Steward of the Mines of Gulhule
Overview
The Steward of the Mines of Gulhule is an Imperial title awarded to an Imperial Orc citizen. It is a national position appointed by majority vote of the Imperial Orc commanders of military units. The vote is organized by the Imperial Bourse.
Orcs do not like to work in mines. It reminds them of the centuries they spent as slaves, and indeed the Steward has in the past specifically refused to allow any Imperial Orc citizens to work in the mines of Skarsind. Yet Gulhule is rich in precious metals and there is never any shortage of people willing to dig ore out of rock for a good day's pay. The Mines of Gulhule was created to allow the Imperial Orcs the chance to take advantage of that. The Steward, occasionally Foreman, organises the effort to find and recruit miners prepared to make the trek north from their offices in Gulhule.
Responsibilities
The Steward is expected to ensure that there are sufficient workers and miners employed to keep the many small mines fully operational. This keeps the valuable metals flowing down from the mountains to the rest of Skarsind and from there to the Empire. The close contact with mine owners allows ample opportunity for the Steward to acquire supplies of rare metals at bargain prices, and it is expected they will make those metals available to their fellows in the Imperial Orcs - at an appropriate profit, of course.
Powers
| Bounteous Skarsind | |
| 8 crowns | 6 ingots each of green iron and orichalcum, and 2 ingots each of tempest jade and weltsilver |
| 20 crowns | 12 ingots each of green iron and orichalcum, and 4 ingots each of tempest jade and weltsilver |
| 40 crowns | 18 ingots each of green iron and orichalcum, and 6 ingots each of tempest jade and weltsilver |
| 60 crowns | 24 ingots each of green iron and orichalcum, 8 ingots each of tempest jade and weltsilver, and one ring of ilium |
| 75 crowns | 30 ingots each of green iron and orichalcum, 10 ingots each of tempest jade and weltsilver, one ring of ilium, and one wain of mithril |
| Crimson Peak Profits | |
| 6 crowns | 10 ingots of orichalcum |
| 15 crowns | 21 ingots of orichalcum |
| 25 crowns | 30 ingots of orichalcum |
Wealth From the Hills
As a ministry, the title of Steward of the Mines of Gulhule allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Steward makes their decision how much money to spend 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 Winter Solstice. The Steward is appointed by Imperial Orcs who control military unit personal resources who supported an Imperial army during the previous year. The larger the military unit an individual has, and the more often they supported the Imperial armies, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.
Only an Imperial Orc character may hold this title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse. As an Imperial title appointed through the Bourse, they cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Equinox 386YE | Irontide Flax | 34 Votes |
| Spring Equinox 385YE | Irontide Flax | 71 Votes |
| Spring Equinox 384YE | Irontide Flax | 216 Votes |
| Spring Equinox 383YE | Irontide Flax | 58 Votes |
| Spring Equinox 382YE | Irontide Flax | |
| Spring Equinox 381YE | Irontide Flax | |
| Spring Equinox 380YE | Irontide Flax |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Irontide Flax; it will be reelected at the next summit. 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.