"Dog's Amendment" Defeated

Officers of the Imperial Watch circulate handbills and post bulletins across the Empire of Fastheld that detail the results of a recent amendment to the "Shadow Amnesty" law that was submitted to the Imperial Tribunal, and upon which said agency of the Imperial Law has finally reached a final ruling. It reads:

Lanternglow, the 7th day of Huntsmoon in the Year by the Light 627 After the Aegis.

Let it be known to the esteemed Nobility and the Free Citizens of the Empire of Fastheld that the IMPERIAL TRIBUNAL has reached a final ruling upon the consideration of an amendment to the SHADOW AMNESTY law that would have permitted MAGES to take the MARK upon the back of their dominant hand instead of upon their cheek, around their eye, or in an area close to such regions.

In regards to the adoption of the amendment and the subsequent acceptance of it as part of the amnesty law, the great Houses of Fastheld voted:

Kahar: Ney

Lomasa: Ney

Mikin: Abstained

Nillu: Abstained

Seamel: Yea

Zahir: Yea

Let it be seen that the great Noble Houses have voted (2) Against, (2) For, and (2) Abstained.

All respective leaders of the Noble Houses voted, with His Grace the Crown Regent Zolor Zahir reprising his position as Duke Zahir. Duchess Rowena Mikin and Duke Oren Nillu could not be contacted, and have had the vote of Abstained cast on their behalf due to this absense.

As any vote for or against the amenment is therefore indecisive, the amendment WILL NOT be adopted into the Shadow Amnesty law, though may be considered up for appeal and revote in later months.

Let none challenge this ruling lest they invoke challenge upon the authority of the Imperial Law and the Empire herself. By the grace of the Light, His Majesty the Prince, and his Grace the Crown Regent of the illustrious Empire of Fastheld, as it is written so shall it be done.

With two Noble Houses abstaining from the vote on technicality of being out of contact, the tied result of the vote does not really present a clear picture of the mixed opinions of the Empire. Indeed, it mostly only reflects the opinion of four of the six Noble Houses, with most citizens either against the amendment, or utterly indifferent to the workings of politics.

The amendment is a mixed bag all around: On one side, allowing the Shadow Touched to take the Mark on the back of their dominant hand would perhaps encourage more citizens to come forward and be registered as practicioners of the arcane, and may have also gone a long way to easing the generally established fear that every Shadow Touched citizen is a potential cataclysm waiting to happen as a result, permitting people to see the person before the Mark.

However, the other side of the proverbial coin is that having the Mark on the hand may invite Mages to hide it and their nature beneath a glove or robe, thus defeating the point of the Shadow Amnesty, and perhaps even countering the advances of social tolerance. It would perhaps also make the efforts and courage of all that those who have already taken the Mark worthless.

It would seem that those who are Shadow Touched support it, while those who are not do not, though there is most likely mixed opinions even within those supposedly clear-cut demographics.