Embassy

Latest revision as of 18:08, 17 September 2023

Overview

Creating an embassy allows the Empire to open diplomatic relations with a foreign nation or empire. Embassies formalize the communications between the Empire and other powers, allowing respective governments to send official communications. Operating an embassy requires the an Imperial citizen is appointed to act as ambassador, and duly empowered to speak on behalf of the Empire.

The Empire can open embassies with distant foreigners such as Asavea, Jarm and the Commonwealth. These foreign powers are empires in their own right and have a similar level of might and influence to the Empire, but are far away over the seas and have many concerns of their own. The Empire can also open embassies to nearby foreigners such as the Axos, the Faraden and the Iron Confederacy. These nations possess power equivalent to one or two Imperial nations, but they are much closer to the Empire and their concerns are much more likely to be aligned with Imperial concerns.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of an embassy. The senate must select a territory, and a region within that territory, where the embassy will be constructed.

Each embassy is tied to a single foreign nation. When the construction is complete a new Imperial title of ambassador is automatically created. An ambassador automatically has the power to negotiate with the foreign nation. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process for an Imperial position appointed by the Senate and re-appointed each year after that.

The Senate does not need the approval of the foreign nation to begin construction, but unless a foreign nation chooses to recognize an embassy and to reciprocate then it will not provide any benefits of any kind.

Benefits

Ambassador to a Foreign Nation

Each embassy is overseen by an ambassador. If there is no existing ambassador, a new title is automatically created when a new embassy is created. If an ambassador already exists, they are automatically given custodianship of the embassy. It is possible to appoint an ambassador to another nation without constructing an embassy - however most foreign nations will only take an ambassador seriously if an appropriate embassy is constructed to house them and the civil servants required to support them.

Without an embassy, the ambassador does not have access to the power of mercantile support, and their briefing is likely to have minimal content.

Costs

Materials: 25 wains of weirwood, 25 wains of white granite, and 150 crowns
Time: 1 season
Upkeep: 5 thrones

Limitations

Operating an embassy is completely dependent on the agreement and cooperation of the foreign nation it is tied to. An embassy with a hostile foreign nation that is not prepared to accept Imperial diplomacy provides no benefits of any kind.

Even if an agreement is made and an embassy is constructed, it remains contingent on the continuing goodwill of the foreign nation that it houses. If relations sour then they may choose to end contact with the Empire at any time.

An embassy is built to the designs required for a specific foreign nation - it is not possible to reallocate a building to a new nation and no nation would accept the insult of being offered a used embassy built for another nation.

More Prestigious Embassies

It is possible, as with many commissions, to enlarge an embassy. This generally requires equal amounts of weirwood and white granite. A larger embassy is more prestigious - the foreign nation will recognise that the Empire values diplomatic relations with them. It will send the same message to other nations - those with smaller embassies will know that the Empire values relations with them differently. Finally, a larger embassy will be more attractive to visiting merchants - meaning the ambassador's ministry will gain extra purchase levels based on the amounts of extra materials spent.

It is of course possible that an appraisal could be performed by the civil service could provide more information about the benefits, costs, and potential drawbacks to enlarging one or more embassies.

Current Embassies

This table includes all embassies which have been constructed in the Empire in recent times and are still standing. For a full list of title holders see here. This list was last updated following the Autumn Equinox 386YE.

Embassy	Location	Election	Ambassador
Ambassador to Asavea	Cigno, Sarvos	Summer	Asier i Elia i Guerra
Ambassador to Axos	Limus, Redoubt	Winter	Fintan Nighthaven
Ambassador to Faraden	Anduzjasse, Segura	Spring	Ebenezer
Ambassador to Jarm	Limus, Redoubt	At the next summit	Vacant
Ambassador to Otkodov	Mieriada, Miekarova	Spring	Kindra Surefoot
Ambassador to the Grendel	Limus, Redoubt	Winter	Finna
Ambassador to the Iron Confederacy	Cigno, Sarvos	Winter	Tethros i Zuhri i Erigo
Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves	Limus, Redoubt	Autumn	Dino i Riqueza
Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic	Coursmouth, Necropolis	Spring	Accalon
Imperial Consul		Summer	Jarrigk Orzel

Former Embassies

These embassies are no longer active. This happens automatically if an embassy is abrogated by the Imperial Senate but in most cases it is because the commission has been captured or destroyed by barbarians.

