07.01i: The Seventh Winter (Table in the Corner)

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra lets Rasanam continue to work on designs, confident he'll produce something perfect for the occasion, and instead switches to sketching some of the guests she's met this evening. This will take a while so she'll continue sketching as she questions Morgana, concern in her voice. "Why would Rebma need political protection? Shouldn't they be considered equally with the other Courts as an essential part of the civilization here? What can you tell us about Lady Ashara?"

The drawings will be:
Asai smiling happily as she relaxes comfortably in a window seat reading a book.
Harrune looking regal as he strides from a village scene with a treetop canopy barely discernible where sky should be into the ballroom of castle Amber.
Morgana telling a story to a group of children of various races that surround her.

[Joshua]

"The current laws allow anyone who's walked to pattern to make any declaration. Without any Amberites in Rebma, they have no one to speak for them." Morgana explains. "IF they had even one or two, that would balance things out."

"Lady Ashara is a nymph. She is loyal to her people and the strength of the aquatic world. They're very helpful with fishing, and provide a large portion of the food for Amber. Actually, a good chunk of the sailor community owe allegiance to her and not the city." Morgana thinks. "I really have not spoken with her very much. I suppose I should."

[Rasanam]

"Hm... Perhaps we should show up early, then, and talk to her. Make sure she knows that she'll have support from us if she needs it."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"That's just what I was thinking. They shouldn't be discriminated against just because they don't happen to have any Amberites at the moment."

[Joshua]

"Part of the issue is that we can change our minds. But, yeah. I suppose even getting to know her would help a bit." Morgana will say. "It's a shame she's going to lose her position when anyone walks the rebma pattern."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"Even if she looses her official title I don't see why her effective position needs to change. There's only so many Amberites to go around so all of the courts are going to need skilled and dedicated individuals to make them successful. Walking the pattern certainly gives one an advantage but it doesn't automatically convey wisdom. If she needs official support I'm sure documents could be drawn up to remove the issues of someone reneging on an agreement. You said anyone that has walked the Pattern can just make a declaration and it becomes law? That's...unusual. Could I declare that from now on any proposed declarations must be agreed upon by the head of each Court or something like that? Or if someone declared "everyone must do this" could someone else then just say "no they don't"? I'm beginning to see I've made some assumptions about the economic and legal systems here that were a bit off".

[Joshua]

"Yes, you could. And if I had an issue with it, we'd duel." Morgana explains. "Not to the death, but as they say 'you'd be surprised what you can live through.' As such, if a law needs to remain, it needs to be protected. So, hopefully you'd be around for a while. And no one would try to step in while your attention is divided. Still, as I said, we don't really have that many amberites, and if you had a few on your side with that..."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"Duel? Like with swords? Or does the person being challenged get to pick the type of duel and could declare it a contest of wits or some such?" Lyra looks to Rasanam, a bit disconcerted. "Did they duel like that back in Akra?"

[Rasanam]

"No, of course not! Well, unless you count challenging for leadership of one of the mage guilds, I suppose? Or conflicts between guilds in the rare cases when they can't resolve things amicably. Or..." Rasanam will rattle off a dozen different cases where a duel might be used to resolve a matter of law, ending with the example of a particularly acrimonious cooking competition over the matter of whether certain substances were to be considered "seasoning" or "poison".

[Joshua]

(OOC Note: There is a large and complex system of who is allowed to duel who in Acra, including naming champions, what kind of duels are allowed, where it will occur, etc. The thriving arena often has such battles based on everything from building codes to civil charges, as well as said arguments of leadership in any of the 49 guilds or disputes between guilds. Magical duels are also common, as are things like research contests. )

Food arrives, and Morgana starts her soup. "That's probably similar. We haven't had a need for that yet, but it's only a matter of time before two of us have contrary agendas."