Statement of principle

Synod Judgement

• Assembly of Nine, Virtue or National Assembly
• Lesser Majority

A significant statement of principle can have far-reaching effects across the Empire and beyond.

Overview

The assemblies of the Synod have the ability to make statements of principle. These are public declarations with the support of an assembly of the Synod on a matter relevant to the spiritual well-being of the Empire.

Statements of principle have no authority in law. However, they are a means by which the Synod can recognize a virtuous cause or demonstrate support for a important theological position. Most statements are primarily of interest to the well-connected citizens of the Empire who attend the summits at Anvil. However significant statements, most commonly those passed by the General Assembly with a greater majority, have influence right across the Empire.

The Secretary General of the Civil Service has written a short pamphlet giving advice on writing statements of principle, which can be found here. Copies of this pamphlet are also available in the Hub during events.

Judgement

A statement of principle may legally be raised by any assembly of the Imperial Synod in their national or virtue assembly. However it is expected that the issue at hand will be relevant to the members of the assembly judging it. For example a statement of principle decrying the actions of Highborn generals will carry more moral weight if passed by the Highborn Assembly than any other assembly bar the General Assembly.

Once per summit, a cardinal may use the power of elevation to permit a statement of principle to be put before the General Assembly. They use this power on their own judgement, or on a judgement submitted by any other member of the Synod. Statements of principle passed by the General Assembly are usually more consequential than statements passed in other assemblies.

A statement of principle never has a direct legal consequence regardless of the wording. The Synod may judge a statement of principle calling for the creation of an inquisitor or an auditor - but that does not cause the creation of a new Imperial title. The statement carries moral imperative, not legal force. Only the Senate can create new titles or change the law.

Some assemblies have specific powers to raise statements of principle with special effects. For example, the Prosperity Assembly maintains the Roll of Benefactors, and the Wintermark Assembly can raise a statement of principle to add a name to the Chronicle of Heroism. Several of these abilities require a greater majority to be effective.

A statement of principle only requires a lesser majority to pass.

At the Spring Summit 377YE, the National Assembly of the League, at the instigation of Antonio Raoul Calgone declared the belief that there should be, at Anvil, a location consecrated to each of the Imperial Virtues.

Statements of principle inspire discussion and debate.

Outcome

The primary significance of a statement of principle lies in the discussion and debate which attends the Synod as they judge the issue and decide whether to pass the statement or reject it. A statement of principle is published and recorded along with other judgements, regardless of whether it passes or fails, so that anyone who is interested can see the outcome of that discussion.

In most cases it is only those citizens of the Empire that are concerned with the business of the Synod who pay attention to these principles. A statement of principle is an important mechanism that enables the Synod to demonstrate a unified view to other houses such as the Senate, but most judgements that pass with a lesser majority are not widely discussed outside Anvil - they are largely a matter for those who attend Anvil to consider.

When a statement of principle passes with a greater majority, the civil service ensure that the wording is communicated throughout the Empire to every priest of the Way who leads an appropriate congregation.

A statement passed with a greater majority by the General Assembly resounds across the entire Empire and will always have an effect of some kind. If no statement of principle receives a greater majority - as is common - then attention will focus on whichever single statement passed the General Assembly with the greatest margin (that is, the greatest difference between votes for and against). Such statements are also communicated to priests of the Way who tend to congregations in foreign nations.

Statements passed with a greater majority by a national or Virtue assembly will only have an effect when they identify a key problem and call for action that would represent a significant change to the status quo. Traditionally statements passed by the Assembly of the Nine rarely have significant impact beyond Anvil.

Due to their shared faith, the priests of the Sumaah Republic pay particular attention to statements of principle by the Synod. There are priests who support congregations that follow the Way in many foreign nations, and they tend to look to either the Empire or Sumaah for guidance on religious matters. A statement of principle by the General Assembly, especially one that achieves a greater majority, may impact relations with these foreign congregations.

Fair words won't bury grudges.

Marcher Proverb

Timing

It takes time for the civil service to distribute statements of principle across the Empire. Even in an emergency, it happens over the three months between each summit - not in the days following the summit. As a result, unless a Wind of Fortune states that NPCs are specifically watching out for a specific judgement, a statement of principle will not impact the following downtime. This means that judgements calling attention to new threats or dangers will not arrive in time to save lives or allow people to change their course of action. While it is understandable that priests might seek to use the Synod to give warning of impending dangers, a statement of principle is completely ineffective at this. Unless called out explicitly in an opportunity, this kind of warning will never be effective for the upcoming downtime - if the danger is real, then the warning simply won't arrive in time.