Embassy	Location	Election	Ambassador
Ambassador to the Commonwealth	Siroc Plains, Madruga	Spring	Lucia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Overview==
-Creating an embassy allows the Empire to open diplomatic relations with a [[Foreign_nations|foreign]] nation or empire. Embassies formalize the communications between the Empire and other powers, allowing respective governments to send official communications. Operating an embassy requires the an Imperial citizen is appointed to act as ambassador, and duly empowered to speak on behalf of the Empire.
+Creating an embassy allows the Empire to open diplomatic relations with a [[Foreign_nations|foreign]] nation or empire. Embassies formalize the communications between the Empire and other powers, allowing respective governments to send official communications. Operating an embassy requires the an Imperial citizen is appointed to act as [[ambassador]], and duly empowered to speak on behalf of the Empire.
 The Empire can open embassies with distant foreigners such as [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavea]], [[Principalities of Jarm|Jarm]] and the [[Commonwealth|Commonwealth]]. These foreign powers are empires in their own right and have a similar level of might and influence to the Empire, but are far away over the seas and have many concerns of their own. The Empire can also open embassies to nearby foreigners such as the [[Axos]], the [[Faraden]] and the [[Iron Confederacy]]. These nations possess power equivalent to one or two Imperial nations, but they are much closer to the Empire and their concerns are much more likely to be aligned with Imperial concerns.
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 The [[Imperial Senate]] may pass a motion for the construction of an embassy. The senate must select a [[territory]], and a region within that territory, where the embassy will be constructed.
-Each embassy is tied to a single foreign nation. When the construction is complete a new Imperial title of ambassador is automatically created. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process for an Imperial position [[Appointments_by_the_Senate#Imperial_Position|appointed by the Senate]] and re-appointed each year after that.
+Each embassy is tied to a single foreign nation. When the construction is complete a new Imperial title of ambassador is automatically created. An ambassador automatically has the [[#Ambassador to a Foreign Nation|power to negotiate]] with the foreign nation. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process for an Imperial position [[Appointments_by_the_Senate#Imperial_Position|appointed by the Senate]] and re-appointed each year after that.
-The Senate does not need the approval of the foreign nation to begin construction, but unless a foreign nation chooses to recognise an embassy and to reciprocate then it will not provide any benefits of any kind.
+The Senate does not need the approval of the foreign nation to begin construction, but unless a foreign nation chooses to recognize an embassy and to reciprocate then it will not provide any benefits of any kind.
 ==Benefits==
 ===Ambassador to a Foreign Nation===
-An embassy opens an official channel for diplomacy with a selected foreign nation or power. The ambassador is likely to  receive regular communication from their counterparts in the foreign nation, often via the use of the [[Call Winged Messenger]] [[rituals|ritual]]. There is an expectation that the ambassador will reply to these communications, again most likely by the use of Call Winged Messenger.
+Each embassy is overseen by an ambassador. If there is no existing ambassador, a new title is automatically created when a new embassy is created. If an ambassador already exists, they are automatically given custodianship of the embassy. It is possible to appoint an ambassador to another nation without constructing an embassy - however most foreign nations will only take an ambassador seriously if an appropriate embassy is constructed to house them and the civil servants required to support them.
-Members of foreign nations may interact with the Empire even without an embassy, but they will usually be private individuals rather than official representatives. For example, a group of [[Faraden]] mercenaries may look for work during a summit at [[Casinea#Anvil|Anvil]], but without an embassy it is unlikely that the Lady of the Five Winds would send diplomats to discuss a major trade treaty.
-===Authority===
-The civil service provide support to allow the ambassador to speak on behalf of the Empire when dealing with foreign dignitaries from the relevant nation. If the visitors are present at the summit and have requested an official audience, then the Senate room is made available for use by the Ambassador at least once. The ambassador is expected to receive guests from the Imperial throne and to decide on who will be present in the chamber during this audience.
