Decree of preservation
From Fellaor
The 512th decree of House Ashelli, colloquially known as the decree of preservation, was an edict passed by dictate by queen Eleneir of Ashelli, ruler of Sorthin in the year 1502. It states that no male member of nobility may rise above the rank of Collester. Since Bureaucratic rank is restricted to members of the nobility, this effectively prohibited men from holding any government position outside of the military. The decree is still in effect presently. The decree has been at various times controversial, with several heiress apparent in the lines of both Ashelli and Caris indicating that they would repeal the decree if they came into power, The highest of these women in the order of accession is Lady Peline of house Caris.
[edit] History
In the year 1500, Prime Governor Aegemar (the Sorcerer), also known as Aegemar the traitor, conspired with various elements of the Sorthinian nobility to overthrow then queen Olement of Ashelli. On the 23rd day of Second Seed, a group of four assassins hired by Aegemar crept into her room and murdered her along with her guardsmen. Aegemar, acting quickly, declared the 2 year old Catherine of House Maryon queen, and himself as regent until she reached the age accession. Most of the nobility, and therefore most of the bureaucracy, quickly sided with Aegemar, and with House Maryon. However, the then leader of the Sorthinian army, Lord Ashmar, who was related to house Ashelli by Ki'vlaa, brought in the military and imprisoned Aegemar, along with many of the leaders of the noble houses, and instated the 17 year old Eleneir of Ashelli, who was second in line for the throne as queen and regent for the young Catharine.
Because so many members of the nobility had sided with Aegemar, and had either openly or privately declared themselves against the queen. Suitable replacements had to be found, in order to stifle dissent within the government, However, this also had to be done without further damaging relations with the Sorthinian Elite. The solution was to ban all male members of the bureaucracy from current service, and systematically replacing them with loyal women chosen from each of the great families. And so, two years after her accession Eleneir passed the 512th decree of House Ashelli.
