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Conclave order
 
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The orders are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. They are made up of like-minded individuals and exist to bring together mages who share a common vision for how magic should be used to strengthen the Empire. Any member of the Conclave may elect to join an order. It is considered inappropriate to try and be a member of more than one order, but this does sometimes happen. There is no requirement for a magician to join an order, and many magicians involve themselves in the discussions of multiple orders.
[[Category:Conclave]][[Category:Conclave order]]
<quote by="Lebannon of Haros Water">The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct her to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.</quote>
==Overview==
The orders are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. They are made up of like-minded individuals and exist to bring together magicians who share a common vision for how magic should be used in the Empire. There is no requirement for a magician to join an order, and many magicians involve themselves in the discussions of multiple orders.  


==Existing Orders==
Any individual present who is not a member of an order can only play a limited role in Conclave business. They can participate in all votes but can only speak during debates if they have the support of a [[grandmaster]].
In the modern era, the following Orders are formally recognised as part of the Conclave:


* '''The Celestial Arch:''' The [[Celestial Arch]] maintain that the skill and knowledge required to master magic mean that magicians are naturally better leaders and statesmen. They champion the cause of magicians and magic in choosing the Empire's course.
Each order also controls their own [[Conclave vault]]. The vault contains mana crystals and materials that are distributed by the Conclave to the order for their use. As the property of the order, responsibility for their distribution lies with the grandmaster of the order.
* '''The Golden Pyramid:''' The manifesto of the [[Golden Pyramid]] centres on the role of magic in generating wealth across the Empire. This Order also champions the causes of [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisans]], and the right of all magicians not to be treated as servants or slaves.
* '''The Rod and Shield:''' The most martial of the orders, the manifesto of the [[Rod and Shield]] centres on the role of magic in defending the Empire and expending its borders. The Rod and Shield is a popular order with battlemages and healers.
* '''The Sevenfold Path:''' The [[Sevenfold Path]] manifesto centres on the belief that magic serves the Empire best when it is used virtuously, and that the virtuous should not fear magic. It often serves as a bridge between the Conclave and the [[Imperial Synod]].
* '''The Shuttered Lantern:''' The [[Shuttered Lantern]] focuses on the protection of the Empire and the accumulation of knowledge about allies and enemies alike. They are known to favour scrying, espionage and other subtle uses of magic.
* '''The Unfettered Mind:''' The Order of the [[Unfettered Mind]] believe that the study and use of magic are ends in their own right. They work to expand the Empire's arcane knowledge and power, and oppose measures to curtail or constrain Imperial magic.


===Creation and Dissolution of an Order===
==Joining an Order==
New Orders can be created, but the process is not simple. It requires a clearly defined manifesto, or mission statement, about how the magic of the Conclave would be best used for the benefit of the Empire. It also requires the approval of the Senate, which, for these purposes, must meet the requirements of a constitutional change.
* '''Any Imperial magician may join an order at any time using the Arcane Mark ritual'''
* '''Magicians may use the ritual to change order at any time'''
* '''Characters with the magician skill can choose an order to start in without paying any mana cost to join'''
Any Imperial magician may join any order. To become a member requires the use of a simple [[Arcane Mark|magic ritual]]. Several civil servants associated with the Conclave have mastered this ritual and can perform it on an Imperial citizen at no additional cost beyond the crystal mana required. The ritual places an invisible mark on the target which can be revealed with [[detect magic]] and several rituals.


