Shannow listened to the others argue; he wasn't fond of having to shout over a disagreement, but his eyebrow raised when the Propaganda Minister suggested a premature vote. As silence fell, the Intelligence Chief spoke:

"Before I speak, may I take a moment to reinforce an important point. We, the Council, represent the combination of the best our Empire has to offer in terms of talent and ability. All of us have been elected by their peers, or proven worthy by the fruits of their efforts; the notable exceptions being the miLady Admiral, who fought for the right to inherit her fathers position and thus proved her suitability. Our function is to lead our nation for it's best interests, and, may I ask, who better?"

"Now, we come to the way in which we may best serve our Empire. The Emperor is old, and the light of his reason, which one led us forward, is now dim, and a replacement must be found. His son, thankfully, is discounted; for nepotism, while allowed, is not a legal requirement. The Brother, on the other hand, is, while brilliant, aware of his brilliance, which is a damning character flaw. He is, moreover, a military man, and in his hands the Empire will begin wars on multiple fronts, for glory rather than need. It will be draining to our resources, upsetting to our people, and, I believe, a dangerous step toward the great wars of the End Times."

His eyes, in his speech, had moved across the room, and on his last point, met those of the Priestess. He paused, then continued, allowing his eyes to move again,

"And so, we come to ask who should take the throne instead. Well, I have no definite answer, but I can offer you a method. What we need is a young man, of modest means but good name, and the breeding and charm that comes best from the Old Houses, those noble bloodlines that have been the veins of our Empire for as long as we remember. His breeding should be good enough to impress the other Houses, yet from one of the houses that, in the upheavals of this modern age, fallen on hard times, so that he will be thankful indeed one ascending to the throne, and modest in his habits afterward."

"He will need to be a charismatic leader. Perhaps we can contrive to have him succeed in battle somewhere, and make a hero of him," he looked to the Lord Commander, "But importantly, he must be popular with the lower classes." He looked then to the Propaganda Minister,

"Most of all, though, he will be someone who will listen when we tell him to. Doubtless he will have good ideas, but our roll will be to guide him in what he really wants for the Empire. We will write the documents and send the commands, and of course his signatures will go upon them, but it will remain our job, as it should be, to safeguard this Empire through to the peace and prosperity it deserves."

He fell silent, and waited for the responses.

Christopher thought on the newly put forward plan before speaking. To him the brother still seemed the best option for a quiet succession with little question. The Emperor found his son unfit and so instead put his brother up. It seemed though that at least some did not share his belief.

"I will be honest and admit my leaning is still for the brother. However, should you find this person of which you speak I would be willing to reconsider the position I take on this. I do have one quality of my own to add, this person must be learned. I do not like the idea of having an emperor who has no will and thought of his own. He should still be able to put forward solutions that are more than simply telling us to handle it. If he is not at least capable of making a decision, I think it impossible to even make the populace believe he can rule them effectively. I am also not fond of grooming someone to be a council puppet, even if it should increase our own status and active power. Unfortunately as it sounds so far this is the plan put forward."

"Yes, I believe an older youth would be better. Not so easily moved, capable of independent thought. One that already bears the marks of the man he will become, and not one that only shows promise."

She closed her eyes for a minute, wishing she could take a nap, but it looked like there were more important, time-consuming things to be discussed. In the upcoming Solis gathering, she would start to try and get the people accustomed to the idea of a new ruler. The crowning of a new emperor would have to be as painless as possible to avoid revolt.

"His age is less important than his ability to give our suggestions due consideration. Of course, his are the decisions, but ours in the expertise on which he draws." Shannow smiled, glad that the idea was being considered. Perhaps this could be a means by which the secession could be resolved with satisfaction for all.

"He should be neither too old and conservative to hear us, nor too young and impulsive to take heed. Of course, there will be a thousand other requirements, and no case will be accepted purely on formulaic basis. Each individual will be considered in council, but I will have my agents begin the investigations immediately."