-===Favour===
-Merchants of both sides who engaged in trade between the Empire and the foreign nation have many reasons to want to curry favour with an ambassador. Commonly they will take a portion of the items they buy and sell and make them available to the ambassador at favourable prices.
-This favour is reflected by the automatic creation of a ''small'' [[ministry]] as part of an embassy. This allows the ambassador to directly purchase raw materials from traders and merchants of the associated nation. For example, the [[Asavean Archipelago|Asavean]] embassy allows the ambassador to purchase [[Materials#Cerulean Mazzarine|Cerulean Mazzarine]], [[Materials#Orichalcum|Orichalcum]], [[Materials#Iridescent Gloaming|Iridescent Gloaming]], and [[Materials#Tempest Jade|Tempest Jade]] directly for Imperial currency. The materials provided may fluctuate, but will be tied to those which the foreign nation has regular surpluses of.
-===Intrigue===
-Foreign nations are like characters in their own right, and seek to draw the Empire into their intrigues. The Asavean Plenum might seek to enlist the Empire in its conflict with the Sumaah Republic, for example. One member of the Plenum might seek to engage Imperial support in a conspiracy against another Plenum family. A high ranking noble might want to employ foreign mercenaries to help put down a slave revolt, or to locate a prized artefact. All of these create narrative opportunities, decisions and conflicts for the Empire and particularly for the ambassador.
-===Further Agreements===
-The Ambassador may be able to secure additional agreements with a foreign nation. Nations rich in resources might be persuaded to make some available for sale, while others might be convinced to share their magical knowledge, or make exotic and rare goods available for sale. A nation might even be persuaded to provide military support, although the cost for such help would likely be high. These agreements will come as opportunities, or might be actively pursued by the ambassador through letters or face-to-face meetings with foreign ambassadors.
-In some cases, these agreements will require the creation of new Imperial titles with the authority to oversee them. If the Senate  chooses to approve the agreement and create the title then its appointment would be expected to follow [[New_Imperial_titles#Appointment|normal constitutional rules]].
+Without an embassy, the ambassador does not have access to the power of [[Ambassador#Mercantile_Support|mercantile support]], and their [[Ambassador#Briefing|briefing]] is likely to have minimal content.
 ===Costs===
-* Materials: 25 wains of Weirwood and 25 wains of White Granite
+* Materials: 25 wains of [[weirwood]], 25 wains of [[white granite]], and 150 crowns
-* Labour: 12 Thrones
 * Time: 1 season
-* Upkeep: 5 Thrones
+* Upkeep: 5 thrones
 ==Limitations==
@@ Line 45: / Line 27: @@
 An embassy is built to the designs required for a specific foreign nation - it is not possible to reallocate a building to a new nation and no nation would accept the insult of being offered a used embassy built for another nation.
+==More Prestigious Embassies==
+It is possible, as with many commissions, to enlarge an embassy. This generally requires equal amounts of weirwood and white granite. A larger embassy is more prestigious - the foreign nation will recognise that the Empire values diplomatic relations with them. It will send the same message to other nations - those with smaller embassies will know that the Empire values relations with them differently. Finally, a larger embassy will be more attractive to visiting merchants - meaning the ambassador's [[ministry]] will gain extra purchase levels based on the amounts of extra materials spent.
-The ambassador is responsible for representing the Empire in its relations with the foreign nation. They are given authority by the Senate to speak on behalf of the Empire and will be treated accordingly. Although the ambassador cannot legally [[Powers_of_the_Imperial_Senate#Declaration_of_War|declare war]], their words and actions can easily create diplomatic incidents which cause the foreign nation to declare war on the Empire.
+It is of course possible that an [[appraisal]] could be performed by the civil service could provide more information about the benefits, costs, and potential drawbacks to enlarging one or more embassies.
+{{#lst:Archive:All_Commissions|embassies}}
-==Existing Embassies==
-The following embassies have been constructed in recent years:
-* [[Sarvos#Asavean_Embassy|Asavean Embassy]]
-* A Jarmish embassy has been constructed in Cargo in Redoubt, but at present it is not occupied due to ongoing diplomatic issues between the Empire and Jarm.
 [[Category:Senate]]
-[[Category:Imperial Titles]]
+[[Category:Commission]]
+[[Category:Foreign Nations]]