"By longstanding tradition, the approval of regents for the Crown has required the consent of a body of men far more similar to the consultative than the deliberative." (Primarily in the sense that it makes civil war marginally less likely if it's clear the counts are united, or so he was taught; it is not as if his tutors had many examples to draw from.) "It seems unlikely to matter in the near future, but I would not wish to leave our country headless for months if it can be avoided."

"I can see the wisdom of it. The Crown's appointed regent could begin to act immediately with limited powers, until approved in their office by the consultative body. If no such regent has been appointed, the deliberative body can appoint an acting regent, who has the same limited powers until approved, and if either is rejected by the consultative body the deliberative body must appoint another regent. But the Queen's brother is an adult, and so this will not be an issue until the future. But... he hardly has the security from danger that the Queen and her archmage friends enjoy from any common threat. And besides, I worry that power attracts danger commensurate with it, and it is the truly rare threats that we must consider."

He glances down the table.

"The House of Fraga was always deliberately small and thus fragile, concentrating our sorcerous power to better rule and protect. But now I find my modest family is a wealth of relations, by the standards of contemporary Cheliax. Regency, and process of filling vacant seats, will no doubt be on the minds of many."

He is ranging broadly, again. Time to refocus him. "Indeed, but on such a personal matter I expect most to choose sensibly. Perhaps we should determine whether there is anything else to add to our sketch of the legislature to flesh it out, or whether it is complete enough for others to consider."

"If there are to be religious or elected bodies working alongside the consultative body, as we were discussing earlier, we ought have some proposal for the proper responsibilities of those bodies, even if the Lord-Marshal will likely want to refine it."

"In a negotiation, it is best to learn from the other side what they value dearly and trade it to them, not guess and perhaps overspend. Let us set the structure, one example, and a process for creating more, and see what they clamor for. The wizards of the realm may wish to set the standards for the academies, or they might not, content to leave it to the boards of individual institutions. If we assign them the work they may be reluctant to let go of it.

But as for the form--it could be different consultative bodies, spread widely throughout the realm like the counts, but I doubt this will provide much wisdom to the government. Do we need a majority of Pharasmin clerics to approve of regulations for graveyards, or can we simply consult with the church, or a single cleric in the relevant ministry?

We could flip it on its head, and instead propose different deliberative bodies. The Pharasmins might be able to propose decrees related to their remit, which must then be approved by the consultative body. This maintains power in the hands of the nobility, who can halt the worst flights of fancy, while including the others and making use of their expertise."

"And how would you determine what is or isn't in their remit? To allow any church to propose any policy might force the nobility to continually shoot down ideas which sound good to the populace and are against their long-term interests, fomenting unrest. And if the main deliberative body must approve all such proposals, they might be tempted to exercise broader judgment in whether or not to let the proposal pass on than the other deliberative bodies wish."

"The Queen has already showed us the way; a geased magistrate can interpret the law on whether the proposal falls inside or outside of a body's charter."

He nods. "The idea of a single consultative body with more specialized deliberative bodies seems wise, Your Grace, so long as the magistrate is a man of good judgement and character and his Geas is phrased so as to allow him adequate discretion. I suspect the composition of the additional deliberative bodies will also be a point of contention, though perhaps in that matter we may wish to hear the Lord-Marshal's thoughts before committing to any particular proposal."

"Then let us put it together." He gestures, and the scribe hands him the notes and prepares to take dictation.

"Three entities shall participate in the creation of laws: ministers, deliberative bodies, and the consultative body. Ministers may issue orders and decrees in their area of authority, and may propose statutes to the relevant deliberative body. Deliberative bodies may propose statutes that relate to their area of responsibility to the consultative body. The consultative body shall consider all proposals put before it by the deliberative bodies; those approved by a majority shall become law of the land. If a deliberative body sees fit, it may retract a proposal from consideration by majority vote.

The consultative body shall consist of all archdukes, dukes and counts of the Empire. It shall not have regular meetings, and conduct its business by mail or other remote communication, with three months to approve statutes, unless called to an emergency meeting by the Queen. It may add additional members or change its rules of operation by two-thirds vote. The body shall elect one of its members by majority vote as a minister to receive and communicate proposals, record votes, and otherwise manage its affairs.

Deliberative bodies shall be formed by statute, which will define their area of responsibility. While bodies may not alter their area of responsibility, they shall be able to determine their own rules of operation and modify them with a two thirds vote. Each body shall elect one of its members by majority vote to chair the body and communicate proposals to the consultative body.

The first deliberative body, formed by this statute, shall consist of all archdukes and dukes of the Empire. It shall meet at a time and place of its choosing, at least every three months. It shall have responsibility for: the creation of other deliberative bodies, the imposition of taxes, the chartering of colonies and orders, the appointment of government ministers, of approving regents for the Crown, for the minting of coinage, the creation of courts, and all responsibilities not devolved to other authorities.

The second deliberative body, formed by this statute, shall consist of members appointed by the Church of Iomedae. It shall have responsibility for the appointment of the Minister of War and military regulations."

He quickly skims over it, then nods.

"We could go on about the limitations on offensive wars, and the ability to recognize defensive wars, but I imagine that it is better placed in the section that establishes the ministries, and not in the section that establishes the War Board."