A wise and interesting perspective, Archduchess." Not a word that comes out of the woman's mouth is worth listening to; she supported Valia Wain.

A publication includes any form of written or pictorial communication that is not kept private, such as broadsheets, flyers, pasquinades, satirical drawings, etc.

This statute initially authorizes the holy books of Iomedae, Abadar, Aroden, Erastil, Irori, and Pharasma, so long as they are copied in their entirety with no commentary. It additionally instructs the Royal Censorship Board to give priority consideration to the holy books of other virtuous faiths.

He slides his paper to the Fiducia. "Does this wording seem adequate?"

"As was raised by the Sower in the Rights Committee, Conde, that still bans the Parables of Erastil. The commentary is different in every copy, and adding your own local parables is considered an important sacrament. If they give priority to approving the Parables, they will be too busy doing so on circuit to ever return to the cities for anything else."

"I think this pushes back the need for definition to 'private'. Further we might not like to provoke the Shelynites on the floor, is there something objectionable about the Melodies?"

Felip arrives a little late, looking forty years older, slightly challenging to recognize as the same person. (Jonatan's servants didn't; that's why he's late.) His hair has all fallen out, but it's clearly the same ducal coronet and other gear. (Well, it's a different silk doublet; the convention hasn't gone on long enough that he has to repeat yet.)

"My apologies; what have I missed?"

"—Are you alright, Your Grace?"

"I spent much of last evening clearing out a lich's lair, with several other delegates from the convention." He looks around, and nods at Vidal. "Speaking of which, I don't see either the Lord Marshal or Archduke Narikopolus; perhaps they're taking a well-earned rest."

"Well, I congratulate you on your service to the people of Westcrown. Speaking of which, we were just working on a proposal to address the gaps in the censorship law exploited by, I presume, said lich." He hands them a copy of the draft, then returns to editing the holy book section.

Aren't most Sowers illiterate peasants anyways? He'd rather protect their holy book if he could, but it's not important enough to be worth necromantic propaganda on the streets. The Shelynites have been awfully radical on the floor, and he certainly wouldn't trust their judgment, but their holy book is probably unobjectionable.

This statute initially authorizes the holy books of Iomedae, Abadar, Aroden, Erastil, Irori, Pharasma, and Shelyn, so long as they are copied in their entirety with no commentary. It additionally instructs the Royal Censorship Board to give priority consideration to the holy books of other virtuous faiths not listed in this statute. Nothing in this law shall prohibit empowered clerics of Erastil from privately writing commentaries in their personal copies of the Parables of Erastil, so long as these commentaries do not violate other laws (such as the law against slander), do not promote gravely immoral action, and are not disseminated, published, or sold.

"Congratulations on removing the source of the problem, Your Grace, and thence obviating this committee session entirely. I expected that to take several more days."

"Conde, the entire point of a holy book is to be disseminated. A copy typically exists for the use of a whole village, and even the least educated villages of Cheliax still have around a third of citizens literate; our literacy is the one great strength of Cheliax we have retained, and this proposal continues to ignore it and throw away the one advantage we have while rebuilding. You have not actually improved matters. I've also heard Irori's book is the same, though I can't personally verify it and wouldn't consider it a major priority."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but the Lord Marshal deserves the congratulations far more than I do," he says with real humility. Seeing Cansellarion in action was a privilege.

"I think the lesson we should take is that effective governance of Cheliax is possible, now that those who were once preparing to conquer it are now active in its defense. I do not think we have obviated the Conde's concerns; the lich may have been swifter in exposing the holes in the previous bill than others, but the fact that there are holes remain. We might come to think we owe her thanks, for giving us the opportunity to immediately mend them." 

"It would be unfortunate if the necessity of preserving public order resulted in unnecessary harm to Erastil's faith, and I'm happy to hear suggestions for alternate phrasings that would permit His holy book without inadvertently enabling the publication of immoral or dangerous texts." He is not particularly happy to instead hear complaints about how it's perfectly acceptable if the law allows liches to promote necromancy, but he doesn't really expect the Archduchess to care.

"Are there any other concerns about the wording of the law, or the list of approved holy books? I expect most magistrates are capable of exercising reasonable judgment about what constitutes 'private,' and can avoid convicting people for writing personal letters or other things of that nature. If you think this is a major concern I can add a definition, Fiducia, I just expect it to fail in some circumstances."

Narikopolus is shown in by the Conde's servants, and takes a seat. Apparently the official schedule is no longer relevant, and they're instead to begin competing to arrive as early as possible. "Urgent business?"

"Perhaps something like 'reasonably understood to be private' would suffice to allow the magistrates to exercise such discretion."

"Your Highness, my apologies for summoning you at such an early hour. Given the demonstrated inadequacy of yesterday's proposal on censorship, we're drafting an alternative to bring to the floor."

He shows the Archduke the current draft. It reads:

This statute hereby repeals the publication statute of 9 Sarenrith, and replaces it with the following:

There shall be established a Royal Censorship Board for the distribution of published works, to be staffed by men of good character who are approved by and serve at the pleasure of the Queen. The initial makeup of this board shall be established by the convention. The distribution, sale, purchase, or dissemination of any pamphlet, book, or other publication not thereby approved by the Royal Censorship Board is illegal. The Royal Censorship Board shall be tasked with ensuring that all materials published in Cheliax shall comply with the laws of Cheliax; that they shall not promote crime, violence, anarchism, or disorder; that they shall contain nothing obscene; that they shall not contain any grave offenses to morality; that they shall not promote false teachings about the gods nor promote the worship of any power of the Lower Planes, nor any other Evil power; and that they shall be moral, sensible, and prudent to publish. 

A publication includes any form of written or pictorial communication, such as broadsheets, flyers, pasquinades, satirical drawings, etc., except for communications reasonably understood to be private, such as personal letters.

The censor's office shall promulgate a method of marking approved publications; any approved publication distributed without such markings is subject to not less than 7 days in prison and a ban on all further dissemination, publication, or sale for the criminal for 1 year. The dissemination of material not approved by the censors shall be punished by not less 1 year of hard labor 100 crowns in fines, with an extra year of labor for every 10 crowns unpaid, and the criminal may never again publish works. If an illegal publication incites readers to a crime, or is followed by crimes resulting in deaths or property damage in excess of 200 crowns, it is a capital offense. Purchasing or otherwise intentionally obtaining a publication banned under this decree shall be punished by not less than 40 lashes or 7 days in prison, and a fine of 5 silver per page purchased.

The Crown and Convention may ban publications even if they have previously been approved by the censors. Lord Mayors and Nobles may apply additional restrictions to publications in those territories they rule but may not legalize works that are otherwise banned by the crown, convention, or Royal Censorship Bureau. Nothing in this decree shall prohibit the faithful copying of laws of this realm, nor official decrees, so long as they are copied in their entirety with no commentary. This decree does not make legal any publications banned under other decrees or statutes.

This statute initially authorizes the holy books of Iomedae, Abadar, Aroden, Erastil, Irori, Pharasma, and Shelyn, so long as they are copied in their entirety with no commentary. It additionally instructs the Royal Censorship Board to give priority consideration to the holy books of other virtuous faiths not listed in this statute. Nothing in this law shall prohibit empowered clerics of Erastil from privately writing commentaries in their personal copies of the Parables of Erastil, so long as these commentaries do not violate other laws (such as the law against slander), do not promote gravely immoral action, and are not disseminated, published, or sold.