Witness

"...we come to Lot 4 of the private auction: The skull of Mikkal. The seller claims this relic is the remains of the self-styled Exemplar of Anarchy, and may even possess unusual spiritual qualities. There is a reserve price of..."

Rillet tuned out the auctioneer's voice as he turned to look at the gaggle of priests staring at either him, or the skull. Getting into the private auction had been one challenge. Getting out again, and with the skull, was going to be something else entirely. Thankfully, he had a plan.

The priests of the Synod are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire. As such, they are empowered by the Imperial Constitution to witness or observe all aspects of the bodies of state in function.

In practical terms, it guarantees the right of Synod priests to:

• Access the Senate public gallery, even if the Senate have called for a closed session and cleared citizens from the public gallery
• Observe the Bourse private member's auction
• Be present in the Military Council tent during meetings of Generals. This right does not extend to a priest who is currently a senator; the constitution explicitly forbids senators from entering or being present during the meetings of the Military Council.
• Be present at a meeting of the Conclave in the Hall of Worlds. The Conclave has no responsibility for allowing non-magician priests to reach the Hall of Worlds, and have repeatedly pointed out that a magician who is a priest has every right to attend a conclave meeting anyway. The main use for the right of witness in the Conclave is to observe the election of the Grandmasters of the orders.