Brilliant Star
Overview
The Brilliant Star is located in Tomari in the Urizen territory of Redoubt. Custodianship of the Brilliant Star grants an Imperial title; a seat on the Imperial Bourse; and a seasonal bounty of valuable mithril.
The Brilliant Star was, historically, an Imperial seat auctioned through the Imperial Bourse. At the Summer Solstice 385YE, the Imperial Senate voted to relinquish the seat and reallocate it as an Urizen national position.
During the Autumn Equinox 385YE, as part of the ongoing invasion of the Empire by the forces of Cold Sun, the Brilliant Star was attacked by a cadre of scions. A force of Imperial heroes tried to intervene but were unfortunately beaten back. The scions assailed the mine, stole a bounty of mithril... and somehow twisted the light that gives the mine its name.
The Resource
The Brilliant Star consists of a network of tunnels beneath the peaks of Tomari, overlooking the Urizen spire of Delving. Hailed as the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that underlie the south-eastern mountains, the walls of the Brilliant Star gleam slightly even when there is no other light. This eerie phosphorescence attracted scholars from all over Urizen; experiments showed that the pale light from the walls actively promoted reasoned thought, and eased the understanding of difficult theoretical principles not only in magic but in all advanced disciplines including mathematics and natural philosophy.
Unfortunately, the tunnels are also part of an active mine, and do not welcome casual visitors who wish to study in the lucent effulgence of the tunnel walls. Over the centuries, this led to a number of unfortunate accidents, and both would-be scholars and miners alike have paid a tragic price for interference in the mine workings. On occasion these trespassers actually interfered with the mine's production, whether accidentally through their unsanctioned presence; through the use of misplaced magic (the mines have an affinity for the realm of Day); or even through intentional interference.
According to the scholars who study the light, it becomes dimmer the less mithril ore there is in its vicinity. This means that the light is strongest in those areas where the mine workers are most active in extracting the mithril ore. On at least one occasion (during the reign of Emperor James), militant magicians occupied lower sections of the mine and attempted to prevent workers from removing the precious ore. Unsurprisingly, this occupation led to a near riot and led to the tight security measures that persist to this day. Despite the presence of sentries and regular patrols, barely a season goes by without an ambitious student, or a wily master, sneaking past the workers to explore the Brilliant Star.
Everything changed for the worse in the aftermath of Cold Sun's attack. Where previously the walls of the tunnels gleamed with a soft glow, they now resemble glittering coal, and shine like silver with an eerie black-green light. The mithril remains but the light that once promoted reasoned thought, that at one time eased the understanding of difficult theoretical principles is gone... and that lucent glow that has replaced it is dangerous. Examination and divinations such as Bright Lantern of Ophis indicate that the scions had worked a permanent change on the Day magic that infuses the mine. The previously benign illumination is now a deadly bane, possessing natural properties that make it inimical to living beings. It also makes it easier to find mithril, however, because the new qualities of the illumination make it much brighter where there are large deposits of the precious metal. Provided one can brave the intensity of the deadly light.
Further investigation indicated that there are ways to protect against its insidious effects. Tempest jade absorbs the malignant effects of the luminosity, but in the process becomes corrupted and twisted by the disruptive force. There is some initial optimism that enough tempest jade could be used to restore the mine completely, but those hopes are soon dashed. The tempest jade doesn't weaken the light in any way, it simply protects living beings in contact with it from the light's cursed touch while itself being slowly corrupted.
During the Winter Solstice 385YE, the Imperial Senate voted to increase the upkeep of the mine - allowing more mithril to be recovered.
The Bourse Seat
Responsibilities
The Seat has no particular responsibilities; they simply receive a bounty of mithril which is theirs to do with as they will. If the Brilliant Star were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Seat to deal with those threats. Likewise, if any particular opportunity were to arise related to the Brilliant Star, the Seat would expect to be consulted as to how that opportunity might be resolved.
Powers
Seat on the Bourse
Custodianship of the Brilliant Star comes with a seat on the Imperial Bourse. For the most part, this Seat comes with no additional responsibilities. It is an Imperial title that grants the right to participate on the rare occasion when the Imperial Bourse as a body is required to make a decision.
Bounty of mithril
The Seat has control of a source of mithril and receives Bourse certificates to represent that control. They can dispense this resource as they choose. Production is 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season, up from 24 wains prior to the change in the magical light.
Splinterstars
| Splinterstars | |
| 8 ingots of tempest jade | 3 splinterstars |
| 17 ingots of tempest jade | 6 splinterstars |
| 27 ingots of tempest jade | 9 splinterstars |
One of the magicians studying the tainted illumination made a fascinating discovery when examining the tempest jade wards employed by the miners. The light alters tempest jade exposed to it, making it opaque and prone to splintering. Some of the resulting splinters, however, continue to contain a little of the magic from the mines. When enough are gathered together, they can be used as a kind of mana crystal albeit with different capabilities. Given the somewhat optimistically euphemistic moniker of Splinterstars, a small pouch of the residue can be used as if it were crystal mana, but only for casting offensive spells or rituals using Day magic. These splinterstars appear to be attuned to the Day resonance of force and if used to perform either repel or shatter, it allows the caster to use it on two targets instead of one in a similar manner to the Kimus' Glaring Eye enchantment. They have only 10 seconds to deliver the second call of REPEL or SHATTER.
By collecting the remnants from overcharged tempest jade talismans, and carefully sorting them, the Seventh Mist provide the holder of the Brilliant Star Bourse seat with several pouches of splinterstars each season. This does, however, increase the amount of tempest jade needed in the mine. The holder has access to a ministry that allows them to trade tempest jade for splinterstars.
Appointment
As with all mithril Bourse seats, the holder of the title is determined during the Autumn Equinox. Control of the Brilliant Star is assigned to whichever Urizen candidate receives the most support from Urizen owners of mana sites. Votes are recorded in private in conjunction with the civil servants who support the Bourse.
Custodianship of the Brilliant Star is retained for a year, or until the citizen holding the seat dies, or steps down. An Imperial Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Equinox 386YE | Rhode | 339 Votes |
| Autumn Equinox 385YE | Rhode | 136 Votes |
| Autumn Equinox 384YE | Lumi | |
| Autumn Equinox 383YE | Cormack Dun | |
| Autumn Equinox 382YE | Adoraim | |
| Autumn Equinox 381YE | Tobias Shanks | |
| Autumn Equinox 380YE | Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich | |
| Autumn Equinox 379YE | Giacomo Corvinoscuro | |
| Autumn Equinox 378YE | Tobias Shanks | |
| Winter Solstice 377YE | Tobias Shanks | |
| Winter Solstice 376YE | Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Rhode; it will be reelected at Autumn Equinox 387YE. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold the title of Custodian of the Brilliant Star in the years since Empress Britta died.