An Order can be officially disbanded by a vote of the Senate in the same way that it was created, i.e. through constitutional change. To do this without the express request of the Conclave would be a serious assault on the independence of the Conclave.
Citizens may change order at any time, but a magician who changes order cannot vote in the election for a new grandmaster, if they were a member of another order when that order voted for a grandmaster in the last year. In effect you cannot participate in the election for a new grandmaster if you were previously ''eligible'' to vote when a grandmaster was elected at any of the previous three summits. Attempting to influence the election of a grandmaster without due authority is electoral fraud and can carry harsh penalties.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Mage-Group-0398.JPG|title=A discussion between orders|caption=Costume by [http://costumemercenary.blogspot.co.uk/p/costumes-for-empire.html Costume Mercenary]|align=left|width=480|height=292}}


==Grandmasters of the Orders==
During character creation, a character with the [[Magical skills#Magician|magician]] skill can join an order without needing to expend any crystal mana. A character who chooses not to take this option will need to join an order in play at the usual cost.
Each order is represented to the Conclave by a single grandmaster. Grandmaster is an Imperial title which prevents the holder having any other Imperial title. The grandmasters vote on behalf of their order, and choose a single [[Conclave session#Hearing the Gambits|gambit]] to submit for consideration by the [[Archmage|archmagi]].
{{CaptionedImage|file=Mage-Group-0398.JPG|title=A discussion between orders|caption=Costume by [http://costumemercenary.blogspot.co.uk/p/costumes-for-empire.html Costume Mercenary]|align=right|width=480}}
==Powers of membership in an order==
===Electing a Grandmaster===
* '''Every member of the order receives a single vote when electing a grandmaster'''
* '''Only members of a Conclave order may stand to be grandmaster'''


Grandmasters encourage members of their order to participate in conclave affairs, and to contribute crystal mana for use in votes. Most grandmasters also work to maintain cohesion within their order and to encourage members to pursue and advance the manifesto of the order. A strong grandmaster can organise the magicians that are part of their order and help them wield political and magical power throughout the Empire. A weak or self-serving grandmaster often ends up representing a fractious, divided order incapable of wielding power in the Conclave.
Each member of an order can cast one vote during elections to determine who the [[grandmaster]] of the order will be. The grandmaster must be a member of the order to be eligible to stand.


A grandmaster serves until the start of the next election, or until a [[Conclave session#Declaration of the Balance|declaration of the balance]] is made. A grandmaster ''cannot'' be [[General Assembly#Revocation of office|revoked]] by any chamber of the [[Imperial Synod]].
===Establishing Precedence===
* '''Orders receive precedence to speak and access to Conclave resources based on the size of their order'''


===Election of a grandmaster===
The number of members of an order attending Anvil determines [[Imperial_Conclave#Principle_of_Precedence|precedence]]. The precedence of an order determines when they speak during a Conclave session, and what share of the Conclave resources they receive. Only members of the order who bear the order's Arcane Mark count for precedence. Precedence is determined by the Civil Service by performing a census of the [[Arcane Mark|arcane mark]] possessed by each magician attending the summit shortly before it begins.
On the Friday night of each Imperial Summit the civil service convenes the Conclave specifically to form the Orders and appoint the Grandmasters. The precise details depend on the arrangement of The Hall of Worlds, but the appointment of the Grandmaster generally follows the following process:


* A Conclave functionary calls all members of an order together in an antechamber of the Conclave Hall and seals it.
===Right of Challenge===
* Every magician in that hall is considered to be a member of that order.
* '''Members of an order may challenge another magician to confirm membership'''
* If there is a sitting grandmaster, and they are present, the order can choose for them to continue in their role with a general aye that includes at least 60% of the order members present.
Claiming to be in an order one is not a member of is considered electoral fraud. Any member of an order may request that another member prove their membership in the presence of a magistrate; in this case the onus is always on the challenger to examine the target's Arcane Mark using the detect magic spell. If the outcome is disputed then the [[Prefect of the Conclave]] will repeat the spell.
* Each candidate who wishes to be considered as grandmaster of the order identifies themselves. They must be Imperial citizens. There may be a short debate.
* The magicians declare their support for the candidates, usually using the [[Navarr]] technique of simply standing beside the candidate of their choice.
** If one candidate has received at least 60% of the available votes, the candidate with the most votes is declared grandmaster.
** If one candidate has not received at least 60% of the available votes, the candidate or candidates with the least votes are asked to reallocate their support among the other candidates.
* This continues until there is a clear victor. That magician is declared grandmaster until the next election is held.


