Lamashtu considered Hecate's words in her wife's absence. Even most of the old guard DID seem rather fond of their half-human grandchildren. They might indeed turn against Lamashtu when they realized the full implications of what they were voting for.
On the other hand, Lamashtu felt she had to do this to ensure that no other demon child had to endure the stigma of a human pedigree. She had been mercilessly mocked and bullied by the other kids growing up. All of the Morningstar children had. Among them, Lamashtu had internalized the harsh words the most. Those bullies were the first people to not treat her like the princess she knew she was, and it hurt. This law could prevent the shameful marriages that had made Lamashtu's suffering possible... but only if she could get it passed.
An idea suddenly came to Lamashtu. The law was mostly palatable to the old guard of hardliners in the Senate, and it would only take a single minor adjustment to strike out their sole objection. Lamashtu headed to her desk and drew up a new draft of Proposition 13666, removing the passage declaring half-blood children illegitimate and adding an addendum enshrining their place in the succession.
The bill now read like this:
Proposition 13666
Demons of recent human origin are forbidden from holding high office in Hell. Being clearly inferior to Hellborn demons in all respects (humans being largely non-magical as well as the favored creations of God), such beings have no right to hold high office in Hell's government or its military. Recent human origin is defined as any transformation from human to demon occurring more recently than the year 2000 BC.
The following restrictions shall apply to demons of recent human origin:
It is forbidden for any demon to take a demon of recent human origin as a co-equal consort. The penalty of this shall be a fine of an amount determined by the presiding magistrate as well as the immediate execution of the former human. In the case of tainted marriages made official before the passing of this law, the penalty instead is the demotion of the offending spouse to slave-spouse. It shall remain legal to take demons of recent human origin as slave-spouses.
No demon of recent human origin shall be appointed to a courtly rank higher than servant. The penalty to any official who appoints a demon of recent human origin to a rank above its station is dismissal of the violating official from court and the execution of the offending promoted ex-human.
No demon of recent human origin shall be appointed to a military rank higher than corporal. The penalty to any officer who appoints a demon of recent human origin to a rank above its station is dismissal of the violating officer from the armed forces and the execution of the offending promoted ex-human.
Demon of recent human origin, being naturally at war with all that true demons stand for and aligned with angelic mentality, are to be subject to a separate penal system than true demons. For the first offense of non-capital crimes, the penalty shall be 50,000 years of hard labor in the sulfur mines in the case of males or life as a slave-wife in the case of females. The penalty shall be death for the second offense.
All demons of recent human origin are to be subjected to annual questioning by the secret police regarding their activities over the past year. The Chief of the Secret Police may deal with the ex-human as he or she sees fit.
Demons of recent human origin are forbidden from owning property. They may, however, continue to rent property from true demons.
Demons of recent human origin do not have the right to vote.
Demons of recent human origin, in the interest of national security, may be convicted without trial.
Demons of recent human origin need written permission from their archduke or archduchess to travel between circles.
Addendum:
Having been raised in Hell and properly trained in our cultural norms, the offspring of nullified marriages to demons of recent human origin shall remain fully legitimate and retain succession rights to all titles held by members of their family. They shall enjoy all the rights afforded to a citizen of Hell.
Parental rights to them shall remain primarily with the true demon parent. The ex-human parent (now demoted to a slave-spouse) may make suggestions regarding the child's upbringing, but the true demon parent (as well as the head of the family) is free to veto said suggestions.
Signed,
Princess Lamashtu Morningstar, Sixth Daughter of King Lucifer, Duchess of Irkalla, Duchess Consort of Malebolge, President of the Senate, Mistress of the Hellhound Kennels, Knight of the Fly.
There! That should satisfy everybody! (Everybody that Princess Lamashtu didn't WANT to piss off, anyway.) The hardliners should applaud the new law now that it wasn't endangering the rights of their precious grandchildren (and even gave them more of a say in how those grandchildren were being raised.
Tired out from her first official act as President of the Senate, Lamashtu sauntered off to the harem to blow off some steam with her bevy of slave-wives. She grinned as she imagined the feel of Pallaca's nimble tongue on her clit.
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When Lamashtu arrived in the harem, she found it in an uproar. The overseers were scurrying back and forth, shouting at each other in accusing voices. At the same time, Lamashtu's slave-wives were nowhere to be found. Lamashtu swooped through the harem on her vulture wings in a fury, searching everywhere for her concubines, finding nothing.
Lamashtu grabbed a harem guard. "You! Where are my slave-wives?!"
The guard trembled as Lamashtu bared her lioness fangs to him. "They...they're just... gone. That's all I know, Your Highness! A portal opened, a voice I don't know whispered some words, and we all fell asleep. When we woke up, your slave-wives were gone."
Lamashtu narrowed her feline eyes, seriously contemplating goring the unfortunate guard on her antlers. Instead, she kept growling at him. "You mean to tell me that I've been robbed?!"
The guard nodded weakly. "By sorcerers, from the look of things."
Lamashtu set the guard down, weighing her options. "I need to go. I intend to head to Dis to inform Dad that some arrogant, spell-slinging fool has decided to steal my things! Tell the palace nannies to mind the children for me."
With that, Lamashtu opened a portal to her father's palace in Dis.
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"I'm sorry if Astaroth made a bit of a scene in front of the wedding planner," Lilith apologized to Rachel. "She was a general during the rebellion, and a fierce one at that. A combination of alcohol and stress tends to bring out her inner Belial. I think it makes the present run together with her war memories."
"I understand," Rachel smiled. "I've actually seen brides behave worse back on Earth."
"Like the one the wedding planner ended up killing?" Lilith chuckled. "The one who kicked his dog?"
"Yeah, like that," said Rachel. "At least I don't think Astaroth would actually do the things she threatens when she's smashed."
"Of course she wouldn't," Lilith smiled. "That's Belial's department. Anyway, what'll you be doing now?"
Rachel gave her wings an excited flap. "I'm going to test these babies out. They're finally strong enough!"