Burgher of Ketsov
Overview
Constructed by order of Irina Vasillova Dukov as the Bearer of an Imperial Wayleave, work on the construction of the Trade Exchange was completed shortly before the Summer Solstice 383YE. The opportunity arose as part of the conquest of Ossium, and was requested by the inhabitants of the town of Ketsov.
Responsibilities
The Burgher of Ketsov is expected to ensure the Prosperity of the town by overseeing trade. If the Trade Exchange was ever directly threatened, the Burgher would be responsible for dealing with those threats - but also for making decisions about any opportunity related to the Trade Exchange.
Powers
| Triumphant Blades | |
| 180 rings | 1 Triumphant Blade |
| 400 rings | 2 Triumphant Blades |
| 640 rings | 3 Triumphant Blades |
| Knightly Redoubts | |
| 200 rings | 1 Knightly Redoubt |
| 450 rings | 2 Knightly Redoubts |
| 700 rings | 3 Knightly Redoubts |
| Measures | |
| 140 rings | 8 dragonbone, 4 random forest resources |
| 340 rings | 16 dragonbone, 8 random forest resources |
| 600 rings | 24 dragonbone, 12 random forest resources |
Ministry
As a ministry, the title of Burgher allows the holder to purchase fine weapons and armour at a set price. The Burgher spends their money and makes their choices during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and ribbons are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.
Ketsov Mir Mozga
In addition to the magic items created by the Ketsov, the Ketsov Mir Mozga in the woods of Karsk sends copious amounts of dragonbone and other forest materials home to Ossium. The burgher is able to purchase some of that surplus.
Appointment
This title is appointed during the Summer Solstice. The Burgher of Ketsov is awarded to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of mines and forests. Votes are recorded in private in conjunction with the civil servants who support the Bourse.
The title 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Solstice 386YE | Jereni Hinda Bogdanov | 30 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 385YE | Jereni Hinda Bogdanov | 140 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 384YE | Vera Runova Helgerod | 199 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 383YE | Pipski Bearonovitch Strascovich | 172 Votes |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Jereni Hinda Bogdanov; it will be reelected at Summer Solstice 387YE. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.
The Ketsov Family
The Ketsov were among the first humans the Empire really dealt with in Ossium, even before the territory had been entirely conquered. Descended from Varushkan settlers enslaved by the Druj, they fared much better than many of the other former slaves by making themselves useful to their orc masters. By providing the orcs with weapons and armour and magic items they enjoyed a level of freedom and relative status practically unknown elsewhere in the territory.
They were, however, very keen to embrace the opportunities presented by being freed from the Druj and becoming Imperial citizens. They were among the first people native to Ossium to become Varushkan citizens, and proposed the creation of the Ketsov Trading Exchange in their home town. This lead to the establishment of the Burgher of Ketsov; the family is very keen to see the prosperity of their vale increase.
The family is not well liked by their neighbours, the former slaves of the Druj both human and orc alike. They warn that the Ketsov are not to be trusted. They cooperated with the Druj for generations, winning concessions and avoiding the worst of the horrors faced by those subject to their dominion. The Empire would be better having as little to do with them as possible, say these vales. The Ketsov sneer at their detractors. They simply did what any other Varushkan vale would likely have done - they made an accommodation with the dark powers that threatened to destroy them. There is no difference between bargaining with orcs who can snuff out your people and bargaining with some hungry spirit, bloodthirsty plaguewulf, or monstrous tree. If anything, it is the vales who didn't do everything in their power to reach some compromise with the Druj that have failed to live up to what it means to be Varushkan.
Regardless of this conflict, it cannot be denied that they are native Ossium Varushkans. The mandate of Konstantin Rabovich Bolotnikov upheld by the Varushkan assembly in Winter 383YE encouraged sellswords to help them build and establish their presence in Ossium just as much as it did the other former subjects of the Druj. The Ketsov have seized this opportunity with both hands, reinforcing the walls of the town that shares their name, and establishing forestry operations among the trees south of the Bonewood. They are scrupulously careful not to stray too far north, but they also seem to be "courting" the Thule a little - offering a warm welcome to any of their merchants that come south.
They've also been looking for other opportunities to expand their wealth, and security. From a visiting wagon raider, they learned of the Mir Mozga in the forests of Lestazny in Karsk. Since the death of Pyotr Kresnovich Triosny, the former master of the Mir Mozga, the forests near Isember had grown wild and chaotic. The family suggested that they would be the perfect people to establish a small new vale in the area. As Ossium natives, they argued, there was a certain symbolic rightness to allowing them to settle some of their people in a different Varushkan territory. After all, had not a great many western Varushkans come to their home, to Ossium, to establish new settlements? Is it not only right that they be encouraged to spread their family across their new nation likewise?
The Senate agreed - or agreed enough to allow the establishment of the Ketsov Mir Mozga in Lestazny - several large families of the Ketsov now make their home and harvest the dragonbone. The majority of the dragonbone they produce is used or sold by the new vale but a portion of it would obviously be sent back to Ossium, enriching the Ketsov and their neighbours. They are quire prepared to share part of that bounty with their friends - the Burgher of Ketsov would gain the ability to buy dragonbone as part of their existing ministry. They're also keen to make new friends in Karsk - rather than export it themselves, the Ketsov Mir Mozga are sell some of the forest riches they gather to the Custodian of Ivarsgard Docks and are actively seeking closer ties with the western vale.
While they may not be popular, they are certainly effective. While establishing the Ketsov Mir Mozga, the family also provided significant support to help resolve the Isember problem - both in the form of armed soldiers and useful magic items.
The Title in Play
The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.
These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.