Architect of the Conscious River

Overview

The Architect of the Conscious River is an Imperial title created by the Senate during the Spring Equinox 386YE. The Nostos Docks created by this commission formed part of a plan devised by Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra which could see Urizen able to support its own navy, but bring in some benefits to local trade by themselves.

Responsibilities

The Architect has a responsibility to promote trade and investment on the River Couros. In addition, if the Docks or those trade along the River Couros were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Architect to deal with those threats.

Powers

Portion of Trade

The Architect gains custodianship of a sinecure. Each season they receive 10 ingots of tempest jade, and 5 ingots of green iron, a portion of the trade in these valuable materials that flows through the docks.

Appointment

This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice each year. The Architect of the Conscious River is appointed by citizens of Urizen who control mana site personal resources through the Tally of the Votes. The more improved a mana site an individual controls, the more votes they can allocate in support of a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only an Urizen citizen may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse. As a title appointed through the Bourse they cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.