Congress of Chryse

The Congressional Flag featuring the Congressional Emblem as they were agreed upon in the 11th Session.

The Congress of Chryse is the supreme political authority of the Benacian Union, comprised of the victors of the Second Elwynnese Civil War and their designated successors. Established in 1696 AN at the conclusion of that conflict, the Congress placed itself above all laws and outside ordinary constitutional constraints, claiming legitimacy through revolutionary right rather than legal continuity with previous regimes. The Congress's founding declaration asserted that "there is no law except the will of the victors, bound only by the Covenant and the Commandments of the Righteous."

Under the Charter of the Benacian Union as reformed in 1752 AN, the Congress retains its historic character as existing beyond the scope of normal governance while exercising its powers through more formalized procedures. The Congress convenes in Chryse, which serves as the capital of the Benacian Union in part because of this role. Sessions are called at intervals of approximately five years under the Charter, though the Congress may convene in extraordinary session when circumstances require.

The Congress selects the First Consul, appoints members to all Union deliberative bodies including the Conservatory Senate and Council of Realms, determines fundamental questions of Union governance, and appoints the Lord High Censor who directs the Benacian Censorate.

Origins and Character

The Congress emerged from negotiations held in Chryse from 20.X.1696 AN through 1698 AN among representatives of Benacia Command, the Black Legions, the Honourable Company of the ESB Group, the House of Osman, the Benacian Archons of the Nationalist & Humanist Party, and the Union Defence Force. These negotiations, conducted largely on the island of Botha under conditions of secrecy and discretion that became known as "Bothan Island Rules," sought to map out a long-term plan for the vast swathe of Central and Northern Benacia cleansed of democratic and feudal forces through the Second Elwynnese Civil War.

The Congress constituted itself as a permanent body for "so long as the verdict of the Force of Arms shall endure," explicitly rejecting constitutional limitations and legal constraints in favor of revolutionary sovereignty. The Final Act of the First Session proclaimed that "any challenge to this authority shall be met by the Force of Arms so as to decide the right to rule" and declared it a capital offense to accuse the Congress of "contradiction, error, or failings of any sort." This revolutionary character has persisted through subsequent constitutional developments, with even the formalized Charter of 1752 AN acknowledging the Congress's status as existing "above the law and outside the scope of ordinary constitutional constraints."

The Congress's composition reflects its origins as a congress of victors. Representatives of Benacia Command, the Honourable Company, and the Nationalist & Humanist Party form the institutional core, with delegates selected through processes internal to each institution. The Congress exercises collective sovereignty on behalf of these three pillars of the Benacian order, translating their institutional will into binding directives for the Union-State.

Composition

The Congress is composed of representatives of Benacia Command, the Honourable Company, and the Nationalist & Humanist Party; the three institutional pillars that secured victory in the Second Elwynnese Civil War. The allocation of delegate places reflects the relative weight of these institutions within the Benacian order.

Under arrangements formalized in the Second Session (1703 AN), one-third of delegate places are awarded to the N&H movement in Benacia, apportioned amongst national sector parties and affiliates on a proportionate basis representing the demographics of subject realms. One-third of places are allocated to the Benacian Union Defence Force, one-sixth to the Honourable Company for its Benacian Directorate, and the remaining sixth divided amongst the Guilds of Benacia with representation on the Chamber of Guilds and Corporations. The Second Session hosted approximately one thousand delegates with retinues limited to eight persons per delegate.

Under the 1752 AN Charter, Congress delegates are drawn from the Lists of National Notables generated through the Selectorate System's multi-tiered filtration process. Each Realm's delegation is proportional to its meritorious subject population, with a minimum of five delegates per Realm. The Congress thus retains its character as composed of revolutionary victors while drawing its personnel from the narrow elite who have passed through graduated tiers of algorithmic selection administered by the Commission for the Panopticon.

The exact mechanism by which the founding institutions select delegates from the Lists of National Notables remains subject to internal processes not specified in the Charter, preserving the Congress's character as self-constituting rather than subject to external regulation. Delegates serve for the duration of each session, typically several years, and may be recalled or replaced by their sponsoring institution.

Constitutional Role

The Congress occupies a unique position in the Union's constitutional order. The Charter of 1752 AN describes the Congress as retaining "its historic character as existing above the law and outside the scope of ordinary constitutional constraints, though the new Charter channels its powers through more formal procedures than previously." This formulation preserves the Congress's revolutionary legitimacy while creating institutional structures that regiment Congressional power without eliminating it.

Under the Charter, the Congress exercises several specified powers. The Congress selects the First Consul from shortlists prepared jointly by the outgoing Consulate and Conservatory Senate, exercising the decisive political judgment regarding executive leadership. The Congress appoints initial members of the Conservatory Senate with First Consul nomination, and participates in the selection process for filling subsequent Senate vacancies. The Congress confirms delegates to the Chamber of Guilds and Corporations from among those selected by constituent guilds and corporations. The Congress appoints the Lord High Censor, who directs the Benacian Censorate including the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices.

