A Soiree held at the Palace was always a promise of intrigue and plotting, though it was hard for outsiders to peer into ongoing conflicts at court. Recently one had arisen in the nature of conspiring between various Imperial Court Members, in ways other Princeroyals might have assumed was etching out a power base for themselves. With the sudden revelation of Marken present during the last battle over the Mercenary Keep, a domino effect had caused a plot at Court to become discovered: namely that Shelia-Manon, Noor, and Constantine Kade had clandestinely been working on recruiting highly-illegal Occult to serve them personally as hit-squad or specialized team. Naturally, when any Princeroyal threatens to upset the tenuous status quo of power at Court, those on top are quick to press their hands down and to put upstarts back in their place. Indeed, the purists had been ruling supreme at Court ever since the Emperor disappeared, at first during Reynaud's attempts to ridicule the Calembergers, and afterward when his brother Frederick appeared to try and dismantle the lunacy he had installed. It was once again an alliance of Glorianna, Justinian, and this time Amalia, who had called a halt to the opposite trio's plot as un pious lunacy. The following discussions were woven between the court dances and aperitifs, which would eventually be overheard by the other guests and servants to trickle down to the general public. The topic of debate was: Could the three Princeroyals continue with their suicide squad of illegals in exchange for giving them reprieve they would not otherwise acquire? First were the default Yes voters counted, with Cedromar, Noor, Xander, Constantine, Leona and Shelia-Manon presenting. These 6 would present their unwavering support for the plan, citing ideals styled after Emperor Alexander's forgiveness and mercy for even the most tainted. While Willem-Friso was moved by these words, he eventually joined Amalia, Florance, Aliandre, Justinian, Glorianna, Leopold and Boudewijn as resolute No, citing that the clandestine nature of this plan had worked against its moral message, thus creating the 8 default No voters. Derrick, Bohemund, and Calric were absent from the palace, the former two left on month-long trips, and the latter was preparing for a tournament in Kintyr, leaving 9 swing votes while the stance was 6-8 in favor of No. Raymond was first to flip yes, citing today's open forum for Marken rights at the old Alms Ministry building as a reason to see motive among the common folk to stop treating every risk factor as a terrorist factor. Juliana also joined the Yes votes, hesitant at first to support her sister's clandestine plot, but swayed by the stalwart words of one Aelrrigan Knight Signe by letter. This evened the votes 8-8. The next set to join the Yes side were Ivar, Henry, Dominic, Reynaud and Frederick. Ivar recited consultations with notably Haqet and other Archon, that Marken only posed a threat while they lacked control over their condition. Henry cited Kaya Sorenvik and Sivrid Sorenvik both made a point about the cultural exclusion of Markenism in view of Velheim culture as a whole being a bad thing, while Dominic added that he simply believed Kaya Sorenvik when she told him it was the most pragmatic thing to do. Reynaud finally indicated that Fiorenza Garofalo had convinced him that Marken are a more suitable front-line soldier than Ithanian men, whose artistic endeavors should be protected for the homefront, not the front line. Frederick finally remarked in as few words as possible that Avox Petrou was convincing. There was however a caveat with these 5 Yes votes: they would only vote Yes, if only Marken were on the table, which was not the case, the original trio who brought the debate to the table wanted to include Vampires and Undead. The next two Yes votes were Tycho and Eohric, both for very selfish reasons. Tycho wanted their favored Florian to join this squad, while Eohric wanted his favored Reyna to join the squad. Even though Florian was not a Vampire themselves, the assumption was quickly made that these two would only support the venture if it was pro-Vampiric, that which the previous five could not support. This created a conundrum for the proposing trio. If they cut Reyna and Florian loose, they would have 13 votes over 10, thus reaching quorum. If they wanted to keep Reyna and Florian as originally proposed, they would have 10 votes against 13 and thus lose. The debate got heated, but no matter how far the Yes side argued, they could not convince the "Marken-only-Five" to swap their votes, they held onto their stance. Exasperated at having the plan fold, Constantine swapped the motive from a Affliction-blind squad to a Marken rights-only approval bill. Noor protested at first that this had not been the plan, but relented eventually when she realized that there was no way winning, and she had to switch to plan F when ABCD and E had failed. With the fold switching from Suicide-Squad legislation to Marken-Rights legislation, 13 votes folded Yes, while Tycho and Eohric, upset by their favored being dismissed from the squad, flipped their votes to No. With 13 votes in favor, and thus 10 against, the Princeroyals were able to form quorum, and the 10 No voters reluctantly yielded in favor of public support for legislation, and joined forces with the other Kades in crafting new legislation. After all, even when one loses a vote, getting involved in the drawing of plans is more valuable than moping about losing. With all the present Princeroyals signing the following new legislation into effect immediately: Markenism is no longer an illegal State, with each case being treated differently. Marken who believe themselves to be under control, must report to a nearest Knight (of any Order) to undergo a test of patience and concentration that involves inserting oddly shaped wooden blocks into a box with oddly shaped holes, one for each block, while in a cell, with the Knight watching outside as witness. If they pass, the Marken shall be labeled as "Legally suffering" from their condition, but no longer a threat to the Empire, and thus permitted to turn Marken without being attacked by Pro-State Forces. Their unique Marken appearance must also be registered. Marken who fail this test, or still suffer from beastly conditions and loss of control, may reach out to de Azcoissia rehabilitation clinics where alchemical suppressants and counseling shall be provided to help them understand how to handle Markenism, advised and guided by other Marken who have already mastered the Curse. Lothar Knights are permitted to still retain their captured and collared Marken, and will retain the ability to collar Marken which they deem insufficiently able to control themselves, unless they already passed a legal review. Marken in their service who believe themselves able to pass the legal review must be given the means to do so, and must be released from Lothar service if they are able to prove their self-restraint. All legal restrictions on Marken shall be lifted, however, they should still be cautious not to transform at random, in public, or outside of life-threatening situations for themselves. Marken are however free to act as they wish in martial conditions, and on the battlefield. With this concession however, Constantine, Noor and Shelia-Manon's "Suicide Squad for Legalization" was off the planning table, perhaps indefinitely, as the trio showed no impetus to continue campaigning for their design. Shelia-Manon recounted that they had so few Marken sign on to their project that they might as well dismiss the idea entirely, "as two Marken does not make a squad". Despite those three being bummed out, the rest seemingly enjoyed the party, and everything went back to normal the morning after.