Julian sat silently and recorded while listening to everyone else. The idea of a child ruler did have some appeal to him. Tiberius was just as likely to be plagued by the same infirmities as his brother. If he was appointed he would only be a short term solution before his health began to fail as well, then they could find themselves in this same position if he lapsed into madness as well. A child could be groomed to be a ruler who start and oversee a Golden age for the Empire. A hero for it's citizens. However Julian had no doubt that Roderick also wanted someone he could manipulate, and as the child's advisor he coud easily sway the child. He would have to spend most of his time making sure that didn't happen.

Renard sat back, snacking on the food that was provided. It was then when Roderick spoke out is when he truly listened to every word he spoke. The idea of a young man rang true in his head; of noble birth, a military career if possible for Julian and Christopher to make a hero of.

"You're essentially searching for perfect Emperor I see it?" Renard remarked. "On a much more serious note, I do support your words Lord Shannow. The Empire needs someone strong, not only in physical sense but in the mental, psychological, philosophical, etc. I would only contribute that whoever that candidate be, they must either have very little leadership experience. Hear me out, if said candidate already has been in a leadership role then they already attain a sense of style to their ruling. To build up on what the others have said, we can mold what the new Emperor thinks to what we see as most beneficial to the Empire. I'm not proposing an idiot be put on the throne but neither am I saying a stubborn knave should be put on either."

"I'd also like it if they have a clean criminal record too..." He joked.

"Of course," nodded Shannow, "The suggested candidate must be unimpeachable, obviously. I take it, then, that there are no objections to my commencement of the search?"

As he spoke, he wrote the relevant orders in open language, ready to sign and pass to Daniel.

Morris sighed and listened to the discussion regarding Shannow's idea. Between him and Roderick, it seemed all the suggestions for a new Emperor involved chasing after dreams. There was nothing wrong with hoping for the best, it just seemed a little odd to hear such naive goals from men his own age. "If such an exceptional individual exists, should we not have been aware of him by now? If you truly wish to search for such a person, I will not object to how you utilize your own resources, but I feel Renard said it best by saying we are searching for the perfect Emperor." Morris said as he made a few mental notes to have any men he could spare keep an eye on Shannow's search. If he did turn up the new Emperor, it would be best if Morris could contact the individual and get on good terms with him quickly.

"My concern is that an easily moved emperor will listen to anything all too easily. No questions, no hesitations. If you tell a child to move the armies north, do you think he shall question the motive mi'lord? The cost? I am not implying that you have not been a good adviser, but I want to point out you advised a king, not a boy. I agree with the modified plan."

Her voice was small and quiet. Since the second plan seemed to have more support, she felt that her vote or thoughts weren't necessarily warranted.

Alice perked up from her chair. A combination of headache and rot-gut had captured her attention through most of the discussion, but she'd caught the main points. And the main contentions. A young man, nearing adulthood but still moldable, would be found and raised to the position of emperor. It was far from inspired but there was little to reasonably object to. No other proposed ruler came through with fewer flaws, and with no one else's bid to support there was only her support to throw behind this bid.

"Personally", she spoke up from her chair, unpainted fingers massaging her temple while a little frozen smile presented itself to the room. "I see no reasonable objection to this plan. The only thing I can say is that it will take some time to review and inspect the children of every noble in the empire. And with that in mind I'd also like to point out that, for the moment, our king is still in authority. It may be appropriate for Lord Roderick to announce an official period of successive council. If the king had died and we were looking for his heir, it would be obvious that the council would have de-facto rulership of the nation until such time as an heir was decided on. I think it's prudnent we move to this state before such times as our king declares another war. Perhaps on fish-merchants this time."

She closed her eyes for a moment, tiredly. "Oh," she interjected, faining excitement but still not openening her eyes "Also, when and where is this party? I must have a little time to prepare."

The direction of the topic had been nearly dropped, and the Lord Chancellor turned to the old book he brought with him. None were dependant on him speaking, so he added little. Then he heard about the exchange between the Admiral and Vizier. He closed his eyes to assemble the thoughts in his head.