The Congress may call plebiscites on succession or fundamental constitutional questions by three-quarters vote, providing a mechanism for direct popular ratification of major changes. This power allows the Congress to waive constitutional limitations such as the First Consul's term limits, modify the Charter's fundamental provisions, or resolve succession crises through popular mandate.

The Congress's powers operate both through the formalized procedures of the Charter and through its residual character as ultimate political authority. While the Charter specifies Congressional procedures for selecting the First Consul and appointing deliberative bodies, it does not purport to enumerate all Congressional powers or to limit the Congress to specified functions. This creates deliberate ambiguity regarding the extent to which the Congress can act outside Charter procedures in extraordinary circumstances, reflecting the difficulty of binding a self-constituted revolutionary body through legal constraints.

The Congress has historically exercised powers well beyond those enumerated in any charter, including the liquidation of delegates found wanting, the imposition of war reparations upon defeated territories, the grant of letters of marque to Sea-Reavers, and the fundamental reorganization of territorial arrangements. These exercises of revolutionary sovereignty continue to shape expectations regarding Congressional authority even under the more formalized arrangements of the 1752 AN Charter.

Powers and Enforcement

The Congress's supreme political authority rests ultimately upon the "Force of Arms" that secured victory in the Second Elwynnese Civil War. This foundational violence underwrites the Congress's claim to revolutionary sovereignty and manifests in the Congress's willingness to liquidate those who challenge its authority or fail to meet its standards.

The Second Session (1703 AN) established precedents for Congressional enforcement through notable liquidations. Gerhard Maurer-Henkens and Maler Volirion, both holding the rank of Ahmst Tazstraneï in the N&H National Sector Party of Elluenuueq and presented as candidates for elevation to deputy commissioner portfolios, were liquidated by the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices on 8.XII.1703 AN. Maurer-Henkens, found to have connections to the Frankish diaspora and the Kingdom of Batavia, was mauled to death by a bear before a paying studio audience. Volirion, discovered to have connections to rebel heretics in Cimmeria and Raikoth, was impaled on a stake over four hours in an event livestreamed to subscribers. Fines were issued to the National Cadre of the N&H National Sector Party Elluenuueq for failures of internal vetting procedures that allowed such individuals to advance to Congressional consideration.

These liquidations, conducted with theatrical brutality and broadcast for public entertainment, demonstrated the Congress's character as a body unconstrained by legal process or humanitarian sentiment. The practice of liquidating delegates or nominees who prove unsatisfactory has continued through subsequent sessions, though with varying degrees of publicity depending on the Congress's assessment of deterrent value versus the appearance of stability.

Beyond direct violence against individuals, the Congress exercises enforcement power through the subordinate institutions it controls. The Lord High Censor, appointed by the Congress, directs the Benacian Censorate and the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices in maintaining population registers, enforcing moral standards, and conducting purgations throughout the Union-State. The Congress's direction of the Benacian Union Defence Force through its appointees to the High Presidium of the Benacian Union (prior to 1752 AN) and its selection of the First Consul (under the 1752 AN Charter) ensures that military force remains available to suppress challenges to Congressional authority.

Sessions

The Congress has sat in the following sessions since its establishment in 1696 AN:

First Session (1696–1698)

The First Session convened on 20.X.1696 AN in the aftermath of the Second Elwynnese Civil War and concluded in 1698 AN. Negotiations were conducted primarily on the island of Botha under conditions of discretion known as "Bothan Island Rules," allowing principals to negotiate without the cant and hypocrisy that burdens public diplomacy.

The session produced the Final Act that established the Congress's revolutionary character and fundamental principles. This included the assertion that "there is no law except the will of the victors, bound only by the Covenant and the Commandments of the Righteous," the endorsement of the unification of Cedrozurvanism and Humanism as the guiding system for conquered lands, the establishment of the Congress as a permanent body in session "for so long as the verdict of the Force of Arms shall endure," and the creation of a Chamber of Guilds and Corporations subordinate to the Congress and organized on the principle of the "Benacian perfection of the Eight."

The First Session also produced the Declaration for the Reorganisation of Benacia and Elwynn (8.XI.1696 AN), the Agreement on War Reparations (5.VI.1697 AN) setting the debt burden for rebel bailiwicks at 3.9 trillion Elwynnese marks collectible over one hundred years, and the Agreement on Restitution for Losses Incurred by Allied Shipping (6.VI.1697 AN) authorizing the commissioning of Sea-Reavers to take prizes from vessels of Calbion, Cimmeria and Raikoth, Jingdao, and Nova England.

