Mistress of the Glass Parador
Elected as Mistress of the Glass Parador in Summer 379 YE
Overview
The Mistress (or Master) of the Glass Parador is an Imperial title awarded to a Freeborn citizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.
The Mistress of the Glass Parador was initially created to help preserve the integrity and reputation of the merchants of the Brass Coast. The title grants the use of beautiful offices in Siroc, and coincidentally offers endless opportunities to acquire valuable goods for personal use or profitable resale. Corsairs and merchants who are looking to sell their goods quickly will often approach the Mistress of the Glass Parador or one of her agents, and she is regularly consulted by the citizens of Siroc on minor matters related to good conduct and business.
The luxurious Glass Parador itself is centrally located, and constructed of beautiful white marble columns, gorgeous stained glass windows and delicate lanterns lit by fine quality lightstones imported from Urizen. It has a small permanent staff, and is a regular stop for merchants and travelers visiting Siroc from all over the Empire and beyond.
Prior to the popular change prompted by the Brass Coast National Assembly, only those captains of fleets that had engaged in privateering during the previous year could vote for the Mistress of the Glass Parador. This changed shortly before the Spring Equinox 383YE and now every captain of a fleet in the Brass Coast has a say in who will hold the title.
Responsibilities
The Mistress of the Glass Parador is expected to ensure that paradors and merchants operating in and around the City of a Thousand Sails are trading honestly. Many of her duties are ceremonial - she is often asked to officially launch new vessels, or to offer advice on business ventures that will travel to distant or dangerous lands. In return, Mistress receives preferential treatment from many corsair and merchant fleets operating out of Madruga, or who visit the Jewel of the Bay.
In actuality, the Mistress of the Glass Parador is no more or less likely to be a paragon of honesty than any other Freeborn merchant. Indeed, they often encounter more opportunities to receive bribes or make disreputable deals than they would if they did not possess the title. This being the Brass Coast it is expected the Mistress will take advantage of the connections offered to enrich themselves. The role offers ample opportunity to purchase luxury goods such as vibrant iridescent gloaming or polished weltsilver.
Powers
Ministry
| Wealth of Madruga | |
| 14 Crowns | 8 measures of iridescent gloaming, 6 measures of ambergelt, and 6 ingots of weltsilver |
| 30 Crowns | 14 measures of iridescent gloaming, 10 measures of ambergelt, 10 ingots of weltsilver, and 4 measures of dragonbone |
| 65 Crowns | 21 measures each of iridescent gloaming and ambergelt, 17 ingots of weltsilver, and 11 measures of dragonbone |
| 120 Crowns | 29 measures each of iridescent gloaming and ambergelt, 29 ingots of weltsilver, and 23 measures of Dragonbone |
As a ministry, the title of Mistress of the Glass Parador allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Mistress spends her money and makes her choices during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.
Appointment
This title is appointed during the Summer Solstice. The Mistress of the Glass Parador is appointed by citizens of the Brass Coast who control fleet personal resources. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.
Only a Freeborn character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse. As a title appointed through the Bourse they cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Solstice 386YE | Ignacio i Zuhri i Erigo | 252 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 385YE | Ignacio Zuhri | 408 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 384YE | Cassandra i Periera i Erigo | 270 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 383YE | Anselmo i Valiente i Erigo | 193 Votes |
| Summer Solstice 382YE | Safya i Kalamar i Guerra | |
| Summer Solstice 381YE | Safya i Kalamar i Guerra | |
| Summer Solstice 380YE | Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra | |
| Summer Solstice 379YE | Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra | |
| Summer Solstice 378YE | Paloma i Taziel i Riqueza | |
| Winter Solstice 377YE | Joaquin i Shartha i Riqueza |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Ignacio i Zuhri i Erigo; 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 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.