"Then why are we fretting over small problems?" Now wasn't a time to be patient or explanatory; most already know the stakes and just need a verbal shaking. The words came out faster with a tinge of intensity and perturbance. "If for any reason the people in this council are dissatisfied with the Empire's future - for money, power, prestige, or sheer fear of change - then stop complaining about how bad our future is and make a choice!"

He cleared his throat for one more topic to bring up. His voice returning to a calmer slower pace but the intensity only slightly lessened. "As for celebrating the prince's birthday, I see no reason why it needs to be cancelled. Besides. I think most here would welcome an event of pomp and circumstance over another day of headaches."

While the argument continued, Shannow murmurs to his aide, "No reason why there shouldn't be a party. Get in touch with the Admiral, see if we can't have a friendly gathering at the town house"

Daniel nodded, replying equally low, "Perhaps invite some others form the council? Those who approve of a little celebration, of course."

Sharrow allowed himself a smirk of pride, "You read my mind, Daniel," was all he said. By then, it was his turn to reply.

He did not trouble to stand, but he allowed into his voice the resonance he had learned on the cavalry parade ground. Form within his ruined frame, it no longer boomed, but the tone remained, that of one who had led a charge against certain death.

"We have nothing to fear from the rabble rousers and petty rioters. Do you doubt that the Bureau does it job? Besides, should some foreign power raise our people against them, we have the castle, your guards, the hole army. Even if they could raise our people against us, it would be nothing."

"I, too, support the idea of an Interregnum. Let is be known that the Emperor is ill of body rather than mind, and institute Council rule until the succession can be secured."

He paused, then continued softly, "The Emperor needn't even know. Feed him reports of glorious victories, and maybe, in a month, tell the world that he is too weak to rule. He would be peacefully pacified, and we would be free to chose our own sovereign."

"What has the Council to say?"

"If the Emperor is to step down it would be best for it to seen as by his own volition. While it will be difficult to get the Emperor to do this, we'd ensure that people will accept the legitimacy of the new ruler. If we have to announce ourselves that the Emperor is unfit to rule and replace him then others will question the legitimacy of this succession, and we will face opposition from those who feel they have a better claim to the thrown. In short, the most important piece is to ensure the Emperor recognizes any new Sovereign, and if possible, steps down personally. That second part will be no easy task given his current state." Julian responded to Shannow's query.

"The subject should also be known to the public before he's crowned, if someone anonymous is put on the throne it will undermine the people's trust. It will be easy enough for my ministry to endear them to the people so long as there is a bit of time." Julian added.

"I will make it known now my preference is still for the brother. I will cast my vote only once a new heir has been put forward by those advising this kind of action. I will not vote to put any plan into motion based on pure chance and hopes alone. So for now I will respectfully decline to vote." Christopher said, passing without signing to anything. He had almost forgotten himself in the chance to find a better ruler. The prince was not ideal in any way, but these people were wanting to put a plan into action in the hope of finding a good candidate, not already having one. He needed to remember even the prince was better than having an empty seat or a puppet of one of the other councilmen on the throne.

"I am still against this course, I am satisfied with our current possible heirs, and this risks leaving us vulnerable. Either Caeron or Tiberius are a better option that risking the Empire, trying to manufacture a sovereign." Julian stated flatly, the current Heir Apparent suited him perfectly. And at least Tiberius couldn't be Roderick's puppet.

Shannow smiled; the Vizir was performing admirably. The choice was now to impeach annother council member, and so earn enemies, or admit that the Emperor was not a vital part of government. He couldn't have put it better himself.

"It is my duty to act in the best interests of this country. I do not believe it in the best interests of the country to agree to the hope of a ruler, and it is the duty of those wanting to find someone other than the brother to find a replacement worthy of the position. I make it clear I wish for the brother to rule for his intelligence and proven capacity as a leader in the colonies as well as his proven ability to think for himself. You wish for me to put my name down on what is essentially a massive question mark. If my unwillingness to trust that such a person that has the qualities desired by this council even exists let alone can be found in an empire this large is somehow infuriating then I apologize for that.