Second Session (1703)

The Second Session convened 13.IV.1703 AN and concluded 36.XV.1703 AN, held at the recently vacated Micras Treaty Organisation facility in Chryse following the Benacian Confrontation. Billed as the "all-union congress," the session hosted approximately one thousand delegates with retinues limited to eight per delegate.

The Second Session produced the Union Covenant, the Charter of the Benacian Union, and the Amicable Grant of Sovereignty in Relation to the Kingdom of Normark. The session restored the Sovereign Confederation to self-governance, appointed Zurvanudin Miran al-Osman as the first Lord High Censor, appointed Henry Royston Merrick as Lord High Rector of the Benacian Academy, and confirmed the High Presidium of the Benacian Union with Constantine Loup as Szodan of Benacia.

The session formalized the transfer of cities devastated by the Scouring to the authority of Cedrist cults including the Cult of the Sacred Detonation, dissolved and reincorporated Elwynnese Airlines and the Transegale Trading Company under new ownership structures, and initiated coordination with Ransenari authorities on transportation infrastructure connecting Chryse with Goldfield and Teldrin.

The Second Session established the precedent for Congressional liquidations through the executions of Gerhard Maurer-Henkens and Maler Volirion, demonstrating the Congress's willingness to purge its own prospective appointees when vetting failures allowed unsuitable individuals to advance.

Third Session (1708–1709)

The Third Session was scheduled to commence from High Roqpin (24.IX.1708 AN) and continue through the remainder of the year. Owing to the complexity of negotiations around succession and the removal of Adam al-Osman from office in Elluenuueq, the Third Session continued until 24.XI.1709 AN.

The session appointed the High Presidium of the Benacian Union for the 1708–1712 period. Security arrangements for the session followed the precedent of the Peace of Lapano, with the Imperial and Emirati Bank of the Sathrati Islands and the Imperial & Emirati Bank of Alalehzamin and Constancia serving as guarantors of the peace. Participants surrendered hostages and paid blood indemnity bonds into escrow accounts, refundable only if no murder or mayhem transpired during the session.

Fourth Session (1712–1714)

The Fourth Session addressed issues arising from the accession of Ransenar to the Benacian Union in 1711 AN, including the integration of Ransenar's governance structures into the Union framework and the accommodation of Ransenar's democratic traditions within the Union's authoritarian character. The session also addressed the revised Charter of the Benacian Union promulgated in 1712 AN, which formalized the evolution of Union institutions since the Second Session.

Fifth Session (1717)

The Fifth Session assessed the status of the Union-State and oversaw territorial renegotiation to reflect developments in the Exclusion Diocese, Mishalan, and ongoing Kalgachi missions. The session returned the Misalan riverine peninsula to the authority of the Governorate of Mishalan, coordinated Operation Penitent, addressed post-Bassarid operations and the threat of the Confederation of the Dispossessed, and constituted the Benacio-Euran Development Model to facilitate intercontinental cooperation.

The session vested the ecclesiastical office of Khan of Vijayanagara in Aurangzeb Tokaraizadeh al-Osman and passed a resolution of condolence on the death of Sarah Dravot-Osman, Countess Palatine of Mirioth and Amity and Chairwoman of the ESB Group.

Sixth Session (1721–1722)

The Sixth Session addressed appointments to the High Presidium of the Benacian Union for the 1723–1727 period, carrying over existing office holders with several significant changes including the transfer of Commission for the Panopticon custodianship to the Miþuï, the nomination of Fridwald Peter as Commissioner for the Sacred Treasury, and the appointment of Troy Lyon to replace Roman Nebuqannezzarion-Zerke as Deputy Commissioner for War.

The session took place amid the social tensions of 1720–1722 and directed the Benacian Censorate to conduct a comprehensive census across the realms, autonomous regions, and protectorates of the Union-State. The session addressed the creation of special development zones in the Exclusion Diocese, noted Shirerothian rearmament under the Power Projection Renaissance Plan, and directed the expansion and modernization of the BUDF including a capital ship building program for maritime forces.

The session discussed and rejected the Shirerithian Decree of 1722 on the Restoration of Validity regarding marriage law, appointed Jahangir Khan as Szodan of Elluenuueq, authorized increased financial support for continental defense manufacturing including the Citadel Arsenal, and approved the Charter of the Sathrati Consolidated Company.

Seventh Session (1728)

The Seventh Session addressed appointments to the High Presidium of the Benacian Union for the 1728–1732 period and addressed future strategy regarding Shireroth in the event of its departure from the Raspur Pact. The session's contingency planning for Shirerithian hostility proved prescient with the outbreak of the Shiro-Benacian Cold War in 1729 AN following the execution of Abner Shas by Kaiseress Salome.

Extraordinary Sessions of 1731 and 1737

An extraordinary session convened between the fifth and eighth months of 1731 AN in response to the serious deterioration in relations with Shireroth following the Sansabury incident and the subsequent Day of Rage.

