Council for Controlled Change

The **CCC** is a noble-only group within The Democratic Mandate striving to keep the Empire stable by giving serfs a clear, legal way to ask for reforms. They believe that human beings instinctively seek change, and that this tendency must be contained using democratic processes. The group is composed exclusively of House Crux members, and it came in contact with the Democratic Mandate shortly after its admission within The Court of Elysium.

Being nobles they can use their families’ funds to financiate the Mandate, but their greatest contribute to the democratic cause is their knowledge of the judicial system and their ability to offer legal counsel to members in need.

## Politics of the Council

The CCC is a noble-only group that considers stability in the Empire to be paramount. They claim that, given how many planets hold a near monopoly on the production of certain key resources, the loss of even a single system could have catastrophic consequences.

The **core belief** that shapes their philosophy is the idea that human beings have an **innate need for change** that they will seek to fulfill no matter the possible consequences; to maintain societal stability, then, nobles must make sure that the strata most likely to be radicalized in the pursuit of change (Serfs and Freemen) has a legal way to satisfy this need. This doesn’t mean the members of the CCC believe punishment to be useless (on the contrary, they often push for harsher sentences against would-be-revolutionaries), but they think that its main role should be giving a clear message to the lower classes of what is and isn’t considered an acceptable way to ask for reforms.

The most controversial topic inside the Council is the question on how much should nobles actually adjust their governance in response to legally pursued change. Serfs’ demands are, of course, non-binding, as they lack both the wisdom and the divine mandate to rule; on the other hand, if a noble completely ignores every request made to them their subjects will just go back to being vulnerable to anti-status quo propaganda. The general consensus is that rulers should listen very carefully to the pleas of their inferiors, make a great show of taking their opinion into account, sensibly alter the nature of the proposal while trying to make it look as similar to the original as possible, and in the end implement a minor reform that, while looking very important, actually changes as few things as possible or implements policies that the noble was already planning to introduce.

## Functional Role within in the Democratic Mandate

Being exclusively House Crux nobles (either by birth or by marriage) most CCC members have a deep knowledge of the workings of the judicial system, and are ready to counsel the Democratic Mandate in all legal matters. Some of them also have access to important political connections, but they’re reluctant to call upon them for fear of losing status within their own House.

On an ideological level, the CCC’s self-assigned role is to remind other Forum members that they should not be seeking change for the sake of some misguided ideas about what’s “good” or “ethical”, but they should think of the concrete benefits that each policy can bring to the Empire.

## Personnel & Equipment

The funds at the Council’s disposal come almost entirely from membership fees and donations, with the occasional grant coming from the Democratic Mandate. Its members come from many positions in the Crucian hierarchy, having even an Inquisitor in its ranks, but the nature of the organization makes it particularly suited for Ministers.

The CCC uses its treasury mainly in advertisement campaigns to attract new members, with varying degrees of success, but it also offers pro-bono legal services to serfs and minor nobles that need it, usually under request of the Forum. While cases are normally taken by the Anwalts in the Council, the CCC is also in contact with a network of professionals and law firms willing to work with them.

The CCC meeting place and HQ is the Hatzfeld mansion, where they periodically meet to share insights on the nature of society and write proposals to bring to the Forum.

## Organization

The CCC currently has 17 members including Magister Crux Hatzfeld Eduardo, founder and leader of the group. All of them are nobles of House Crux, either by birth or by being married into it. The Council is trying to recruit members from other Houses, but being so steeped in Crucian culture makes it difficult for them to connect with other nobles.

Given their small numbers the CCC has no need to vote for representatives in the Forum, and all the members actively participate to its sessions. They still follow a rigid hierarchy in which every member has a specific role, with Magister Crux Hatzfeld Eduardo at the top as Chancellor, followed by the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Chairs of the five committees (in order of importance: Administration, Membership, Public Image, Charity Projects, and Democratic Mandate Relations), the Chairs of the subcommittees (usually composed by a single member), and a series of positions with descending degrees of authority. At the very bottom of the hierarchy there’s the Commentator, tasked with “getting a read on the general vibe of the meeting” (this last role was created for a particularly shy noble that had some trouble talking during the meetings but was still eager to contribute, and is taken very seriously by other members).

## History

3198 - Inspired by the happenings of the Yakiyan Revolution, Magister Crux Hatzfeld Eduardo writes “Thoughts on the Nature of Social Change”, a book describing his theory of the human “need” for change. After getting in contact with some like-minded nobles, he founds the Council for Controlled Change.

3201 - The Council for Controlled Change learns about the existence of the Democratic Mandate after it joins the Court of Elysium, and decides to apply for membership.