===Voting Strength===
===Challenging the Grandmaster===
The voting strength of an order is determined when the order chamber is sealed. A grandmaster cannot contribute more crystal mana for votes during a [[Conclave session#Voting on declarationns|vote]] than the recorded voting strength of their order. The grandmaster still needs to have the actual physical mana with which to place votes on behalf of their order, of course.  
* '''Any member of an order may call for a vote to replace their grandmaster at any time'''
* '''Members of the order can register their support for or opposition to the grandmaster in the Hub at any time while the vote is running'''
* '''The vote ends immediately if more than half of the members vote in support or against the grandmaster, otherwise the vote fails'''
At any time during the summit, a member of an order may challenge the grandmaster to try to remove them from their position. To do so, they must request a vote of no confidence with the [[Prefect of the Conclave]] (usually found in the Hub). An announcement of the challenge will be publicly displayed in the Hub and regularly updated with votes for and against the current grandmaster, as well as the current size of the order.


The voting strength of an order is ''only'' reassessed at the point a new grandmaster is elected. If a grandmaster dies or resigns, then the civil service arrange an emergency re-election. It is possible under these circumstances for voting strength to be manipulated adversely, but the civil service do their best to support the order in ensuring everyone voting is actually a legitimate member of the order.
The challenge continues until the end of the summit (in which case it has failed) or until a majority of the order present at the summit cast either a vote of no confidence or a vote in support of the current grandmaster. The threshold for a successful challenge is set by the precedence determined before the summit. A grandmaster can only be challenged once during each summit. A magician may change their vote at any time by informing the Prefect, however the vote ends immediately if the threshold of votes in support or against the incumbent is reached.


The other way that voting strength may change is when a [[Conclave session#Declaration of the Balance|declaration of the balance]] is made; in this case all grandmasters are re-elected and voting strength recalculated.
If the challenge is successful, it is announced at the start of the next [[Conclave session]] and at that moment the grandmaster loses their title. The order has no grandmaster during this session of the Conclave.  An election for a new grandmaster occurs immediately afterwards, following all the normal rules for the appointment of a grandmaster.  


Efforts to allow the adjustment of an order's voting strength due to the deaths of magicians, lack of confidence in the grandmaster or personal whim have been unsuccessful. The civil service generally point out that the most effective way to actually alter the ability of a grandmaster to vote in the Conclave is to refrain from supporting them with crystal mana, and instead use the crystal mana to support the grandmaster of a different order.
As with other elections, it is not legal to vote against a grandmaster if you were [[Imperial elections#Eligibility to Vote|eligible]] to vote in a different order's grandmaster election within the last year.


===Reappointment===
==Existing orders==
In the event that a Grandmaster has died or disappeared the civil service will attempt to arrange a re-election. The voting strength of the Order may change during an Imperial summit as a result.
In the modern era, the following Orders are legally recognised as part of the Conclave:


Have been circumstances where voting strength has been manipulated, possibly mention those. (me and four mates got the election, but now we have a grandmaster with 5 votes)
* '''The Celestial Arch:''' The [[Celestial Arch]] maintain that the skill and knowledge required to master magic mean that magicians are naturally better leaders and statesmen. They champion the cause of magicians and magic in choosing the Empire's course.


[[Category:The Conclave]]
* '''The Sevenfold Path:''' The [[Sevenfold Path]] manifesto centres on the belief that magic serves the Empire best when it is used virtuously, and that the virtuous should not fear magic. It often serves as a bridge between the Conclave and the [[Imperial Synod]].
[[Category:The Empire]]
 
[[Category:Imperial Titles]]
* '''The Rod and Shield:''' The most martial of the orders, the manifesto of the [[Rod and Shield]] centres on the role of magic in defending the Empire and expanding its borders. The Rod and Shield is a popular order with battlemages and healers.
 
* '''The Golden Pyramid:''' The manifesto of the [[Golden Pyramid]] centres on the role of magic in generating wealth across the Empire. This Order also champions the causes of [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisans]], and the right of all magicians not to be treated as servants or slaves.
 
