Sanguis Astroism/Charter/Helm's Proposal

Purpose

Here is my first draft of the promised reforms. The net affect is to put in more safeguards from abuse & usurpers, and also to give the regent more control over the makeup of the council, and also to make the council itself more powerful by insuring that all major decisions must be voted and passed by the council. I welcome all comments and advice:

Changes to the Elder Council:

(A) Two Guardians of the Elder Council - They hold the highest rank in the church. They are appointed by a previous guardian before he/she steps down. Must be a mature, responsible, fair, respected. The Guardians must be above church politics and so cannot vote in Elder Council or openly support any candidate for the Elder Council or any faction in the church. They manage all appointments and Ranks, call and count elections, and are responsible for making sure the constitution is followed. Only the Guardians are allowed to amend the constitution with changes approved by the Elder Council. If any Elder, up to and including the Regent, does not obey the constitution, then the Guardians can demote him down to any rank, if necessary holding fresh elections to replace him. Any church member can petition a Guardian about infringement of the constitution or if they want a change in their rank. The Guardians are there to keep the Council honest and stop usurpers from seizing power.

(B) 6 elected Consuls - From these 6, the Regent will select the three he thinks best suited to the three offices (Light of the Auspicious, Light of the Austere, and Light of the Maddening) with special responsibilities for those offices. The remaining three Consuls will not hold a specific office. The Regent can at any time choose to demote a Light back to consul, in which case he must immediately promote another consul to the Light position. These provisions are in place so that the regent can maximise the effectiveness of his team according to their talents and level of activity.

(C) No more Luminaries (They add complexity without adding function).

(D) No more Magistratums (unless someone can convince me that they have any purpose whatsoever. The Elder council shouldn't need a Magistratum to function).

(E) I've had a suggestion that more roles should be found for priests. Anyone think this is a good idea? personally I don't see the need.

The net result will be 10 voting roles (1 Regent, 3 Lights, 3 Consuls, 3 Archons) plus several non voting roles (2 Guardians, Plus some special representatives).

Voting, and Occasions when a vote is mandatory:

Most decisions of the Regent can be implemented by a simple instruction or discussion in Elder council, but some decisions require a formal vote. A vote can be initiated by any voting Elder, and must be seconded by another before it can take place. All votes require an absolute 2/3rds majority of Elders in order to be passed. The Regent always has a veto even if the vote is passed [Exception, he cannot veto his own Impeachment].

1. Excommunication (Expulsion from church) - each case must be voted for individually so that there can be no mass excommunications. There are many possible causes for excommunication, for example heresy, treachery against the church, even abusive conduct. The important thing is that the cause must be very serious, and the perpetrator must be unrepentant. It is up to the judgment of the council as to how serious the crime is and how sincere any repentance is. some crimes may be so serious as to be beyond forgiveness. 2. Crusade - This can only be declared in defence of the church or a Theocracy of SA. It should only be used in the most serious cases where there is a persistent and gross attack on the church or a theocracy. Once a crusade is called, it is mandatory for all believers and theocracies to support it. 3. Sanctioned Action - Where the church wants to show its approval of a military conflict, then it may declare it a church Sanctioned Action. This means that believers and theocracies are encouraged to aid it, but are not required to do so. 4. Change to the constitution. 5. Admitting a new theocracy into the Elder Council - This is not automatic and must be voted on to avoid various abuses. 6. Impeach an Elder - Any Elder (Except a Guardian or Archon) may be removed from the Council by a vote of the Elders. Even the Regent may be Impeached. The reason can be as simple as being ineffective or inactive.

Other Changes

(A) I also intend to remove the department of the inquisition. I believe its divisive to have a department dedicated to rooting out people. If its necessary the council can vote for an excommunication without need of a special department for this.

(B) I also intend to remove the Light of maddening's role in deciding if a crusade will occur. Like any other important decision this will be decided by a vote of the whole council.