A good number of us (myself, Mark, Ignis, Sam, Orell, Atryl, etc) took a couple of hours in Mumble today and reflected upon the points that have been raised here, the traditional roles of the Emperor and his legacy, and what we as a group thought that this role should become as we move forward. This is a condensation of the conclusion reached - looking forward to see others' thoughts on these:
Should there be an Emperor, or should we disband the title as antiquated?
The position of Emperor must remain in some capacity. We agree that the position of Emperor should be reformed substantially, as its place in the sociopolitical hierarchy of the server has changed greatly since the days of the Old World - but this role is too interconnected in multiple aspects of our world to cut completely.
What should be the powers and duties of the Emperor?
The powers of the Emperor should be wholly ceremonial, as a combination a) figurehead representative of the Council of the Crowned and b) sociocultural goodwill ambassador for the Empire. That the Emperor should not have additional practical powers (special voting privileges, extra political/legislative influence, etc) has been pretty well agreed upon through community consensus both in discussions and in this very thread.
In his capacity as representative for the Council of the Crowned the Emperor would gain no additional powers over the Council but would be available to perform certain ceremonial function on behalf of the Council such as the crowning of new Kings and the announcement of news on behalf of the Council.
In his capacity as sociocultural goodwill ambassador, the Emperor would perform certain ceremonial duties on behalf of the community and the server such as officiate cultural events and games, introduce cobuilds and community initiatives, lead communal lore events, and visit others' lands to promote community spirit and help Imperial developpement.
Who can be Emperor?
We have reached a general consensus that the Emperor should be chosen from among the ranks of the Council of the Crowned - the Kings and Queens of Hermertia. There has been a certain amount of debate over whether other nobles, particularly Dukes, should be afforded the opportunity to be Emperor - this is worthwhile, for many Dukes have shown great community commitment and it would be a chance to have more potential candidates. That said, we concluded that teh position should be restricted to The Council for a couple of key reasons: a) The Council is traditionally composed of the longest-serving and most committed, experienced, and familiar members of the community who are truly in a position to represent the Empire as a whole and b) opening up the position to dukes raises complications with Dukes who are vassals of Kings, placing us in a position where either a) the Emperor could be below a KIng or b) we have to allow only independant Dukes to be Emperor and create a division in Ducal abilities. Keeping only the Council eligible removes complications and makes sense both lore-wise and historically.
Who chooses who gets to be Emperor?
Members of the Council must be nominated for the position of Emperor - but Members of the Council cannot nominate themselves of other Kings and Queens. Members of the Council must be nominated by one of the other nobles of Hermertia - any Duke or Count can nominate a member of the Council for Emperor. Discussions and nominations for Emperor will take place over a one-week period with elections being held over the next week in which every members of Hermertian nobility - Kings/Queens, Dukes, and Counts - can vote. The candidate receiving the most total votes shall be designated the new Emperor.
The Emperor shall serve a life term. The Emperor's term may come to an end in one of two circumstances: a) the Emperor dies, whereupon a new election is scheduled within one week of the Emperor's death, or b) the Emperor abdicates for any reason, whereupon a new election is scheduled within one week of the Emperor's abdication.
Hope to see some feedback on what we feel is a fair summation of communal opinion on this important issue! Legal language will be drafted opun general approval.
_________________ Wysterian Labourer's Council Currently Holding Stewardship of Wysteria Minister for Applications and Settlement Forums Administrator
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