Grandmaster

Overview

Grandmaster is an Imperial title bestowed upon a magician who is a member of a Conclave order. Each Order is represented by a single grandmaster, which means that at this time there are six grandmasters.

Grandmaster is a political title closely involved with the running of the Conclave. Grandmasters encourage members of their order to participate in conclave affairs, and represent their Order during a Conclave session. 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.

Powers

Each grandmaster position is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Guiding the Conclave

Once per summit, each Grandmaster has the ability to add a single declaration to the agenda of a Conclave session without spending crystal mana. They follow all other rules and guidelines for submitting an article for the Conclave agenda (it must be in advance, with the assistance of a civil servant, and they are responsible for any presentation).

Veil of Night

Once per summit, when they submit a declaration to the Conclave agenda, a grandmaster can choose to invoke the veil of night. If they do so, they are not required to reveal any detail of a declaration: it is recorded simply as "The Grandmaster of (Order) presents a declaration under the veil of night."

Resolution of Gambits

The grandmasters of the Conclave orders present the decision of their order during the hearing of gambits. They do so with the tacit support of their order but it is not unknown for a Grandmaster to be challenged when presenting their decision on a gambit.

Total Money Spent	Production
15 Crowns	12 crystal mana
35 Crowns	24 crystal mana
60 Crowns	36 crystal mana
90 Crowns	48 crystal mana
125 Crowns	60 crystal mana

Funding the Order

The grandmaster has the ability to spend money to buy crystal mana for their order's vault. The civil service uses the money spent in this manner to buy directly from other Imperial citizens who have access to crystal mana, and places it directly into the vault. A grandmaster can spend money each season as if they controlled a ministry.

Power of Precedence

During a Conclave session the ability to speak before the Conclave - to address the assembly - is controlled by the grandmasters. After the presentation of an agenda item is complete, the grandmaster nominate volunteers to speak on the topic being discussed, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence.

During each declaration the first person nominated by a grandmaster to speak can do so for a full minute without paying a crystal mana. Grandmasters often use this ability themselves, although they are under no obligation to do so. This ability does not apply when debating an address or gambit.

Membership List

The civil service service compiles a list of those who have used arcane mark to join each order who are visiting Anvil and make that list available to the grandmaster.

Selection

Each grandmaster is selected by full members of their Conclave order. Only a member of the order can present themselves for the title, and only a member of the order can vote in a grandmaster election. The candidate who gains the most votes from the members of their order receives the title of grandmaster. Once a magician has been eligible to vote in a grandmaster election they cannot vote in the election of the grandmaster of a different order until a year has passed.

A grandmaster serves for a year, until a Declaration forces their re-election, or until they die or step down. The schedule for annual re-election is:

• Spring - Golden Pyramid and Sevenfold Path
• Summer - Unfettered Mind
• Autumn - Shuttered Lantern
• Winter - Celestial Arch and Rod and Shield

Hustings

At an event where a grandmaster is to be re-elected, the civil service organises hustings immediately prior to a Conclave session usually on the Saturday evening. The Hall of Worlds is ceded to the order in question, and they have an allotted period of time (around half an hour) to decide their grandmaster. While members of other orders (and priests exercising the right of Witness) can attend the meeting they cannot speak, and the civil service will exclude anyone who attempts to interrupt the proceedings.

Each candidate receives a minute to state their case, but may spend crystal mana to make a longer speech if they require (at the rate of one crystal mana per minute as usual). Each magician who is a full member of the Order may then cast one vote. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes gains the title of Grandmaster of the order.

Crystal mana paid during hustings is not added to the font, but is instead placed directly into the order's vault at the next summit.

Removal

A grandmaster serves until the start of the next election or until a declaration of the balance is made.

A grandmaster cannot be revoked by any chamber of the Imperial Synod.