Hermant enters the Council chambers, admiring for the first time the opulence of their display. Scarcely pausing to settle on a bench, he rises to speak:

"Your Majesty the King, his Royal Highness the Prince and our noble Dukes, there is one question above all that we must debate - which of you will lead us?

The King has called forth noblemen from across France and with their collective energy, it is clear that we can accomplish great things. And France, for all the opulence of our present surrounds, cries out for action to restore it to its proper place in Europe. But who will marshall our energies? Who will direct our actions? Who will lead France to greatness?

The King has right of first refusal to the office of Seneschal, but I believe he may be too preoccupied with other matters of state to undertake the detailed work of administration that the office requires. If my belief is wrong, I apologise but would urge him to publicly correct me on my error and to come forward to inform us on his plans for the coming term.

But if, as I believe to be the case, we are to have a public contest for the post of Seneschal, I would urge candidates to come forth and state their manifestoes. If they wait to stand until the Council session is almost done, they will lose all chance to direct our discussions in the direction they wish the Kingdom to go and they will risk being mere secretaries, performing actions that we have mandated. And, for our part, we will lose the chance to question the candidates and see them openly debate with their rivals."