Powers of the Imperial Senate

Revision as of 12:43, 15 March 2015

If I rule for a thousand years I would never question the existence of your loyalty, Senator Holberg. I merely wonder to whom you have given it.

Varkula, The Throne

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the most powerful of all the great bodies of the Empire and their powers are the most flexible and wide ranging. The legal powers of the Imperial Synod and the Imperial Conclave are clearly defined and tightly constrained in the range of things they can directly accomplish. The Imperial Military Council and the Imperial Bourse are flexible but their focus is much more constrained. Only Senate has the power to make law and it is the Senate that chooses an Empress and the Senate that controls the balance of power between the houses.

The powers of the Senate are employed using either a Senate motion or a Senate announcement. Only a member of the Senate with the right to propose a motion may raise motions on the Senate floor. Some of the powers of the Senate may be delegated to the holder of an Imperial title to carry out. Any Imperial title that has had Senate powers delegated to it may employ those powers by making a suitable announcement during a session.

Legal

Imperial Law

The Senate has the power to introduce new laws or to amend existing laws. Any changes to Imperial Law are assessed by the Imperial Civil Service to see how they accord with the Imperial Constitution. Straightforward laws which do not have constitutional implications may be passed by a majority vote. Laws which would change the constitution or change the way the constitution is understood or applied require the Senate to pass a constitutional vote.

Imperial Titles

Only the Senate has the power to create new Imperial titles.

Appointments

No citizen may claim The Throne without the approval of the Senate. Selection of an Emperor or Empress is one of the most important responsibilities of the Senate. Election to the Throne requires the Senate to pass a constitutional vote. If successful, the individual becomes emperor or empress once their coronation is complete.

In addition to appointing The Throne, the Senate may be called upon to make appointments of various national or Imperial titles. For example, the general of an army is normally appointed by unanimous vote of the senators of that nation - if they cannot agree then the appointment is made by simple majority of the Senate.

Conclave Orders

The Senate can create a new Conclave order or dissolve an existing one. This is always a constitutional vote. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol similar to those possessed by existing orders that is used with the Arcane Mark ritual. If an order is dissolved, the contents of its vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.

This power is usually used at the instigation of the Conclave.

Diplomatic

The Senate is responsible for relations with foreign powers. It has the power to issue a formal declaration of war or peace, as well as extending legal protection to envoys and representatives of barbarian powers for short periods to allow diplomacy to take place.

Declaration of War

The Senate can declare war on any foreign power. Any foreign powers, nations or tribes that the Empire is at war with are considered to be barbarians. Barbarians are not protected by Imperial Law and are considered enemies of the Empire, so it is illegal to trade with them.

Declaration of Peace

The Senate can also end to a state of war. External powers that the Empire is not at war with are classed as foreigners; it is legal to trade with them and their rights are protected by Imperial Law.

Economic

Imperial Treasury

The Senate receives taxes drawn from every territory in the Empire, along with the money raised from the auction of Imperial Bourse seats. This great wealth forms the Imperial treasury. Much of the wealth is preallocated to pay for the armies and fortifications that defend the empire, however senators can pass motions that call for one-off or regular disbursements from the Imperial treasury.

A senator can raise a motion to have treasury funds assigned to almost any project. The funds might be used for anything - buying medical supplies for an upcoming battle; purchasing mithril to improve all the mana sites in Dawn; constructing a set of magic standards for the armies of Varushka; funding a project, scheme or group, or any number of other examples.

The most common disbursements are for one-off payments to pay for commissions and regular payments that form a stipend as part of the creation of an Imperial title

Commissions

Only the Senate has the power to authorize a new commission.

Historical Research

The Senate can order rudimentary historical research on a chosen subject.

Territorial

Assignment

A territory is legally considered part of the Empire at the point where half or more of the regions in that territory are under Imperial control. When a territory is conquered it must be assigned to a nation of the Empire by a vote in the Senate, before it can legally be considered part of the Empire. It is not constitutional for the Senate to reassign a territory, once a vote has been passed then the status is fixed and may not be changed while the territory remains part of the Empire. The only way for a new vote of assignment to take place is if the territory is lost and then later reconquered. At this point the former status of the territory is irrelevant and a new vote of assignment is needed.

In practice competing claims are exceptionally rare and only Holberg has ever been successfully contested, so the motion is normally more formal than political. Traditionally a senator from the Imperial nation that is laying claim to a territory will propose the motion and take the opportunity to deliver a suitably portentious speech.

Allocation

If an asset that produces Illium, mithril, weirwood or white granite is in a territory that is conquered by the Imperial armies - the asset is subject to a vote of allocation. Control of the asset is vested in the Imperial Bourse - as prescribed by the Imperial Constitution but the vote determines whether the asset will be a national asset or an Imperial asset.

Imperial assets are auctioned to the highest bidder - with the money raised being added to the Imperial treasury. Any Imperial citizen may bid for such a position - although as with any position, an individual citizen can only ever hold one title. National assets are allocated by the Bourse mechanisms laid down for that nation - only an Imperial citizen of that nation may be selected to hold that title.

The only way for a new vote of allocation to take place is if the resource is lost and then later reconquered. At this point the former status of the resource is irrelevant and a new vote of allocation is needed. Any senator may raise a vote of allocation, although if the motion calls for the resource to be national then it is traditional for the senator whose territory the resource is located in to raise the motion.

Abrogration

A motion may call for the abrogation of most previous Senate decisions. If the vote is successful, then the motion is nullified in the most effective way possible. A change to the law would be repealed, a title created would be dissolved, a war declared would be cancelled.

Abrogation cannot reverse time, resources expended on a commission that is abrograted are lost. The powers of a title are lost when the title is dissolved but previous uses of those powers are not unwound. A foreign power might be placated by the abrogation of a declaration of war - but they are not likely to forget that it happened.

Territorial motions (allocation and assignment), disbursements and appointments cannot be abrogated.

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ===Conclave Orders===
-The Senate can create a new [[Conclave order]] or dissolve an existing one. This is always a constitutional vote. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to it's purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol similar to those possessed by existing orders that is used with the [[Arcane Mark]] ritual. If an order is dissolved, the contents of it's [[Conclave vault|vault]] are redistributed among the remaining orders.
+The Senate can create a new [[Conclave order]] or dissolve an existing one. This is always a constitutional vote. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol similar to those possessed by existing orders that is used with the [[Arcane Mark]] ritual. If an order is dissolved, the contents of its [[Conclave vault|vault]] are redistributed among the remaining orders.
 This power is usually used at the [[Declaration#Declaration of Concord|instigation of the Conclave]].