Letter #1

To: His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Raymond Edward Emmanuel


Your Highness,

After careful consideration and much debate amongst us, we are obliged to provide you with counsel on how to proceed with your plans on the basis of understanding that these are long-term policies that they have to be applied over several years, most likely decades.

We are based on an assumption that Your Highness would approve that long-term future of the core territories of the Empire will be ensured, and whatever territorial gains or losses will be endured, their influence on overall strength of the nation will be kept to a necessary minimums.

We have considered three aspects of the whole situation - the recommendations that would enable us to proceed with the necessary steps towards major institutional reforms, the funds we would need to appropriate for the keeping of necessary counsel and research, and the ways of gaining political power necessary to implement the reforms that could at least enable us to reduce the possibility for any counter-movement to arise.

1. Recommendation for the reform process.

a) Law System Review

As a whole the system needs to be reviewed, with introduction of criminal and civil courts, corresponding to local jurisdictions. It is an open question, whether rulings by land holders should be a part of the system, but we do concede that due to the lack of educated and experience law practitioners, we maybe forced to keep it in all, but most serious of cases.

There is also much need for the codification of law, as imperial law consists of no less than 6 distinct legal system - Gran, Straits, Lakeland, Northland, Westernland and Imperial Common traditions. We feel strongly that especially in cases of criminal law and public affairs, the laws of the land should be unified. As far as the private and civil law is concerned, we feel strongly that Gran, Imperial Common and Lakeland traditions should be researched and common codex applied, however, due to the local conditions, there maybe need to provide the exceptions for the local circumstances.

b) Administrative System

We are of the mind that the country should have a clear administrative with direct course of recourse for Imperial citizens. Therefore, we think that the administrative reform should be made and a parity between imperial fiefs and imperial provinces should be achieved.

We also think that changes in the provincial and ducal borders are necessary for improvement of certain regions. There is also need to clearly mark the equality between administration of the fief by its holder and administration of the province or imperial city by governor or lord mayor. Thus said, we think that establishing of a ducal court over both lesser titled nobles and governors should be mandated.

It is also in the interest of the clarity, that the lesser members of the royal family, not be given lifetime holdings, as a way of compensation.

c) Government Reform

It is imperative that a government should be reformed and not be subject to a compromise between unelected bodies of interest. A chancellor, shall be free to choose his Cabinet and ministers with Imperial approval without the need of additional parties to co-sign on the appointments. The government's departments and ministries should be organised in a way that would permit them to be functional, without quotas of higher level officials per department.

Imperial agencies shall answer to appropriate government's branches, however, their heads should not, as a rule be government ministers. The current limitation on a number of offices and agencies shall be removed.

d) Establishment of Representation

We think that any fief or province should have a provincial assembly representing citizens of the province, directly or indirectly elected. We also are of the mind that tax records should be basis on which the voting rights are established, although other criteria, including ownership of a land holding, or property, maybe sufficient to establish a voting right.

We also think that a Parliamentary Assembly shall be established, with bicameral structure. The Lower House should be elected by a popular vote, with representation from each and every province, according to the number of population and tax payers in each one. The Upper House members should be representing the provinces, each having one vote. It is our recommendation that this representation should be established by fief holders and governors.

This Assembly should have some power over matters of additional taxation, freedom and common law. It is also advisable that any person selected to be an Imperial Chancellor shall command a majority in at least one of the houses of parliament.

e) Army Reforms

A commission has to be setup on reforming the structure of military into a modern force of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers and their redistribution of garrisons around the country.

We do feel strongly that the structure, which allows the fief holders to commission large number of troops and recruit mercenaries should be abandoned and any right to establish such commission shall be withdrawn in long-term. It is, however, of paramount importance, that any change would be gradual. Therefore, we recommend that army reform includes provisions for the inclusion of commands held by fief holders or officers of their choosing, while still transferring most of the power to the Imperial Army.

The two-tier structure of the field army and the castle garrisons should be re-examined, especially whether there is need for an upkeep of so many long-standing military structures. We therefore feel, that at least of some of the current castles, should be reduced, their upkeep stopped or transferred to the civil authorities, especially in areas where large communities have formed around the military holdings. The savings shall be invested in strategic areas and forts, and training of the troops.

f) Navy Reforms

We feel that navy presence should be transferred to strategic bases with secondary ones established in the areas, where a necessity arises due to piracy, need of transport for the army, or an action against smugglers. We do also feel that any duty of protection of fishermen and sea vessels and collecting Imperial Taxes, and ensuring ordinary levels should be transferred to other agencies.

g) Nobility and social ranks

We are of the mind that 'Book of Noble Houses' should be reviewed and official list of the peers of Empire shall be made available. There is also much need for reform of ranks of nobility below the ducal level, especially creating laws differentiating between fief holders and other nobles, creating titles for heirs and lesser lines of nobility.

