When the delegates return from the mid-morning break, the baron who chairs the Succession Committee is standing in front of the podium.

"Honored delegates, the Committee on Succession and Inheritance has prepared a proposal for your consideration, to formally set out the laws of succession among the nobility in Cheliax. This is a matter of grave importance for the stability and prosperity of our country, and the Succession Committee hopes to formalize it with all due haste, to avoid the present situation of uncertainty.

In drafting this proposal, we have endeavored to ensure that the various longstanding traditions of the noble houses of Cheliax will not be infringed upon, while ensuring that the needs of Cheliax are accommodated. The crux of this proposal is that the holder of a title designates their heir, as has been longstanding practice, far predating the rise of House Thrune, among many of our great houses, including..." He names several examples. "The remainder of the proposal serves primarily to clarify what will happen in ambiguous situations, such as if a titleholder fails to name an heir, as well as to set out a small number of common-sense disqualifications for inheritance. 

We have chosen to propose this system over the other systems in common use in Cheliax for several reasons. First, many of our resurrected nobility have no direct descendants, nor close living relatives. By permitting them to designate an heir of their choice, we avoid disaster if one of them should die permanently before producing an heir. Secondly, the first-born child is not always the most suited to rulership. We have all seen the terrible damage that can be done by a ruler who is not suited for it; let us be governed by wise and virtuous people, not merely by whichever child happens to be the oldest. Thirdly, if we are setting forth a single standard for all Cheliax, it is important, to the extent possible, that we avoid causing unnecessary disruption; where a noble house by long-standing tradition has relied on some more unusual method of succession, this permits the titleholder to simply designate whoever would ordinarily have inherited their title as their heir.

Our full proposal is this:

Having considered the laws and customs of the various regions of Cheliax, and in the interest of promoting order and stability while preventing the offenses of the previous regime, we propose the following:

All matters of succession, inheritance, and similar matters among the nobility shall be decided by the designation of an heir by the person currently in rightful possession of the title and lands in question.

They shall be given discretion over their choice, with the following exceptions: no one shall be allowed to inherit who is possessed of anarchic character, save those individuals granted special dispensation by the Queen in recognition of their involvement in overthrowing the previous regime or similar service, nor who, from the date of adoption of this constitution, engages in manifest worship of any Evil power or any power of the lower planes (including any form of diabolism), recklessly disregards the laws of Cheliax, commits perfidy, or suffers from imbecility. Additionally, any heir who is found to have lawlessly brought about the death of his predecessor shall automatically be disinherited.

This committee calls upon those members of the nobility who are currently without clear heir to designate one at their earliest convenience.

In the event that a noble should die without a designated and suitable heir, or that a noble should be found to be in violation of the disqualifying criteria previously outlined, the title shall instead pass first to the legitimate children of the decedent (in the former case) or of the last titleholder before the one so disqualified (in the latter case), then to their natural children, then to the cousins in order of degree of kinship, starting in all cases from the eldest. If the family line is extinct, the heir shall instead be designated by the liege-lord of said person. In respect to the various ancient traditions of our noble houses, dating back to the time of Aroden, which are too diverse to enumerate here, those houses which find this method unsatisfactory may now reaffirm their own traditional methods of succession by consent of all qualified titleholders of that house, which shall supersede the procedures outlined herein save in the matter of disqualifying criteria, to which they may add but not subtract. In the interest of ensuring that the matter of succession is as unambiguous as possible, all houses wishing to reaffirm such a tradition shall write to the Queen with all possible haste seeking her blessing on their traditions.

If there is a dispute as to whether disqualifying criteria are applicable, it shall be judged by deliberation among several people: one selected by each claimant, one selected by the liege-lord, one selected by the Crown or a designee of the Crown, and three clergy members selected by the clergy of the Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, and Neutral Good churches with the greatest number of adherents in the liege-lord’s lands.

Owing to ancient customs and tradition, in the Archduchy of the Hellcoast, a claimant to a title may appeal to his overlord and the public opinion to overturn the choice of the previous holder of the title. Such an appeal should be made to a commission appointed by the liege lord, consisting of the lord himself or his representative, and two known and respectable persons from the region, one appointed by each claimant. The commission is then directed to take into account the character, lawfulness, experience, and general fitness of the two candidates, as well as their age, intelligence, and prospects for a clear succession going forward.

Owing to ancient customs and tradition, in the Archduchy of Longmarch, traditional rules of inheritance for each House is not to be challenged other than in a full court consisting of a representative of every noble of Count rank or greater, and in Longmarch the age of inheritance is to be determined by the customs of the ruling House.

Should the rightful heir to a title, as chosen and affirmed by these rules, be under the age of inheritance or temporarily incapacitated, a regent shall be appointed to guide the heir and rule in his stead until he comes of age, chosen by the previous title holder. In the absence of such a choice, or should a regent be unfit for his post, the procedures detailed above for the choice of heir shall apply.

I appreciate your consideration of this proposal."