The session endorsed the Benacian Security Council's decision to set the war alert status at Kreigaregat Alarmstufe 2, directed the Benacian Censorate to validate population data urgently, promulgated the 1731 Benacian Decree on Mobilisation, and appointed the General Plenipotentiary for Armament Tasks with Varl Mercajski nominated by the Commission for the Sacred Treasury.

An extraordinary session convened in 1737 AN during the Shiro-Benacian War to address planning for the war's aftermath, constitutional reform, administration of autonomous and occupied territories including the newly-conquered Guttuli, and international relations in the context of ongoing conflict.

The Long Session (1741–1751)

The Long Session sat in permanent session for a decade attempting to agree upon a new constitutional settlement to replace the Charter arrangements established in 1703 and revised in 1712. From the death of Szodan of Benacia Daniyal ibn Daniyal in 1743, the Congress was consumed by the Great Contention between the partisans of Lors Bakker-Kalirion and his rival Zacharias Avon-El over succession to the vacant office.

Two broad coalitions formed around the irreconcilable rivals. The conservatives, supported by Benacia Command, the Nationalist & Humanist Party, and the Unified Governorates, backed Lors Bakker-Kalirion and favored aggressive prosecution of the war with Shireroth and continental consolidation. The reformists, comprised of Chryse, Ransenar, and the Sovereign Confederation with support from the Commission for the Panopticon and the Honourable Company, accepted the candidacy of Zacharias Avon-El to maintain military loyalty and pursued accommodation with Shireroth under the Treaty of Lorsdam.

Constitutional reform efforts began with draft proposals emerging from the Extraordinary Session of 1737, which had outlined structures including an expanded Congress of Chryse with realm-appointed members, a body called the "Szodanadtz" combining heads of state with the Szodan, a reformed Chamber of Guilds and Corporations with specified seat allocations, and a new office of "Uvngætz" to preside over the Chamber. These proposals proved impossible to reconcile with the competing visions of the Realms' reformist delegates, each of which sought constitutional arrangements that would entrench their preferred approach to Union governance.

The conservative majority favored centralized authority under a strong Szodan capable of prosecuting continental consolidation and maintaining ideological discipline while reformists sought confederal arrangements that would preserve Realm autonomy and create institutional checks on executive power. Neither coalition could muster the supermajority necessary to impose its preferred constitutional vision, and attempts at compromise foundered on questions of Realm representation, executive selection, and the balance between Union supremacy and Realm autonomy.

The reformist coalition eventually overmatched the conservatives in the immediate struggle for power, securing the appointment of Zacharias as Szodan in 1747 and clearing the way for appointment of a new High Presidium in which the eastern realms (Chryse, Ransenar, and the Sovereign Confederation) were ascendant. However, this political victory did not translate into constitutional consensus. The Long Session concluded in 1751 without achieving agreement on comprehensive constitutional reform, though its decade of deliberations, failed drafts, and factional struggle informed the work of the subsequent Eleventh Session.

Eleventh Session (1752–present)

The Eleventh Session convened following the death of Zacharias Avon-El in V.1752 AN and passed the reformed Charter of the Benacian Union as its primary act. This new Charter superseded all prior constitutional arrangements, replacing the informal system dominated by the Congress and High Presidium with a structured federal order featuring the Consulate, Council of State, Conservatory Senate, Council of Realms, and formalized Selectorate System.

The Eleventh Session selected Lors Bakker-Kalirion as the first First Consul on 5.XV.1752 AN, marking the beginning of the Charter transition period and the conclusion of the Great Contention that had dominated the previous decade. The session remained in sitting to complete the initial population of the Conservatory Senate and other deliberative bodies, establish the Council of State, and oversee the early implementation of the new order.

Subordinate Offices

The Congress exercises authority over Union governance in part through subordinate offices that report directly to the Congress rather than to the executive:

Office of the Lord High Censor

The Lord High Censor, appointed by the Congress, directs the Benacian Censorate in matters of population enumeration, maintenance of registers including the Register of Recusancy and Register of Woe, and upholding of moral standards. The Censorate supervises the Rehabilitation Office, the Population Management Bureau, and the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices. The Lord High Censor reports to the Congress but responds to the requirements of all three Consuls in the execution of Censorate duties.

Current Lord High Censor: Heinrich Adolphus Kryptsinger

Office of the Lord High Rector

The Lord High Rector, appointed by the Congress, directs the Benacian Academy and oversees Union-level educational policy and scholarly research. The Rector coordinates with the Guild of Academicians and ensures that educational institutions throughout the Union adhere to approved curricula and ideological standards.

See Also

• Charter of the Benacian Union (1752)
• Consulate of the Benacian Union
• First Consul
• Second Elwynnese Civil War
• Benacian Union