Chapter 17-430: It’s All in the Wording... (1/2)

It was my time to think over my reply. “Most likely. The Constitution is the highest law of the land in a mortal realm. True Kingship will naturally trump it. True Kings can speak with Fey Kings and Queens as equals in all respects, or even greater, since they are recognized by both the Divine and the Land itself. Fey bound to a Constitution will naturally not like a greater law coming along and superseding them. It would be like being opposed by the turn of the Seasons.”

“So... this a play against mortal Kingdoms, in the end.”

“A Fey Enclave enshrined in a Constitution could make a very clear case for being exempt from the rule of a King.” I began to thumb through the gathered documents in Markspace, having kept a close eye on final drafts on all the paperwork.

Legion was also on tap for this. Having Diabolic Law influence available, one of the Cohort, a Consumed lawyer named Maureen Lichten, had taken her Ranks in Law and Oratory to 17, and had been retained by the Convention to review ALL paperwork and render opinions on all of it. She had been Consumed and replaced years ago by a Hungry Heart Warlock who Legion had caught up to and terminated, and now was going to go down in history as one of the most influential legal review lawyers ever.

Not bad for being a soul trapped inside one of the planet’s Grandmaster Warlocks.

She was an intelligent woman, but she couldn’t tap into all the Stat Buffs that Master Fred had, or she’d be part of the Legion, unable to further improve herself and effectively a subsidiary intelligence instead of standing on her own.

It meant that I could go searching through the paperwork faster than she could, since I had a MUCH higher Intelligence modifier, even if she had me on Ranks. The thoughtstream involved with that stuff kibitzed with her and a couple other members of the Cohort who were detail-oriented, and started conflating that with Pact Magic and equivalent formal magical agreements.

Legion blinked. “That’s an interesting implication? An avenue for Fey to gain Free Will without entering random reincarnation?”

I drummed my fingers on their shoulder unconsciously, little spurts of Wrath reacting at the impacts of the sacred fires on my fingers. “As I understood it, Liberty should back that all the way, as it gives them a road to determine their own destiny, instead of being forced into the role made for them. The rest of Heaven should be neutral at worst.”

The idea was to enshrine the Right of the Fey to swear themselves to the Constitution of the Land as a tie to the mortal realm, allowing them to embrace mortality without having to be reborn as part of a gradual process of evolution, going from granted power to earned power.

Backed by the mortal population of an entire Land, it was easily possible.

“But it still means that in the end, the Rights of a True King need to be enshrined in the document, or it will put them at odds with one.”

I had to quirk a half-smile. “So, a stretchy Clause to rope in Kings... and Monarchs? Make it a true Living Document?”

“We both know the terrible significance of the American Constitution on the Fey. The power and belief it represented put fetters on them as soon as it was ratified. The focus of a nation and its people has tremendous symbolic power to Spirits. It effectively crushed many of the older Spirits who dwelled in America, up to and including the Old Gods there,” Legion pointed out.

I had to agree. Hastsezini’s complete withdrawal from mortal events had basically happened just after the signing of the Constitution reverberated across the Land. Even if the land He claimed as His own had not been covered back then, in merely a few short years it was. Destiny had turned, and mortal wills in numbers uncounted, united behind a simple piece of paper, had signaled the turning of an ancient age into a new age of mortal power.

Perhaps the native tribes could have fought back, but they had not been united, nor as populous. Axiom had come in, put its foot down, and crushed the old ways before the cold light of progress.

Evolve or die. The old ways had died before the new. It was the way, and the Land had not cared in the slightest. After all, it took only a generation before all those following that piece of paper were born of Her, as well.

“Designing a government made to generate, accept, and follow True Kings is a tall order,” Legion murmured, but their silver eyes were bright. “That is a VERY lofty goal, My Lady.”

“Roping in Fey through the new Constitution should be only be allowed if that is part of it. That in effect would force them to pursue and aid in the election of True Kings, rather than opposing them...” Oh, the Fey wouldn’t like that, but off in Detroit, the facts were popping through the Markspaces of the delegates, and setting off small fireworks everywhere.

They already knew that a True King would ultimately trump this Document being generated, but if the Document was made to be part of the process of Kingship...

“The Laws and Words of the Document are only including the mundane aspects of the task, even dealing with the Rights of the Divine being recognized. But if we include the metaphysical relationships...” Legion murmured, eyes fixed on a line of storms rising up quickly before us at the horizon.

“The True King who can hold the Constitution up has the Acclaim of the People. It should represent the Will of the People!” I finished for them, blinking in realization.

“Heaven wants all of that to be true. All three aspects!” Legion hissed immediately, their fists clenching. In Markspace, the idea rippled out, gaining momentum as it struck those closest to Heaven.

The Will of the People, a very mundane thing, but forming one of the Cornerstones of Kingship as the Acclaim of the People. To hold and honor the Constitution thus meant having Acclaim. Not honoring it would intrinsically mean you no longer had it, and were no longer King!

“There are going to be some very pointed attempts to disrupt this from happening,” Legion stated grimly. “I’m not sure what kind...”

“War, plague, famine, and disaster would be my guess.” Indeed, all of this was getting interesting. Terra-Luna didn’t have a True King yet, because the disparate Monarchs couldn’t get behind one person to fill the role. A truly mystical Document that represented a True King’s path to the Throne would remove the whole idea from the hands of the Monarchs who led so many people and put it right back into the hands of those people once again.

I was tempted to Crack the Sky and send this right off to Aelryinth, although I didn’t know if it would make much difference.