Promising light

There was an audible gasp of shock from the assembled crowd as the pale flickering spectre of a women garbed in Highborn armour appeared before them. If Empress Vesna was alarmed she gave no sign of it - eyeing the newcomer imperiously, she urged them to step forth.

"Speak, Shade of the Dead." she commanded, her voice reverberating with all the authority that the crown possessed. "Whatever Wisdom pulls you back from the Labyrinth, share it with my court, and then return to your slumber, I command you."

The ghost raised a hand to acknowledge the command. "By the seven Virtues, am I summoned hither to deliver this address to you, Emperor Vesna!" Her voice was clear despite her deathly pallor. "As the first of my line I bid you take these words to your soul."

Nicole moved her arm slightly to pull herself an inch closer. She was eager to hear what the First Empress had to say to the new Empress, but it was hard to catch much of it from this high up. It had been scary stuff, getting up here, even with Ani's ladder. They had paid him a ring and promised to get it back before morning so he could take it to work. That was the easy part - it had taken all her Courage to get the nerve to follow her brother up the ladder and on to the roof so they could see inside.

"Do you reckon that's what the First Empress really looked like?" she whispered to Harry.

"Nah." he responded and shook his head. "I saw a statue of her in the museum. She was like eight foot tall."

"Whydn't they get someone taller to play her then?" she responded, but he glared and shushed her.

"Shurrup. It's getting to the good bit." he hissed.

Given he'd seen the play three times already, Nicole couldn't see why he was that bothered, but she shut up anyway. Empress Vesna was speaking again and she wanted to hear what she was saying.

The Throne's address is distributed to Imperial citizens across the Empire and beyond, and sets the tenor for their reign.

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Overview

Following the coronation of Emperor Vesna Borkovna Prochnost during the Autumn Equinox, the civil service have distributed copies of her inaugural address to every part of the Empire. The opening address of a new Throne is always eagerly anticipated; Emperor Vesna has wisely chosen to address many of the problems currently bedevilling the Empire. The call for unity is not lost on many, and the impassioned plea to work together resonates everywhere but especially in those parts of the Empire currently beset with turmoil, most notably Bregasland, Spiral, and the Barrens, where it brings new opportunities.

Accompanied by breath-taking celebrations, the address is a cause for celebration across the Empire. People are delighted to have a new Throne, and eager to hear what they have to say. The clear, determined tone of the speech leaves little room for doubt and creates a burgeoning sense of optimism - the idea of uniting the World under the Way speaks to the Highborn ideal of a grand destiny for the Empire, but couples it with the traditional iron-will of the Varushkans. The obvious determination not to shirk the hard choices invites people to have faith that while the road ahead may be difficult, the Empire's triumph is truly inevitable.

Spring heralds the dawn of a new era for the Empire, one that is promising to bring the light of Virtue to the world.

Loyal citizens of the Empire, hold your cousins close, light your hearth fires bright and rejoice, for we have begun our new era!

We find ourselves in the eye of the storm. We face many fronts and many challenges, but we must never forget that the Empire, when bound together, is the greatest force in the world.

WE ARE THE THUNDER THAT STRIKES FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF OUR ENEMIES!
WE ARE THE RAIN THAT BRINGS PROSPERITY TO OUR LANDS!

In times of unprecedented strife there are those who feel the empire has left them behind. That their voices are not heard. When people feel that the empire does not see them, the bitter seeds of rebellion fester. Let it be known to all in the empire that your throne sees you, your throne hears you and your throne will fight for you!

The Empire is strong because it is inextricable. Ten cords made of thousands of threads that form an unbreakable rope that will one day tie together the whole world. It is our unity and our loyalty to the Empire and to each other that makes us what we are. When one thread pulls away, we unravel. We must not allow voices of dissent to distract or weaken our purpose. We are one Empire, and we will strive together towards our shared future.

I therefore ask every citizen of the Empire to focus their efforts on reminding their cousins what it is to be an imperial citizen: to be united with their siblings. I ask you to give the hospitality of the hearth to our most vulnerable, our most disillusioned and especially to those who would turn their back on us and show them that in this new era there is prosperity and a place for all. We cannot let differences and disagreements get in the way of what our Empire can achieve when we work together and we must not let rebellion take root. We can, together, in unity and Loyalty to one another, see this Empire to its highest potential.