I will not back down from this however, I want a name and a record before I agree. If you wish to convince me that the king's brother is unfit for the throne, those supporting another need more than mere promises. Find your man and allow the council to review him, and then you might have my support. Until then, it is not that anyone on this council is incompetent, it is that your plan is unfinished and unrefined in my opinion." Christopher replied calmly, even as he wanted to jump across the table and hit Rick for trying to force them into a false two-sided choice. The more the man spoke and tried to manipulate and the more Shannow smiled, the less confidence he had in this plan. As he continued to think on their resistance he realized he may have to try and find allies of his own to stand with him should things begin to go south.

"Vizier, do not lecture me on my duty, I know it well." Julian said, his voice dismissive but full of contempt. " The fact that you don't seem to see the consequence of replacing our Emperor who mind you, is still loved and respected by his subjects, and feared by his enemies. With a child with no connection to the previous ruler besides being appointed by them. Our enemies will see this a chance to strike at us, rebels will see this as a chance as well. If you don't think having a child ruler will weaken us just think, how will it looks if just days after forsaking his own son for a new heir, the Emperor steps down because he is too sick to rule. People will question if the Emperor was in his right mind when he chose the child, that will cast doubt on this ruler.

"The Council is powerful, but Acherus needs a monarch to lead it. Someone who can rally us and guide us on the path forwards. Without a ruler we are too divided to forge a path, but the monarch unites us and gives us a single purpose. Not just the council but the entire Empire. It is only because of the respect and fear that our current Emperor commands, that the Council has been able to keep control.

"The Prince Caeron will have his father's legacy, that alone will provide him the people's trust and respect. And while he may be a drunk, and an ass, do not forget that Caeron has been breed to rule. He has learned from the brightest minds in the academy, and has been taught by his father, a man who's greatness can not be contested. While you might dislike him personally, I still have faith that our Emperor would not have chosen Caeron in the first place, if he did not believe his son was able to lead the Empire."

"No then if you wish me to name names, and 'come out with it' you obviously have the perceptive capacity of a slug if you need me to say this out loud for you to be sure. It should be obvious who I see as weakest link in this plan, it's you. This plan is an obvious power play, despite what you have said, you have offered no way to guarantee that this child would not be yours to manipulate. You would be the closest to him at all times, and you can not be trusted to to not abuse that proximity. You are also using your personal impression and emotion to decide Imperial affairs. You may dislike Tiberius and the Prince, but it is your duty to put aside what you feel and make objective decisions for the good of the Empire. You seem to believe you can simply make a better ruler, and I see this as a sign of gross over-confidence. You are not willing to see how your plan could fail, so therefore it will never succeed."

Once more returning to IIB shorthand, Shannow jotted another note in his papers: Minister of Lies seems to suffer from short temper + chronic rage. Caused by strife in private life/hidden sympathies/underlying motive? -> Investigate (Spymaster?)

Out loud, he spoke briefly and coldly, "I am told you have great skill in manipulating opinions, Julian. Therefore, it pains me to see that you are not capable of keeping a civil tongue in your head. I suggest that you retire from this meeting until you can recover your temper"

"Indeed, we might all benefit from a break. Those for a short recess?"

"Indeed, it seems there are broken codes of civility and conduct today. Perhaps a recess is in order so that cooler heads might prevail." Christopher responded with an imperceptible glance towards the Head Adviser as he stood up. His voice was calm and even even as he himself wanted nothing more than to storm out of the building. He was, however, a general and needed to show more decorum and respect than that if he wished to lead by example.

"Hopefully we might all come back and remember the respect we are all afforded by our positions on this council and its purpose. Even if we should disagree with one another."

"I agree with a short recess." was all that Gennadiy said in the matter. "When we return, there are some commentaries that need to be shared." he took a quill provided by the council and proceeded to write on the back of his academy reports.

Shannow nodded, and dragged himself to his feet. Limping toward the exit, he signaled to Captain Evans, who waited respectfully for a chance to speak to Spymaster and Admiral. The Chief, on the other hand, looked to the Vizir, waiting to catch his attention and so earn a private conversation.