OOC Design

Any statement of principle that passes the General Assembly with a greater majority will always have an effect on the game setting, if we are able to create one. If no statement in the General Assembly achieves a greater majority, then the single statement that was upheld with the greatest margin in favour will have an effect instead. Exactly what form the response will take is impossible to predict - but the response will often be tailored in terms of an opportunity, usually presenting a choice for the Synod at the following event. The effects of that opportunity will be clear - and characters can then choose if they wish to follow through.

Statements of principle passed by other assemblies are unlikely to have an effect. Statements urging citizens to do something they are already doing - such as opposing the Druj, or supporting a nation's armies, will never have an effect. Imperial citizens are already assumed to be doing all that they can in this regard, they cannot be importuned to do more. Statements that encourage citizens to take a very different approach can have an effect, provided they are compatible with the Way and the cultural beliefs of a nation. A statement by a national assembly that is at odds with the "Five things about... " for that nation will never generate a positive response. Likewise a statement by a Virtue assembly that is at odds with the guidance on the path for each virtue will never generate a positive response. Any statement by a virtue or national assembly is only likely to produce a response if any effects could be controversial - if they imply something that almost everyone would agree with, then it is fair to assume that people are already doing it. Statements passed by the Assembly of Nine or statements that pass a virtue or national assembly with a lesser majority will almost never have an effect beyond Anvil.

Long experience has shown that it is impossible for the civil service to predict the effects of a statement of principle passed with a greater majority. They will refuse all requests for a prediction - as they are categorically unable to provide one. This is because our plot team will not decide on the response to a statement of principle at the event where it passed. A statement cannot have an effect until it is communicated to the Empire beyond Anvil, so we will always make use of the time presented to carefully consider the reaction of Imperial citizens and decide on the best outcome for the game.

When a statement of principle has an effect, this will not always be a benefit. The play-balance of game effects are as likely to be negative as they are positive. For example a statement of principle passed with a greater majority of the General assembly urging all Marchers to support the war in the Mournwold would result in a plot opportunity to create a penalty for all Marcher armies and military units that don't fight in the Mourn. It is hard to inspire people to do more than they are already doing, but easy to inspire people to punish those who are not supporting the cause.

Statements of principle exist to allow player-characters to unite the citizens of the Empire behind an in-character cause. The wording of a statement of principle is absolutely crucial in determining the flavour and detail of a response. We will determine the outcome of any plot opportunity based on the wording of the judgement. An effective statement of principle will be clear and lay out a strong proposal that characters in the Empire can support or follow.

While we encourage anyone writing a statement of principle to be clear in the intent - it is not helpful to try to dictate what the outcome should be. A statement of principle should state what citizens of the Empire should do - attempts to state what should happen as a result of those actions will be ignored. As a player you represent the moral and civic leadership of the Empire - you get to say what the leadership of the Empire does - but you don't get to say what the outcome is. The weal or woe of any action is decided by us.

Players often use statements of principle to try and "fish" for plot outcomes. They might try to find lost items or lore, or encourage a certain group of NPCs to come to Anvil for example. These kind of statements won't have any effect unless they are one of the statements passed by the General Assembly that are guaranteed to have an effect. You can't use a statement of principle in a national or Virtue assembly to get the plot writers to create a new plot involving items, lore or npcs unless you can get the backing of the General Assembly. Where we spot them, we will add notes to statements of principle to point players towards better tools that exist in the game to achieve these outcomes (like historical research).

Statements of principle cannot be used to try and change the game rules or the way Empire is run. They exist to allow characters to try to use the Synod to push their agenda with other characters. All participants are welcome to use feedback to Profound Decisions to request changes to the game, the best medium for that is email to feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk. Statement of principle is only for characters to pursue their political, social, economic, religious, magical, and academic goals.

Further Reading

Core Reading

• Synod
• Assembly
• Cardinal
• Member of the Synod

Judgements

• Judgements
  • Appointment
  • Castigation
  • Challenge
  • Change of Doctrine
  • Exaltation
  • Inquisition
  • Mandate
  • Penance
  • Proscription
  • Recognition
  • Revocation
  • Rewarding
  • Statement of Principle
  • Veto
  • Vindication
  • Writ of Consecration
  • Writ of Excommunication

Additional Information

• Synod Positions
  • Conscience of the Senate
  • Gatekeeper
  • Virtue Inquisitor
  • Tribune of the Synod
• Religious Crime
• Imperial Theology
• Inspirations
  • Paragons and Exemplars
  • Known Exemplars
  • Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar
  • Schools of Thought
  • Inspirational Location

Click Expand to see a summary of judgements and other pages related to the Synod.