Conclave

Conclaves are periodical meetings of scythes at both the regional and inter-regional levels. The attendance of regional conclave is mandatory for all scythes and their scythe apprentices. At a regional level, there are three conclaves: Vernal, Harvest, and Winter. At each conclave, several activities take place all in the span of a single day.

Description

In the early days, conclave lasted for three days but the Scythedom discovered that after the first day it became little more than arguments and posturing. Because of this conclave is not permitted to extend beyond a single day. Specifically, conclave is held from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, twelve hours to accomplish all business until the next conclave.

Commonly, large crowds flock to conclave meetings to see the scythes in hopes of gaining immunity. It is very much like a celebrity event.

The High Blade presides over conclave.

Activities

The activities at regional Conclave include:

• Tolling of the Names: one by one, in no particular order, the scythes go up to the front of the room to recite the names of various people they have gleaned over the past four months. They cannot recite all of them, as that would be far too many names, so each scythe must choose ten. The ones they most remember, the ones who died most valiantly, the ones whose lives were the most notable. After each name is spoken an iron bell is rung.
• Ceremonial washing of the hands: the scythes all rise and line up before two basins, one on either side of the rostrum. The point of the ceremony is to bring solace and to bind the scythes together as a community.
• Bias scythes: scythes who have appeared to show bias in their gleanings are singled out and reprimanded. They may be given a verbal warning, may be assigned to only glean a certain demographic until the next conclave, may have to have their gleanings pre-approved by the Selection Committee, or they may be put on probation-- able to live as a scythe but unable to glean until a specific time. For example, a scythe who had been warned several times for gleaning only "ugly" people was put on probation until the next reptilian year. It is impossible to predict the animal of a future year so this is an undetermined span of time, a severe punishment.
• Legislative issues: Proposals on various topics are put up for discussion and either agreed upon and approved by the Scythedom, generally via a vote, or dismissed. For example, proposals to put a certain person on a committee or to ban a certain method of gleaning.
• Meals: The scythes eat during breaks, ranging from light breakfast refreshments to full meals. Local restaurants vie for the chance to cater to the conclave. Most food offered at conclave is plentiful and decadent and conclave is often a rare occasion where even the most austere scythes indulge themselves.
• Sales people: Salespersons are each given ten minutes to expound the virtue of some weapon or poison that they're trying to sell to the Scythedom and the Weapons Master, who has the final decision over what the Scythedom purchases.^{[citation needed]}
• Apprentices: When the time for apprentices comes up, first the candidates for Scythedom come up. These are those who have completed their year of apprenticeship and passed the third and final test which is given the night before. At this point, they are ordained, if they have been approved by the Bejeweling Committee, and given their ring. Passing all of the tests is not a guarantee that an apprentice will be ordained. If they are not chosen they will be sent home in shame. After this, the other apprentices are brought up for a test that will depend on the preferences of the scythe chosen to administer the test.

Breaks

During breaks scythes often enjoy refreshments while speaking with one another. Commonly, they congregate into small groups to build side deals, form small alliances, push secret agendas, etc. For example, while observing this during his first conclave, Rowan Damisch overhears a group discussing a proposal to ban remote detonators as a method of gleaning. Not for any ethical reason but because the Gun Lobby had made a sizable contribution to a particular scythe.

• Mid-Morning Break (donuts and coffee)
• Lunch Break (a buffet from various restaurants)

Conclave Locations

MidMerican Conclave

Fulcrum City is the Conclave meeting location of the MidMerican Scythedom. The conclave meeting chamber here is a huge semi-circle with a large wooden rostrum in the front where the High Blade sits and slightly lower seats on either side for the Conclave Clerk, who keeps records, and the Parliamentarian, who interprets rules and procedures if any questions arise.

Trivia

Minnesota State Capitol

• The MidMerican Conclave takes place in the middle of MidMerica, somewhere along the bottom edge of present-day Canada, or North Dakota and Minnesota. Scythe also states that it is a state capitol so that means the location is either the Minnesota or North Dakota state capitol. The Minnesota State Capitol seems to best match the description of the Conclave's location.