Julian heard everyone moving for the recess, he agreed, he needed time to check with the other members, " Recess would be good, but allow me to make some clarifications first." He said, " I have not and never have, suggested that we continue to rule in place of the Emperor. In fact that has been the opposite of my point, we need to return to a state which is lead by an Emperor as soon as possible, an Emperor who can lead us. Not one who will need years to be groomed to the point where he can take over. Such a thing requires time, something we do not have.. Also I hardly see how I have been the one acting emotional in this meeting. I have not used slander or insults to prove my point, nor raised my voice. You accuse me of lying but I am speaking more honestly now then I have in a long time."

" You have claimed the Prince and Tiberius are unfit to rule, but all you are using to support your argument is slander, you've offered no proof of either Tiberius being a 'military nut', or of Caeron being lax in his studies." With that Julian took a final sip of wine, before collecting his papers, and leaving the Council chambers.

As soon as the arguing stopped Aimee stood up, collecting her staff and quickly making an exit. She sunk into the closest chair outside of the room and let everything float around in her head for a while.

We do need a ruler. I see no reason why Tiberius would dismantle the Council: one cannot rule an empire as massive as ours without help. I don't think a new ruler can be chosen immediately... most emperors have had some experience. Simply being the best and brightest does not mean one will be a good leader.

The High Priest or Priestess were watched from birth until about 10 or 12 years of age. They were taught how to behave, how to think, what to think. They became very predictable, which wouldn't be the case here, especially if they were going to consider a random noble child who did good in his classes.

She made a mental note to visit the ailing king later and offer a sacrifice for him. Hopefully he would be in one of his better moods. Maybe she would be able to see the prince too, and maybe try to see if he would make any sort of a replacement at all.

Insomnia wasn't a problem she wanted to deal with, and with the small recess, she took a nap. And I haven't even brought up the letter yet...

Morris remained seated for awhile as the rest of the council left for recess. Having already said his piece on the matter, Morris had felt no need to try to get a word in between Julian and Roderick. Instead he had been content to observe and plot his next move. It seemed as though this issue would divide the council, Roderick and Shannow pushing for a new heir while Christopher and Julian were firmly against it. So what would be the best move for Morris? Though he didn't like the idea of ousting the Emperor and his heir, he could handle that so long as it benefited him. But putting himself on the losing side wouldn't do either.

Perhaps it would be best to speak with those whose opinions were still unknown. The more he knew about where the lines were drawn, the easier his decision would be. Finally, he rose from his chair and made to leave the chambers and see who he could talk to.

"I had hoped to discuss policy," says Shannow, his face suddenly unreadable behind his scars, "But if you must attend family matters... I understand."

Meanwhile, his aide moved smoothly to Morris' elbow, "MiLord Shannow sends his regards," he began, softly, "He wonders if you might be interested in a little cooperation between our two organisations..."

Aaron stood up from his seat at the council table, surprisingly he hadn't needed to add his voice to the sheer lunacy that was being suggested in it. Oh Rick, you would think after all your years serving our humble Emperor on this council of traitors and backstabbers, you would learn a bit of tact. Hell, with the nonsense he was spouting, it might be enough to actually warrant something happening. Aaron chuckled under his breath as he thought this. At the rate these things were going, the empire would be plunged into chaos at the moment the emperor finally died.

"Ah, Lord Commander," Aaron called as he saw Christopher rising to leave. "I was hoping to talk to you for a minute, would you care to have a quick drink with me?"

"If you wish, I have time to spare Master of Coin." Christopher said before walking over to the other.

"Any particular place you had in mind for us to speak?" he asked.

Morris paused at the door as he noticed Shannow's assistant, Captain Evans, heading his way. He was not at all surprised to hear that Shannow wanted his cooperation. The two intelligence networks working together would be quite a force indeed. Although, the idea that the two would ever trust each other was absurd. Still, it couldn't hurt to hear Shannow out. "I am interested enough to at least hear him out. You may continue, Captain Evans. I am listening."