FROM THE DESK OF HIS HIGH EMINENCE THE LORD CHANCELLOR OF THE REGALIAN EMPIRE A PROCLAMATION With all things, change comes eventually. From the changing of our imperial borders, to the changing of the highest offices, everything we know changes every so often. With that change may come challenges to overcome, new problems to solve, and new innovations to overcome them all. This is what progress is. And without an attempt at such, we as a people are unable to grow beyond what we have grown accustomed to. To seek comfort in complacency, rather than to seek a brighter future. As a result, to progress the realm, reforms are necessary. A week ago today, his High Honor the Imperial Court Marshal approached me with a proposal to reform the current city guard charters, maintaining most of what works, but also suggesting new methods we have not fully explored. With similar proposals coming from the Whip, I approached His Imperial Holiness to receive further insight into the current charter system. After presenting a draft to the current guard commanders, I returned to revise the proposal, until presenting it today. Effective immediately, the Violet Order, a name which has been synonymous with law and order in the capital since the Blessed Reign of Henri III, has been rechristened. With the return of this familiar name to many comes several associated reforms. The four Charter Commanders are now seated members of the Violet Council, a body which dictates internal policy and standards amongst the four chapter charters which are now melded into a single Violet Order. An executive office of Lord Commander shall lead the Violet Order, sit on the Violet Council, and have veto right over the four Chapter Commanders. Unlike previous offices of the same name, the Lord Commander shall be elected by 50% +1 majority of all Violet Order guards. In a similar spirit, the Lord Commander may be impeached and removed from office by a 50% +1 majority vote of the Order. This process is to ensure that the overarching executive head of the Violet Order, just as the Lord Chancellor to the Imperial Assembly, is held accountable for their decisions and leadership. Chapter Commanders cannot run for the position of Lord Commander, and therefor the position must come from the rank and file of the guard. Once all votes have been collected, the Grand Commissioner shall tally the votes, and the Lord Chancellor shall appoint the victor to the position. With a Lord Commander and Violet Council in place, it is the hope of this government to see a bolstered city guard, divided by chapters yet unified in a single purpose and banner, to safeguard the citizens of this holy city. With a newly established leadership of the Violet Order, it is also proper to present a list of formal rankings, rights, and duties associated with each rank. It shall be noted that the following is not an exhaustive list, and the Violet Council or Chapter Commanders reserve the right to alter or modify the following as they deem necessary, where proper, to carry out their charter rights. The Lord Commander Can command all ranks of the Violet Order Can suspend members of Captain of below of any Chapter for a maximum of 1 week. Can fire members of the Violet Order following a recommendation of the Grand Commissioner, with the exception of Chapter Commanders. Can issue weapon permits Can issue arrest warrants Can veto motions of the Violet Council The Chapter Commanders Can lead guards in their duties, and can command all members within their Chapter May command Chapter members of other Chapters when: Life is at risk An arrest is made An escort is needed A grand meeting is called May not command other Chapter members when: It concerns sending them away It concerns telling them not to arrest someone It concerns disobeying their respective Chapter Commander Can freely rank up and rank down members within their Chapter Can freely hire and fire members within their Chapter Can issue weapon permits Can issue arrest warrants The Chapter Captains Can lead guards in their duties and can command Officers and Guards within their Chapter Can put members on leave for any reason without the Chapter Commander Can host training sessions and hold meetings for the Chapter Can confirm arrest warrants passed down from the Chapter Commander The Chapter Officers Can lead guards in their duties and can command Guards Can host training sessions for the Chapter Can confirm arrest warrants passed down from the Chapter Commander The Chapter Guards Can enforce Regalian Law as expressed in their Chapter rights and Violet Council regulations. In addition to the previous duties, rights, and responsibilities listed, the following Violet Order-wide guard rights and individual Chapter rights are listed below: Violet Order Rights The right to arrest individuals in breach of Regalian Law while in Uniform The right to arrest and interrogate suspected criminals of violating State Law The right to utilize plate armor while on duty The right to utilize weapons while on duty and use non-concealed carry The right to imprison those in breach of Regalian Law in Greygate Prison The right to force curing on individuals with Werebeast and Sanguine afflictions The right to guard public events Additional Old Guard Chapter Rights The right to use Unionist inclined Occult Abilities while on duty The right to bypass noble privilege to sanctity of Estates The right to use Krakenburg under supervision and detainment approval of the Lord Chancellor Additional Arcanum Chapter Rights The right to force evict non-government, non-noble, or non-religious buildings as forward bases and temporarily evict their owners or habitants for the duration of its use as a forward base. The right to use Artifacts if those Artifacts are universally approved by the Violet Council as "not being of any conflicting nature or offending themes to Regalia's righteous Unionist and Autocratic Government" following a personal display. The right to hire Occult Persona The right to use Occult Abilities to fight other Aberrants Additional Iron Watch Chapter Rights The right to enforce Velheim Law in Regalia on Velheimers The right to use Pagan-inclined Occult Abilities while on duty The right to commute convicted but not yet punished criminals to crowd justice in front of the Golden Willow tavern. Additional Solatium Chapter Rights The right to hire Occult Persona The right to use Occult Abilities on duty The right to record and privately test the abilities of aberrations. Court Mages and Noble Occult Persona require the consent of their host family Finally, as some careful readers of this reform proclamation may have noticed, there is an office which has been referenced earlier, but has yet to be elaborated on. It is now time to address that topic, and that of the Landesgericht Inspector. Following the voluntary resignation of the Imperial Court Marshal from the office, the Landesgeright Inspector position has sat vacant, and has been