Pitmaster
Overview
The Pitmaster is an Imperial title awarded to an Imperial Orc citizen. It is a national position appointed by majority vote of the Imperial Orc senators. The position is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income drawn from the fees generated by the Skarsind College of Pit Fighting.
Responsibilities
As a sinecure, the Pitmaster has few responsibilities. The running and maintenance of the college's facilities is left to trained pit fighters and shamans. If the Skarsind College of Pit Fighting were threatened, it would be the responsibility of the Pitmaster to deal with that threat
Powers
As a sinecure, the Pitmaster has no legal powers, but they receive an income from the college's fees to the sum of 216 rings a season.
Appointment
The title is selected by unanimous decision of the Imperial Orc senators. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title may be appointed by the Imperial Senate instead.
The title can be held by any Imperial Orc citizen. The Pitmaster has tenure, and serves until they die or step down. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Imperial Orc National Assembly, and by the Assembly of the Nine.
| Summit | Elected |
|---|---|
| Autumn Equinox 386YE | Kroak |
| Spring Equinox 386YE | Gaddak |
| Winter Solstice 383YE | Bull |
Recent Elections
This title is vacant and will be reelected at the next summit. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.
Skarsind College of Pit Fighting
The college is made up of a small number of sturdy buildings built near the settlement of Skogei. The largest structure by far is the arena, constructed from stone and reinforced with white granite. There are murals painted on the walls of the arena depicting a number of deceased pit fighters.
Beneath the pit of the arena is 'The Gibbet' where fighters prepare for their battles, the name stuck after legionnaires from the two armies projected their gallows humour onto the building. Blood often seeps down from the pit above and occasionally spatters the fighters before a fight in the pit.
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.