* '''The Shuttered Lantern:''' The [[Shuttered Lantern]] focuses on the protection of the Empire and the accumulation of knowledge about allies and enemies alike. They are known to favour scrying, espionage and other subtle uses of magic.
 
* '''The Unfettered Mind:''' The [[Unfettered Mind]] believe that the study and use of magic are ends in their own right. They work to expand the Empire's arcane knowledge and power, and oppose measures to curtail or constrain Imperial magic.
 
* '''The Silver Chalice:''' The [[Silver Chalice]] focuses on the health and wellbeing of the Empire and its citizens, wielding magic that nurtures life, mends what is broken, and brings what is torn apart back together. They are the newest Conclave order, formed officially during the Autumn Equinox 381YE.
 
==Creation and Dissolution of an Order==
* '''The Empire can dissolve existing orders or create new ones with a constitutional vote of the Senate'''
* '''Senate is permitted to authorise the existence of up to seven distinct Conclave orders at any one time'''
Conclave is limited to a maximum of seven distinct Orders at any one time. According to legend, this limit exists to ensure nobody ever tries to create one order for each realm of magic, a proposal the founders of the Conclave firmly rejected. Provided this limit is observed, existing orders can be dissolved and new ones created by a constitutional [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Conclave_Orders|vote of the Senate]].
 
A newly created order must have a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol, similar to those possessed by existing orders, that is used with the [[Arcane Mark]] ritual. When an order is dissolved, the contents of its vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.
{{Conclave further reading}}

Latest revision as of 11:05, 22 April 2024

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct her to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.

Lebannon of Haros Water

Overview

The orders are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. They are made up of like-minded individuals and exist to bring together magicians who share a common vision for how magic should be used in the Empire. There is no requirement for a magician to join an order, and many magicians involve themselves in the discussions of multiple orders.

Any individual present who is not a member of an order can only play a limited role in Conclave business. They can participate in all votes but can only speak during debates if they have the support of a grandmaster.

Each order also controls their own Conclave vault. The vault contains mana crystals and materials that are distributed by the Conclave to the order for their use. As the property of the order, responsibility for their distribution lies with the grandmaster of the order.

Joining an Order

  • Any Imperial magician may join an order at any time using the Arcane Mark ritual
  • Magicians may use the ritual to change order at any time
  • Characters with the magician skill can choose an order to start in without paying any mana cost to join

Any Imperial magician may join any order. To become a member requires the use of a simple magic ritual. Several civil servants associated with the Conclave have mastered this ritual and can perform it on an Imperial citizen at no additional cost beyond the crystal mana required. The ritual places an invisible mark on the target which can be revealed with detect magic and several rituals.

Citizens may change order at any time, but a magician who changes order cannot vote in the election for a new grandmaster, if they were a member of another order when that order voted for a grandmaster in the last year. In effect you cannot participate in the election for a new grandmaster if you were previously eligible to vote when a grandmaster was elected at any of the previous three summits. Attempting to influence the election of a grandmaster without due authority is electoral fraud and can carry harsh penalties.

During character creation, a character with the magician skill can join an order without needing to expend any crystal mana. A character who chooses not to take this option will need to join an order in play at the usual cost.

A discussion between orders
Costume by Costume Mercenary

Powers of membership in an order

Electing a Grandmaster

  • Every member of the order receives a single vote when electing a grandmaster
  • Only members of a Conclave order may stand to be grandmaster

Each member of an order can cast one vote during elections to determine who the grandmaster of the order will be. The grandmaster must be a member of the order to be eligible to stand.

Establishing Precedence

  • Orders receive precedence to speak and access to Conclave resources based on the size of their order

The number of members of an order attending Anvil determines precedence. The precedence of an order determines when they speak during a Conclave session, and what share of the Conclave resources they receive. Only members of the order who bear the order's Arcane Mark count for precedence. Precedence is determined by the Civil Service by performing a census of the arcane mark possessed by each magician attending the summit shortly before it begins.

