Ossorian House of Keys
House of Keys Teach na nEochracha | |
|---|---|
| 1,083rd Sitting | |
| Type | |
| Type | of the Parliament of Ossoria |
| History | |
New session started | 2019 |
| Leadership | |
Cainteoir na nEochracha | Aindriú Ó Mathghamhna |
| Seats | 48 Envoys |
The House of Keys (Teach na nEochracha) is the seniormost chamber of Parliament responsible for representing the Constituent States of the Realm and is comprised of 49 members.
History
When alliances would be made between clans or kingdoms prior to the unification of the Home Islands, the original documents would be given to the Temple in Carria for safekeeping. These documents would be stored in a chest and each party to the treaty would be given a copy of its key. As time went on, these keys became symbolic of these alliances.
When the Nine Kingdoms united under the High King against the first Shalumite invasion in 936, the treaty was again secured in a chest and a key was given to each monarch. Part of this treaty stipulated that the monarchs meet in Carria each year to discuss matters which had arisen and to plan for the coming year. When they met for these meetings, they would present their key, and over time the keys and the meetings became synonymous. These meetings continued after High King Fergus united the Kingdoms in a formal federation. Thus, the House of Keys is by far the oldest deliberative body in the Realm on the federal level.
Members
Membership in the Keys is equal across all of the Constituent States, with each having three representatives, called Envoys, and a single vote in the House. These Envoys are appointed by the government of their sponsor state and serve at their pleasure, though the House has the right to expel an Envoy following a 3/5 vote. The presiding delegation rotates among the delegations alphabetically each month.
Once a year around Midwinter the chief executives of the Constituent States meet in the House in a special session to discuss matters and to plan for the coming year.
Debate Chamber
The Keys meets in a circular debate chamber with one end holding a slightly raised and enlarged desk where the presiding delegation sits. Seating is otherwise arranged by state in alphabetical order. This layout was chosen so as to encourage a collaborative atmosphere among the representatives, in contrast to the more adversarial atmosphere encouraged in the House of Commons or the hierarchical layout of the House of Lords. This chamber is on the Second Floor of the central wing of Inverin Palace.
Powers
The Keys' powers include:
- The power to introduce, debate and vote on legislation
- The power to review, amend, delay and/or veto legislation proposed by the other chambers
- The power to initiate and prosecute legislative investigations