From the notes of Citizen Emilia, Voice of the People

After a chaotic week of protests, things settled down, and we moved into our second week of constitutional debates. The protests continued at a lower intensity, and stuck to our agreed upon terms. Martin was temporarily placed in my care, until a permanent arrangement could be settled, but I was given new housing to accommodate him. 

Crysta believed that it was a perfect cover for him to pretend to be my nephew, no one would expect the heir of the dead monarchy to be in the guardianship of an outspoken antimonarchist. I’ll have to make sure these specific notes stay private until a few years after the convention, once the nation has had time to heal, but the people deserve to hear the full story eventually.

Martin was very interested in coming with me to the convention, and I had permission from Crysta to bring him, as long as he didn’t disrupt the proceedings. If he was a good boy he could stay and observe, but if he was bad the guards would be called to take him to another room.

Our morning session was to review the draft written by Pepe during the previous week. He had already underlined in red the areas that were to be reopened for debate later in the week. We were meant to ignore those areas for now, and focus on settled issues. Ensure that the wording was clear and in accordance with the agreements from the first week.

I wanted a more explicit clause about the supremacy of the Lower House, on all matters except those clearly specified in the constitution, and Pepe agreed to add some extra clarification. Other members had minor suggestions as well, but the morning session was relatively relaxed. We needed this calm after the tension of the preceding week. It was also a great chance to get to know the 4 new members who joined the convention.

Silas: He was the head of the largest bank in Valoria.He seems to be of a similar technocratic ilk as Pepe, although his Central Bank idea is an interesting solution to our economic woes. A bit elitist but not an unreasonable guy.

Mira: Very obsessed with trade and free markets. A valued member of the civilian bloc to restrain military influence, but we did have some disagreements over how much the government should intervene on certain economic matters. However, it is important to hear the viewpoints of her segment of society.

Elias: He is a renowned scholar of politics and law. I read one of his books while doing my initial preparation for the first meeting. He is relatively wealthy as well, although to a lesser extent than Silas and Mira, and he is a bit more grounded in the concerns of the masses. His theoretical knowledge is very valuable.

Tessa: A humble factory worker, but she also took part in many protests under King Valerius as well as the more recent protests in the capital. I heard she reluctantly stepped up as a leader while I and many others were imprisoned. She has great ideas, but she sometimes needs help expressing them.

Overall I am not happy that the selected members lean toward the wealthy, only Tessa represents the poorer segment of society. It would have been nice to have a variety of both urban and rural workers, and even the southern miners should get someone to represent them, despite their small population. However, I do understand how the upper classes were able to push their way in. I am optimistic that the new members can at least restrain the military and aristocratic influences this time.

Special Bulletin from Militia Captain Robert, Commander of the Northern Liberation Forces

After our hard fought victory, it felt like we were stepping into the convention with a second chance. We could undo some of the bad deals from the first week. I was still a little unsure about the new representatives. Most of them were wealthy, with little perspective on the struggles we were going through up north. Emilia had some concerns as well, but also argued that they had a right to be represented, especially in light of the disruption our protests can have on their lives. I don't really care much about their inconvenience, but I suppose it is fair to give them representation.

I was also pretty ticked off that one of the new members was another lower class urban worker, but no new farmers were added. Was this pushed by the military to drive a wedge between us? Maybe, and I would try my best not to let it succeed. Crysta spoke directly to me and the militia members gathered in the capital. She told us, she was a farmer herself, and she would be more vocal in representing our shared interests during this week. It was hard for us to reject representation from the mother of the revolution.

Our first session of the week started by reviewing the specific wording of Pepe’s draft to make sure it lined up with our earlier agreement, although I was reassured that specific issues would be reopened later in the week, like we agreed. Reviewing the specific details of the draft is not exactly my area of expertise, so I mostly left it to other members.

Official Communique from Ambassador Charles, Envoy to the United Kingdom of Hibion

Given the collapsing diplomatic situation, I am surprised they even allowed me to attend the second week of constitutional debates. While I tried to put a positive spin on things, the ceasefire with Hibion was dead, and Toskenza’s invasion was imminent. 

Crysta told me that even if Valoria was fighting for its life in the short term, a few years down the line, the royalist nations may be more willing to negotiate if we have held our ground. Having a moderate constitution could still be diplomatically useful in the future. Pepe also reassured me that I was serving an important role in the convention. Multiple times I had proposed compromises that helped keep the process alive rather than descend into a deadlock. 

Still, I felt uneasy here. I represented the privilege that many of the protestors detested, and some compromises I supported were the immediate cause of the unrest. I felt I must be more careful about what positions I push for in this second week, in order to maintain the stability of the nation.

I also noticed the child Emilia had brought to the convention. It was good to see him again, happy and well. After all that had happened in the capital since the revolution had begun he had managed to survive.

From the Office of Chancellor Pepe, Acting Head of Civil Service

Day 6 - Morning - Draft Review

The morning of day 6 was a review of my draft to make sure it clearly articulated the points of agreement from the first week. I even went through the effort of underlining all the areas that would be reopened for debate, later in the week, so they could be ignored for now. There were minor nitpick over wording here and there, but overall my draft was found to be nearly perfect in its concise description of the agreed upon government structure.

One notable thing this week was a few new members.

Banker Silas: Head of the largest Bank in Valoria. Not one of my recommendations, but I'm glad he attended. Overall, a respectable fellow, with some interesting ideas. We got along quite well. Crysta and the military backed him because of his financial support for both militias and the revolutionary army. He was even funding militias in secret shortly before the revolution began, but became much more overt after Valerius was executed. 

Merchant Mira: She is extremely focused on economics and especially trade, to the point of obsession. I guess it's understandable, but her relatively narrow focus makes her of limited use to this convention. Still her perspective is worth hearing for the sake of balance. I believe Dauphin pushed for her, because he believed more members with an understanding of trade were needed.

Professor Elias: A political theorist from Valoria University, and the only one from my long list of suggestions to actually be selected for this convention. I passed his class with high marks, though I don’t think he remembered me very well. Understandable that he can’t remember every student he taught. Still it was good to see him again. I know his theoretical knowledge will be very valuable. I believe he was accepted by both the protestors and the military because his theories criticized hereditary privilege, and he was forced into hiding near the end of Valerius’s reign.

Workperson Tessa: She was pushed forward by the mob, much like Emilia in the first meeting. She has similar values, but far less eloquence. Basically a henchwoman for Emilia’s agenda. Of all the members, she has the least to offer.

There was also a special observer, a child, and I objected to his presence. I would like to say more about it, but I am banned from specifying details even in my own private records, which I also strongly object to. At least the child was not allowed to debate or vote, but he is still a distraction.

Result - Consensus reached on minor wording changes, but my draft is relatively unscathed so far. It will be open to more serious changes later in the week.