Aloria Story Progression The Civil Government Acts

((I know. Loads of progressions. This one will be the last one for a while.))

Forces at home were conspiring to act in the absense of competence from the Obermark. The first to act was the Kaisermark itself, finally mobilizing to domestically deal with the rebels in Drixagh. The plan was to provide a general amnesty with intimidation, but aside from a very small number of tribes, the vast majority did not bite. The war in the north left them unphased, some of them said they would comply with the amnesty if they were given permanent rights to the baron’s castles, though since the Kaisermark chose only to make a passive standoff, it remained just that. With Northern tribes entrenched in their stolen castles, and Regalian soldiers fortified around them, the front of the rebellions wasn’t going anywhere. Regardless, the Kaisermark forces were well equipped with support from the Logistic Reichsrat:

"The wanton violence and insolence of the Drixagh’s tribes-folk has not gone unnoticed by our watchful eyes. Acting jointly with the Lieutenant-General of Kaisermark, Duke Dietrich Drache, Logistics Minister Johann Wodenstaff hereby rubber stamps an initiative to commence combative operations within the theater. Let those which resist the order mandated by imperial prerogative face a well-oiled war machine, lest lawlessness prevail in our sacred realm of Humanum,"

Elsewhere in the capital, the Hoherichter sent a whole bucket list of new laws to pass through the Crown’s approval. Since the Emperor was absent from the capital and the Crown Prince was in the Westmark theatre training with the soldiers, it fell to the Undercrown Regent to approve the laws. With as little of a hiccup, the Undercrown signed them into force with only a few additions, after which they were announced to the people:

“Book I: Administrative Rules of the Imperial Regalian State

THIS DOCUMENT, be it enacted in the Court of the Regalian Emperor for the good of His people, does supersede and render void all previous administrative rules, acting as supreme regulation for the government of Regalia. All laws enumerated herein, unless specified as otherwise, shall be considered Ex Post Facto, meaning that they will be applied with retroactive effect for the length of April, 305 A.C.​

Issued and confirmed by Hoherichter, Count Charles of House Montagaard”​

• Government Law One: Legal Documentation
  All official meetings related to government administration, with intent to either deal in government business or discussions thereof, by Curia Regis and Leges members and leaders must be recorded in documentation, time stamped and with a full transcript of all statements, to be sent to the Hoherichter for legal oversight.
• Government Law Two: Legal Oversight
  All official decrees, decisions and issues created by the Curia Leges and Curia Regis must be reviewed by the Hoherichter to assure legality in compliance with all Laws of the Empire. Should the Hoherichter find the decree, decision or issue in conflict, then the Hoherichter has the right to invalidate it.
• Government Law Three: Legal Capacity
  Any Government official may not, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or ignorantly, attempt or perform any usurpation, reduction or neglect or undermine of the lawful authority or functioning of the Imperial Regalian State. Furthermore, those who fail to perform by the stipulations of their government position, and in essence perform with incompetence, are liable to criminal prosecution. The Judiciary has at their disposal indiscriminate searching, investigating, arresting and trialing for the purpose of enforcing this law.
• Government Law Four: Unassailable Height
  The Hoherichter may under no circumstances be criticized, questioned or otherwise diminished in their position by any other person besides the Amtsrichters in private, and the lawful authorities that overrule the position by default, referring to the Holy Seat and the formative head of the Regalian Commonwealth and Empire.

The laws would enter into effect immediately, though largely unnoticed by the vast majority of the court, as most courtiers would remain focused on the war in the north and the rebellion in Drixagh. In fact, many of the state courtiers had decided to follow the Emperor around, as the closed off and dark Palace in austerity proved to be a dull place to stay behind waiting until the Emperor was done with his war games. Furthermore, some law additions and addendums were made:

• State Law Seventeen: Regalian Purity
  Any and all Human citizens and noncitizens within the Regalian Empire are forbidden from maintaining sexual relations or marriage bonds with non-Humans. Any existing marriages that were approved before this law would be declared null and void by the state, and their offspring related to half breeds would be declared illegitimate and without rights to the Regalian State.
• Law Eighteen: Regalian Superiority
  Any and all non-Humans with the exception of Nelfin and Dwarven species are disallowed from holding political, civil or military office, with the sole exception of those granted Humanum right by the Emperor. Those that are in office for whatever reason, regardless of circumstance, must adopt Regalian customs and traditions, as well as the Imperial High Culture. Any failure to comply will lead to dismissal.