looked at to determine its status in the government. With this Violet Order reform comes the question of accountability. The question of, who watches over our watchmen. While the Lord Commander leads, he remains a Violet in his duties, and thus may be subject to his own internal vices which we all may fall to. As a result, it cannot be from within the Violet Order that accountability can be maintained, but from an external source. A source not constrained to chapter loyalty or personal ambitions of the rank and file, but a neutral arbitrator whose focus is on maintaining the honor and integrity of our men and women in service. Therefore, the office of Landesgericht Inspector has been reformed, and reborn as the Grand Commissioner of the Crown Isle. As a spiritual successor to the Inspector, the Commissioner is tasked with investigating the Violet Order and its membership for signs of corruption and neglect of duty. Below lists the following rights of the Grand Comissioner. The right to hear corruption charges by the public against guard commanders, members, and charters The right to investigate guard commanders, members, and charters The right to warrant evidence from guard commanders, members, and charters The right to command guards of Captain or below to assist in investigations The right to call guard commanders in front of the Lord Chancellor to answer for blatant abuses of power and/or corruption The right to perform public hearings and inquests into guards in the Assembly Hall in a similar manner to traditional judicial inquests As Lord Chancellor, I have decided to appoint his Lordship the Protector of Falckenstein to the office of Grand Comissioner of the Crown Isle, so long as the appointment does not conflict with his duties as a Viridian Order Paladin. I believe that with his mandated adherence to the Code of Ehrenhof, he may ensure that the Violet Order maintains loyalty to the Emperor through their service to the Regalian State. In closing remarks, I look to my introduction of this decree. The reforms of the city guard do not aim to remove what has worked in the past, but rather to build upon strong foundations that previous systems have created. The Violet Order once again shall grace the streets of our holy city, acting as a bastion of defense against all who would do nefarious deeds against our citizens. In closing, I list the Violet Order's mission statement: To battle the Beasts that live beyond Ever present, ever menacing, ever vile; To lay waste also to the Beasts within Corrupting the fair city in which Holiness is Guidance brought by the Emperors of old; Protection given by the stewards of today, The City Guard stands to defy Evil and woe To safeguard and protect all we hold dear As we walk the roads of this capital together, let us recognize those that don the Violet mantle once more, and may we see a brighter future than the one today. The rulings of this decree take the full effect of State Law. SIGNED AND STAMPED, His High Eminence Dietrich I by the Grace of the Spirit Lord Chancellor of the Regalian Empire Grand Duke of the Drachenwald Defender of Cadar's Legacy OOC Notes The Violet Order is back again, with a new twist The current four guard charters are now incorporated into the Violet Order as chapters. Most rights remain the same, as well as current membership. The Charter Commanders, now stylized as Chapter Commanders, make up a five-person Violet Council that deals with cross-chapter policies and standards. They decide how things are run internally. The Lord Commander acts as the executive head of the Violet Order, and is elected by 50% +1 of the Violet Order membership. Charter Commanders cannot run for Lord Commander. Elections for the Lord Commander run as follows: All present guards cast a single vote for their choice as Lord Commander Once the votes are completed, the Grand Commissioner shall tally the results The individual who reaches 50% +1 of the total membership is considered the victor, and is appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the position during a Grand Meeting of the Violet Order Violet Rankings follow a Lord Commander > Chapter Commander > Captain > Officer > Guard hierarchy for the sake of uniformity. Flavor chapter ranks are still fine, but this ranking structure is the only one officially recognized by the government. The Grand Commissioner replaces the Landesgericht Inspector as the anti-corruption government agent. It is not part of the Violet Order, and acts independently of it. Harald von Drachenburg is the current Grand Commissioner This was a pretty lengthy post, so apologies in advance if I missed any critical information. If something is missing, it will be amended accordingly and retroactively take effect. This should really only be for a missed charter right or protocol detail, and not drastic changes to what is currently presented.
"--and may we see a brighter future than the one today." Xabi Playero vocalized, a copy of the Decree clutched firmly between wet fingertips which struggled to keep the parchment straight in the pouring rain. "If it took the Chancellor himself to finally pave the way for the re-unification of our guard charters as you once fought, bled, and died for, my brother... It just shows you how right we were about Peirgarten." The hooded man spoke out, to seemingly nobody in particular, if not the distant memory of Isidoro's appearance which he currently envisioned as his eyes loomed over the miniature tombstone at his feet. Xabi glanced up, eyes lost in what could have been, as quick hands almost automatically proceeded to fold the dripping parchment into a secluded pocket. "Then again... If we were as smart as we thought we were, maybe you'd be alive today.. Hmm, Isi?" He trailed off as one foot set out after the next, a heavy breath escaping the man's lips, feeling perhaps that he could finally close at least one of the many doors his brother had left open. "I'll give the Chancellor your thanks, old friend." Back at the Playero Hideout, a creaky door slowly swung open to let in a brief flurry of rain, followed by the familiar figure of Xabi. "Mi gente, we have to move. Drachenburg just united the Charters. We've been concealing ourselves well, but it's time to come out of the hole-- and that means things are going to get ugly for us again. This place won't be safe anymore." Xabi explained in his native tongue with genuine worry as he ventured inside, eyes darting around to settle on the ever-cherished faces of his waning family members, Eloi and Simone. "We need to find Armando... and that's hoping the Kreiburgs haven't already starved him to death." @Wilvahelm @sinhai
“Perhaps they will rein in those Dragons Purple eyed Slaves. Least make them less blood thirsty,” he chuckled to himself, “doubtless, Arryn’s job might get harder.” He laughs a mad laugh as he turned to the few impoverished students who has paid for his tutage. “Well Senors, Senorita let us begin with dissection.”
