Motosui Assembly

Within the Khilaia,  most laws and treaties are created and judged by the Motosui Assembly , the great representative assembly of the fleets. The Motosui Assembly is a legislative body of over 370 members, each elected from a Pod of 100 - 200 selkie crews, or from a major selkie port region. The Assembly drafts and votes on treaties with foreign powers, negotiating trade barriers and freedom of movement for selkie vessels. It also votes on punishments for selkies that break those treaties, and on revisions for prior treaties as regimes rise and fall across the world. The Assembly also votes on things like who gets the most favorable negotiated shipping deals, which are given to major merchant houses and then distributed among the local crews. Disagreements over deal divisions and licensing can also escalate into court cases heard by the Assembly. The Assembly may vote to impose taxes, particularly on those that receive boons from the Khilaia. Lastly, laws and guidelines for all selkies can be issued here - though actual laws are extremely rarely passed. A small group of 25 representatives known as the Watakilai manages the decision making and has special powers in leading the assembly.
It is split between two houses: the Nasui, or main assembly, and the Inner Council of the 25 Watakilai of the great clans. That is, to be frank, a lot of people representing a very diverse group of interests. So, how do they get anything done?
Well, this is partially a matter of the Inner Council - the 25 Watakilai of the Great Clans - that sets the rules and agendas for the assembly. It is also a matter of committees: the Assembly often elects groups of senior representatives to manage committees handling specific cases. These committees typically bring their results to the Assembly for approval, but some may be empowered to bring matters to the Watakilai for approval instead, circumventing the large and rowdy main assembly hall entirely.
The most powerful committees, with the most robust staff, make up Treaty Court, which handles the judicial matters surrounding treaties with foreign bodies and agreements between Navies. Judges for Treaty Court are chosen by the Council of Elders (and are technically members of the Threadbearers, a kind of Hanahai ), but the Assembly often oversees these proceedings and votes on whether to confirm them.
How a treaty typically goes from concept to pact is:

• A Captain negotiates with a foreign sovereign or another Captain; they draft an initial version
• A diplomatic representative of the local Pod is sent to replace the Captain or assist them, typically revising the draft
• The Pod sends a copy of the final draft and an emissary to the Khilaia
• The final draft is brought before a Treaty Judge and a treaty committee; the judge can make final revisions, and empower their own emissary to continue negotiations
• If the Nasui feels the treaty is of particular importance, they may escalate the issue to a full floor vote; this is very rare
• When the draft reaches its final stage, the Judge stamps it with the Elders' seal, and the committee confirms that the Assembly
• Copies of the treaty are made and stored in the great Archive. Additional copies are produced to be sent out to the major clans of the relevant Pods

So, basically, minor actors can initiate big treaties, but every big shareholder gets their turn to try and add their conditions. Non-aggression treaties, anti-raiding treaties, contraband-definition treaties, neutrality treaties, and free trade agreements are the most common treaties signed, and are not often controversial. There is even a default template for a State Trade Pact or STP, which states that selkies will not raid state shipping or engage in any military action against a state if it 1) does not levy tariffs, 2) does not restrict maritime movement outside of quarantines, and 3) provides a physical outpost for selkies to dock safely and live. State Trade Pacts tend to push the selkies to favor large, non-militaristic states that are stable and long-lasting - states that can be relied as safe trade partners for long periods.
Major treaty violations are also handled in Treaty Court, though minor violations can usually be safely handled by the local Pods.
Generally speaking, the Motosui assembly is divided into five ideological alliances led by the five great clans, who have formed three great coalitions - the Political Parties:

• The Judicialists, who want a strong treaty-based center of power that isn't a full government and continued focus on trade and neutrality. Led by Clan Woshalui and Clan Mikiraka
• The Federalists, who want a robust central government and a strong military. Led by Clan Naimaka and Clan Danohel
• The Libertaines, who want an even less unified Khilaia with fewer rules and freer trade. Led by Clan Manuhel .

And who votes with what faction is a matter of both patronage and ideology, not to mention commercial interest.
Why send one of your own to go be an Assembly representative? Well, both to give your crew an outsized voice in politics and to best expose them to valuable business dealings in the Sacred Isles.

Type

Political, Confederation

Parent Organization

The Khilaia

Related Ranks & Titles

• Motosui Representative
• Watakilai

Related Ethnicities

• Selkie Culture