These laws were also equally immediately enforced, resulting in mass lay-offs in both the Regalian Guard, The Scholar's Court and various lesser Imperial Institutions. Immediately upon its inception, the High Scholar Francis Kade immediately lodged protest with the Curia Leges that he now faced massive de-population of the Scholar's court which previously employed Allar in large numbers for the Alchemical arm, and that the Hoherichter had effectively crippled a government institution. Equally, the Sanchella of Union was now in a tough spot and the Reverends would once more look to the Supreme Reverend for guidance. The State illegitimized a whole slew of State Marriages. Previously, State Marriages would be confirmed by a secondary religious marriage, and while these were generally more difficult to get, most marriages that were compliant to the Church's views when it came to racial mixing were now declared null and void by the state. Did this mean that the Church Marriages, which were always made to mirror State Marriages should also be declared void? Or would the Church take a more soft stance and permit these right-less but sentimental marriages nontheless to remain?

The Commerce Reichsrat of the Empire was equally busy in its work. Following the complaints about the delays in merchandise shipping in the Regalian Harbor by the actions of the Inspector Admiral of the Kaisermark, the Commerce Reichsrat issued a full family embargo against the Bigge family, banning all Bigge products from being sold or bought externally. This act of legislation was enforced conditionally, meaning the document implied it would be lifted as soon as the Inspector Admiral would cease his customs actions in violation of numerous State Laws as implied by the Hoherichter. Needless to say, Bigge Family income was gutted overnight as shipments of wood were bounced back from everywhere, but still incurred the transaction and shipping costs, racking up debts the longer this situation would last.

Furthermore, the Commerce Reichsrat issued a full Embargo of the Yang-Tzu Isles and the Ch'ien-ji people. A call was made for the Obermark Fleet to contribute to a naval blockade against the Yang-Tzu Isles, however the Obermark Fleet obviously did not comply. First they sent a complaint to the Inspector Admiral that a lowly Commerce Bureaucrat attempted to seize authority where they had none, and secondly to the Emperor that the Commerce Reichsrat was, in a similar fashion like the disgraced Jannik Sinclair, attempting to pull military forces away from the defensive line in Nordskag. The Emperor obviously overruled any attempt from the Commerce Reichsrat to appropriate forces from the Obermark theatre, thus nullifying a Naval blockade of Yang-Tzu, however trade did cease, for what little contact there was. The Ch'ien-ji seemed not to mind, as their protectionist isolationist policies had always meant they barely traded with Regalia anyway.

In the North however, things remained relatively stable. With the Nautknight in position for coastal defence and the Obermark now directly under the Emperor’s control, the army remained static in its defensive position near the eastern Nordskag coastlines. Upon the knowledge of Nordskag having split its army in half, the Hvitskagger horde immediately broke the truce and resumed the war against a much reduced Nordskag army on the north side of the narrow strait, but not many shifts in the occupation territory took place. Hvitskag was seriously diminished in its military strength, and while Nordskag had only half its troops remaining on foreign soil, they were able to hold back the movements of the wild North.

The Regalian State Reichsrat Minister Medard Ravenstad sent Adelinda Lispector who would replace Loretta Coen as Consul to the Mirnoye people to try and avoid an all-out war breaking out. The negociations seemed not to go anywhere though, and the Mirnoye returned a counter proposal: Deliver two carts of gold for damage reparations and demilitarize the eastern portion of Nordskag. The Mirnoye promised not to get involved with the Hvitskag conflict either, as long as Regalia would commit to demilitarizing the southeastern coast of Hvitskag as well. The Mirnoye were not interested in who caused the situation, but rather a means to prevent it from happening again and to keep their holy sites free of any foreign involvement. With the counter proposal sent back, the final act by the State Reichsrat was to request the summary removal of the Obermark Admiral and Lieutenant-General. Since the Lieutenant-General had already been removed, and since the Emperor for whatever reason decided to keep the Inspector Admiral on, these requests fell on deaf ears. That being said however, it appeared as if the Inspector Admiral was powerless. All commands passed through the Emperor and Count Valdemar was confined to a tent with little to no contact with his corps of captains.

King Osvald Krumme would later join with the Emperor on the east coast, while even the Ithanian Grand Sovereign deigned to make a trip north to be in the presence of the King and Emperor, largely to bolster the necessity of defeating the wild North. After all, before the subjugation of Nordskag, Ithania suffered greatly under the Northern raids. Fears broke out in Ithanian that renewed conflict with the Hvitskaggers and the Mirnoye could result in the conflict spilling out on their homeland.

And just like that, the three most powerful Human royals had assembled in one area, almost to mirror to activities of the ministers of the Curia Regis and Leges in Regalia.

OOC Note: The above mentioned Laws have been put in effect immediately