The time for complacency is over and we must begin to define our future on our own terms, with decisive action and a clear vision. Through the will of the people of this Empire I will offer that vision.

I have heard the concerns about the divisions in the Empire's approach to the Barrens. So I will be clear.

The Barrens are Imperial. The Barrens are Dawnish. We will see this land claimed for our citizens whilst keeping to our oaths and the treaties we have made with those who aided us. We will act in virtue to all who inhabit the Barrens and extend the hand of friendship to those who wish to live amongst our citizens in imperial lands as foreigners and send our priests to bring them into the Way. 

But we will not be taken for fools. It is the Empire’s destiny to unite the world under the Way and it is the Empire's duty to protect its citizens and its people. If we are met with violence we will be ready with blade, bow and shield. 

We must not forget that there is virtue in fighting for your empire, there is virtue in fighting for the Way and there is virtue in making the hard choice.

The road ahead is hard, but we are walking it together.

Inextricable. Indefatigable. Inevitable.

Empress Vesna's Celebratory Message

Formal Title

• The Throne has formally indicated that they intend to use both Emperor and Empress interchangeably

Each Throne is granted the right to pick their own title, to decide how they will be referred to. The previous incumbent chose Imperatrix Lisabetta as her formal title. Emperor Vesna has informed the Civil Service that they should use both Emperor and Empress interchangeably when referring to the Throne by name. Citizens are presumably free to use either title, although those looking to please the Throne may wish to adopt the same approach as the Civil Service.

The Throne has further indicated that their pronouns are she/they.

Breath-taking Celebrations

• There are breath-taking celebrations across the Empire to commemorate the inauguration of the twenty-first Imperial Throne

The Steward of Good Leaf Gardens, the Marcher Coal Carefoot, has been chosen to take the lead in arranging the festivities that celebrate the coronation. Two hundred and fifty thrones raised at Anvil by the Imperial Senate are enough to persuade many Prosperous citizens to dig deep into their own pockets to ensure breath taking celebrations, as unforgettable as those that marked the coronations of Empress Giselle and Emperor Nicovar.

Varushka leads the way; on the whole the northern nation is proud to see one of their own sitting on the Throne for the first time since Varkula. Vesna is only the second Varushkan ever to ascend the Throne, and it has been more than two centuries since the end of the four-decades long reign of the one they call the Undying. People are not slow to make comparisons with the formidable Varushkan Throne, who presided over one of the longest periods of Imperial expansion in its history - especially given the tenor of Vesna's address. Traditional Varushkan celebrations are held in almost every vale, many beginning during the Feast of the Loom and then continuing for the following week. Bonfires push back the cold night, with people gathering around the flames to share food, drink, stories, and songs, and to toast the health of their new Empress. There is food for all, fresh baked loaves of bread leavened with honey, succulent cuts of smoked meat, all washed down with wine, mead, or ale. The Stenza regale those who gather with songs and stories from the founding of the Empire to the present day, and many express the hope that Vesna, like Varkula before them, will show the Empire how enduring a Varushkan Throne can be.

Obviously the celebrations are not confined to Varushka. The scions of Cold Sun might seek to stamp out all joy from the Empire, but Constanza i Kalamar i Guerra bears the words of the Pride assembly across the Empire, reminding everyone how vital it is to recognise and exalt the achievements of the Empire and its citizens. For many, spiting the forces of oblivion is as important as marking the ascension of the new Throne.

There are masked balls in every city in the League, even the newest. One Merchant Prince commissions a troupe of actors to write a daring play that imagines the new Throne receiving advice from ghosts of Thrones past which tours to packed audiences and critical reviews. There is feasting and storytelling in the halls of Wintermark and the steadings of Navarr, and while the celebrations are more restrained in nature in Highguard and Urizen, they are no less well-attended. There are banquets in the Marches and great feasts in Skarsind. In the beleaguered Brass Coast there is a certain extra edge to the wild parties, filled with music and dancing and roaring flames, and the hope that the new Throne will see the Grendel driven from their lands once and for all.

