Keeper of the Bronze Bowls

Overview

The Keeper of the Bronze Bowls is an Imperial title awarded to a citizen of the Imperial Orcs. The title was created by the Imperial Senate at the Autumn Equinox 386YE. The Keeper of the Bronze Bowls is responsible for a sinecure that grants them a seasonal supply of vis. More information on the opportunity that led to the creation of the title can be found in the Digging for fire wind of fortune.

Salt water placed in the easternmost of the bowls is slowly purified and seems to nourish the tree despite the arid environment. At the same time, in the western bowl, small amounts of vis form over the course of a season. Further investigation indicates that the regio is connected in some fashion to Lord Rain, Ylenwe, and Wise Rangara.

Responsibilities

The Keeper of the Bronze Bowls is expected to ensure the safekeeping of the Bronze Bowls of the Three Seasons. If the safety of the bowls, or those visiting the esoteric site, were to be threatened in any way it would be the responsibility of the Keeper to deal with those threats.

Powers

Power of the Three Seasons

The Keeper of the Bronze Bowls gains custodianship of a sinecure. They receive three pawns of vis each season: prismatic ink at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes; vital honey at the Summer Solstice; and heart's blood at the Winter Solstice.

Appointment

This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice. The Keeper is appointed by Imperial Orcs who control military unit personal resources who supported an Imperial army during the previous year. The larger the military unit an individual has, and the more often they supported the Imperial armies, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

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

Recent Elections

The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.

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.