Right of Challenge

  • Members of an order may challenge another magician to confirm membership

Claiming to be in an order one is not a member of is considered electoral fraud. Any member of an order may request that another member prove their membership in the presence of a magistrate; in this case the onus is always on the challenger to examine the target's Arcane Mark using the detect magic spell. If the outcome is disputed then the Prefect of the Conclave will repeat the spell.

Challenging the Grandmaster

  • Any member of an order may call for a vote to replace their grandmaster at any time
  • Members of the order can register their support for or opposition to the grandmaster in the Hub at any time while the vote is running
  • The vote ends immediately if more than half of the members vote in support or against the grandmaster, otherwise the vote fails

At any time during the summit, a member of an order may challenge the grandmaster to try to remove them from their position. To do so, they must request a vote of no confidence with the Prefect of the Conclave (usually found in the Hub). An announcement of the challenge will be publicly displayed in the Hub and regularly updated with votes for and against the current grandmaster, as well as the current size of the order.

The challenge continues until the end of the summit (in which case it has failed) or until a majority of the order present at the summit cast either a vote of no confidence or a vote in support of the current grandmaster. The threshold for a successful challenge is set by the precedence determined before the summit. A grandmaster can only be challenged once during each summit. A magician may change their vote at any time by informing the Prefect, however the vote ends immediately if the threshold of votes in support or against the incumbent is reached.

If the challenge is successful, it is announced at the start of the next Conclave session and at that moment the grandmaster loses their title. The order has no grandmaster during this session of the Conclave. An election for a new grandmaster occurs immediately afterwards, following all the normal rules for the appointment of a grandmaster.

As with other elections, it is not legal to vote against a grandmaster if you were eligible to vote in a different order's grandmaster election within the last year.

Existing orders

In the modern era, the following Orders are legally recognised as part of the Conclave:

  • The Celestial Arch: The Celestial Arch maintain that the skill and knowledge required to master magic mean that magicians are naturally better leaders and statesmen. They champion the cause of magicians and magic in choosing the Empire's course.
  • The Sevenfold Path: The Sevenfold Path manifesto centres on the belief that magic serves the Empire best when it is used virtuously, and that the virtuous should not fear magic. It often serves as a bridge between the Conclave and the Imperial Synod.
  • The Rod and Shield: The most martial of the orders, the manifesto of the Rod and Shield centres on the role of magic in defending the Empire and expanding its borders. The Rod and Shield is a popular order with battlemages and healers.
  • The Golden Pyramid: The manifesto of the Golden Pyramid centres on the role of magic in generating wealth across the Empire. This Order also champions the causes of artisans, and the right of all magicians not to be treated as servants or slaves.
  • The Shuttered Lantern: The Shuttered Lantern focuses on the protection of the Empire and the accumulation of knowledge about allies and enemies alike. They are known to favour scrying, espionage and other subtle uses of magic.
  • The Unfettered Mind: The Unfettered Mind believe that the study and use of magic are ends in their own right. They work to expand the Empire's arcane knowledge and power, and oppose measures to curtail or constrain Imperial magic.
  • The Silver Chalice: The Silver Chalice focuses on the health and wellbeing of the Empire and its citizens, wielding magic that nurtures life, mends what is broken, and brings what is torn apart back together. They are the newest Conclave order, formed officially during the Autumn Equinox 381YE.

Creation and Dissolution of an Order

  • The Empire can dissolve existing orders or create new ones with a constitutional vote of the Senate
  • Senate is permitted to authorise the existence of up to seven distinct Conclave orders at any one time

Conclave is limited to a maximum of seven distinct Orders at any one time. According to legend, this limit exists to ensure nobody ever tries to create one order for each realm of magic, a proposal the founders of the Conclave firmly rejected. Provided this limit is observed, existing orders can be dissolved and new ones created by a constitutional vote of the Senate.

A newly created order must have a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol, similar to those possessed by existing orders, that is used with the Arcane Mark ritual. When an order is dissolved, the contents of its vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.

Further Reading

Core Brief

Additional Information

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