Empress Vesna's address is particularly well received in Dawn, where many are already engaged in grand celebrations of their own. Most of the season's tourneys for the Grand Tour are given over to festivities in recognition of the new Throne, with earls eager to award laurels to those who claim to champion Vesna's cause. New fairs are arranged in Dawnguard, Coombe, Culwich and Auvanne. Yeofolk and nobles alike charge their goblets to the Throne, some even pledging to achieve glory in her name.

United by Destiny

• The inaugural message of the Throne has been extensively discussed and considered
• The message calls for unity, and outlines a grand destiny for the Empire

Throughout the celebrations, people take time to consider the message of Emperor Vesna. The celebrations don't reach every corner of the Empire, but there are few citizens of prominence who have not heard them by the time the Spring Equinox rolls around. As one might expect from a Varushkan, the new Throne does not pull any punches, as they lay out a vision for the Empire in the years ahead.

The message seems quite clear on two crucial points. The first is that the Empire must be united, that Loyalty to the Empire and to each other is what makes the Empire what it is. She calls on all citizens to reach out to their neighbours to put aside division and find ways to heal the wounds that have spread strife and rebellion. The clarion call to put aside differences and reach out to those who are disaffected creates new opportunities to address the strife in Bregasland and in Spiral.

But the key point that moves citizens in every nation is the conclusion in which the Throne starkly insists that it is the Empire's destiny to unite the World under the Way. She reminds everyone that that there is Virtue in fighting for the Way and virtue in making the hard choice and makes clear that the Empire must go forwards together.

Inevitably this call to the Way reminds the virtuous of the grand plan to transform the White City of Bastion to create a new Holy City that will outshine any ziggurat built in Timoj and demonstrate unequivocally that the Empire is not just the birthplace of the Way, but the centre of the faith throughout the world.

The plan for the Holy City requires a thousand wains of white granite, an unfathomable sum, greater than any individual citizen might imagine or indeed acquire. The only practical hope of completing the project this century comes if citizens in every nation work to support it. The virtuous people of Highborn have committed themselves to the project, until it is complete. Other nations have offered aid, but Dawn, the Marches, the Brass Coast, Wintermark, Navarr, and the League have only promised support for a single year. The nations of Urizen, Varushka, and the Imperial Orcs have declined to focus on support of the grand project.

Following Empress Vesna Borkovna Prochnost's inaugural address, any nation in the Empire that is not currently committing their support to the Holy City can enact the following mandate.

It is the Empire’s destiny to unite the world under the Way. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to urge every citizen to contribute what resources they can spare to support the creation of a new Holy City at Bastion. The road ahead is hard, but we are walking it together.

Synod Mandate, Any national assembly

If a nation enacts this mandate then the citizens of that nation will find what white granite and funds they can spare and donate them to support the new commission. Every territory outside Highguard that is affected by this mandate will donate 4 wains of white granite and 8 crowns to support the commission each season for the following year. As with the earlier mandates, however, it would be impossible for a nation to support the creation of the new Holy City in this way without exhausting their capacity to support other important causes. As a result it would be impossible to use a mandate to urge a nation contributing to the Holy City to support another commission or similar project. Any mandate in the Imperial Synod that urged citizens to provide financial support to a different commission or cause would fail to affect the nation while they are supporting the holy City. Any statement of principle in their national assembly that asked the nation for their support in this way would fail to produce a mandate.

Unlike other mandates, this mandate can be enacted at any time by any nation in the Empire that is not currently supporting the construction of the Holy City, even if they have raised it or an equivalent mandate in previous years. This opportunity remains for as long as the current Throne reigns.

Participation

Regardless of your character's personal opinion of the new Throne, it is difficult to avoid the festivities. Even the armies on campaign make a point of encouraging soldiers to mark the occasion. Everyone is encouraged to create stories of the celebrations they've seen, attended, or thrown to mark the coronation. For many, there is a sense that the new Throne, and the new year, might represent an opportunity for a new start. The most optimistic look to Vesna's address as a call to put aside the things that divide them from their fellows, to lay down their grudges, and to reach out to their fellow citizens in a spirit of unity. Even those who aren't fans of the Throne themselves might still partake of this spirit, or be inspired by the message of a grand destiny for the Empire to ultimately unite the world within the Way.

Further Reading

• New port, old wine - a chance to address some of the current strife in Bregasland
• The three pillars - the impact of the Empress Vesna's address in Spiral
• See this land - the latest developments in the Barrens