We also do feel that reforms the law to state the only privileges stemming from the noble birth should be an access to the ceremonial positions at the ducal and Imperial courts, and recourse from service in non-essential capacity.

We recommend that younger lines of Imperial family should have access to Imperial holdings, rather than governorship or fiefs created in their names, and the precedence of those holdings shall be accessible in official list of the peers.

h) Tax reforms

After the laws of the land have been reviewed, list of tax exemptions shall be re-examined and applied by category and not in singular cases. We would recommend for the lawmakers to take measures to revoke some of the exemptions entirely.

The provincial and city assemblies should have measures to apply additional taxes no higher than a fifth and a tenth or Imperial tax accordingly.

i) Tariffs reforms

After much though, we recommend for all the local tariffs to be abolished, and a tax based on sale value of the goods to be introduced. The laws regarding trade with non-Imperial entities shall be negotiated with the respective polities, subject to approval from Imperial Assembly.

j) Police reforms

An Imperial police force, both at the provincial and district level should be established, to conduct all criminal investigations and uphold the law of the land. Existing police force should be expanded and some local militias (both urban and rural) should be incorporated. The police powers of fief holders and governors shall be reduced, except in cases where they are need to uphold the local laws and collect taxes and tithes.

2. Appropriation of necessary funds

We have discussed the matter thoroughly and concluded that the income necessary to oversee and implement the reform, will be beyond our means, if we were to provide ourselves, even with any generous contributions that some of us may contribute.

Therefore, to hold sufficient funds, we have come out with a threefold solutions, though it might be not all to Your Highness's liking.

a) Future development means

We would establish a club or a company that would be offered a 999-year lease on flatlands beyond Kingfisher of forty-five to fifty acres. This would allow to develop us a front for all the necessary activities, a social club, a trading company with possible some other investments.

b) Steady income

The current operators of quite a few notorious high-end gentleman's clubs could be likely persuaded to sell, if they were given an absolution from allegations of tax evasion, slavery and fraud. These individuals would be made a one-time direct offer at a decent value. It is of our view that such a purchase would be a good investment providing for future steady income, while enabling for safe houses and meeting places beyond Queen's View.

c) Personal income

We are of the mind, that in the future, any plural interests, should be reduced to an absolute minimum, and holding of several offices frown upon, if not prohibited. It is, our conclusion, nevertheless, that to maintain a necessary degree of legitimacy, persons overseeing the reform process should be able to produce legally (and officially) obtained funds to the authorities.

3. Gaining political power

This area probably is most difficult to discuss, and probably most contentious, that we came up with. We cannot assure of widespread support for any of the reforms, neither from the general public or the elites. It is our opinion, however, that this committee should hold up to forty persons, chosen by Your Highness and us, to guide through the reform process, and gain influence over certain key institutions.

Though, we do not think that whole process can be started in less than five to ten years, recognising Your Highness's fear and the possibility for earlier change in Imperial policies, we would have to recommend that every attempt to seat members of the committee on the Regency Council (as the secretaries or less likely as the Council members) shall be made.

Cent. Reynald Barrow, Esq.
Adjutant to His Highness Crown Prince

Rev. Bp Michael Clement, Nob.
vicar general of Queen's View
PhD, Imperial School of Religious Studies, Theology and Inquisition (theology)
ISoRTI Dept. of Administration and Law professor
senior advisor to Head of Near-Human Complaints Commission

Hon. Meert de Glanville, Nob.
Imperial mage to Treasury Secretary
MaD, Imperial Magic Academy
PhD, Imperial University (history and political studies)
IU Dept. of History, Political and Social Studies professor

Hon. Mireille Isabeau, Esq.
Mistress of arts
Imperial Guild of Arts, Cutpurses and Rogues

Mr Fergus MacGill
Guild master of Miners, Masons and Alchemits, Harrington province

Mr Nicholas Perceval
secretary of His Eminency, Imperial Archwizard
MaD, Imperial Magic Academy
IMA Dept. of Conjurations professor

Miss Anne Schmidtke
junior editor, Queen's Dispatch

Hon. Robert Wilson, Baronet
senior advisor to Head of Imperial Revenues Bureau