Shireroth

Dude, I just wanted to find out how many people were for and against. Pretty obvious, since this is the Front Gate.

As to styles and titles, my friend:

During the reign of Ayreon one way was established of referring to Kaisers, Dukes, Barons and Counts, whose practice was banned in Hyperborea for instance.

This way of referring to the nobles was through saying "the Lord", "Lord", "the Lady" or "Lady" followed by the fief's name. For example Lady Iserdia for that Allot person.

I like to be addressed as "Lord Brookshire", "Lord Tosha", "Your Grace" or something else nice and friendly.

Personally I find it odd to be addressed as Lord in Shireroth, because I'm Lord of Magic in Novatainia, and thoroughly unused to being referred to as a Lord for any other purpose.

I would find it odd being addressed as "Lord" simply because I don't like the religious connotations.

I think the modification of B2 to limit lesser nobles to 5 votes max is acceptable (If I'm reading that right). Considering the cultural differences of the duchies, it should be up to each how they govern their internal affairs. If one wishes to have its own Council, in which vote distribution is more evenly spaced, then that should be the prerogative of that particular duchy. Just as if Erik wants a conservative government in his duchy, then that's his prerogative. The only inflexible system should be how the duchies are tied into the imperial government.

Really, a simple way to limit voting power in the Landsraad would be to set voting caps on people. Meaning you can only vote in the Landsraad if you have 3 or more votes assigned to yourself. In this way it would essentially force distribution.

That probably complicates things, so I'll just go back to my lake and grumble.

Erik Mortis wrote:If a lesser noble can outvote a Duke. Then the lesser noble should be the Duke.

If a Duke doesn't want to be outvoted, zie shouldn't have given away zir votes to the lesser noble.

Dukes are more than just a vote in the Landsraad, Erik. Personally, if I were Duke of whatever and got tired of voting in the Landsraad, I'd hand out votes to lesser nobles who might be more interested in voting than me while I tend to the Duchy's internal matters.

Then assign an Emissary. He votes with a Duke's, or lesser noble's, full vote count on behave of the Duke. If you really want to be duke and hand off your vote, we have as system for that already.

If that's the case and there is a system already and nobody has a problem with it, then why bother blocking doing it this way too?

Because the emissary system is just a pointer. It's just a redirection, not an actual handing over of votes. The Emissary votes FOR the duke. Lesser nobles vote for themselves. Removing a lesser nobles votes has political consequences. Emissaries have no entanglements. The votes don't belong to the Emissary, they belong to the Duke. Lesser nobles' votes will belong to them.

I will give and remove votes in Brookshire as I see fit, at any time.

An emissary is *not* a pointer. An emissary will not always vote the same way as the Duke.

As far as I'm concerned, the ten votes given to Goldshire all belong to the duke no matter what. If I choose to give them to a baron or other noble in Goldshire, the votes are still mine in the sense that those guys better be using them responsibly and I can pull them back at any moment for any reason. From that viewpoint, however many votes lesser nobles have, it's still an expansion of the emissary system.

Can we have a mini-vote?

Every duke say whether you want the "Duke Can Do What He Damn Well Pleases" package, or the "Lesser Nobles are Bugs and Must be Crushed/Limited in Their Voting Powers" package.