The Senate
Political control of the Empire will be through the Senate. Initially there will be around 40 senators, all drawn from the player base. The debates and business of the Senate will be facilitated and administered by our NPC Civil Service and Speaker. The Speaker’s role will be to chair and officiate meetings of the Senate.
The point of the Senate is to provide a focus for much of the political conflict between players in the game. It gives PCs the levers to control the Empire - but in uptime, rather than in downtime. We are designing an impressive set for the intense political roleplay to take place in.
At present, in the absence of an Emperor or Empress, the Senate is in charge, with the Senators voting on motions put before them. Creating an Emperor or Empress is the responsibility of the Senate, but is not easy. We do not envisage it happening in the early part of the campaign - becoming the supreme ruler of the Empire will be a long-term goal for players to pursue!
Synod
The Synod will be a meeting place for the faithful of the Empire with powers laid down by the Imperial Constitution. Membership of the Synod may be open to all priests, but there will be one or two prominent clergy for each of the seven paths, representing appointment as an Archbishop of a great Cathedral.
The Synod’s legal powers to constrain the Senate will be limited but important. They will be able to veto by majority vote any constitutional changes and up to one bill each event. In addition, they will be able to order Imperial Citizens to come before the Synod to answer questions, to allow it to serve as the moral conscience. They are also the only body able to intercede with the Judiciary to plead for clemency for convicted criminals.
The Bourse, the Conclave and the Military
The Bourse will be a political arena for characters who are heavily engaged in trade and commerce. A position in the Bourse will be associated with great wealth and characters involved in the Bourse will be able to influence the economics of the Empire.
The Conclave will be a political arena for the powerful wizards in the Empire. Positions in the Conclave will be associated with magical prowess and power and characters involved in the Conclave will be able to shape the magical destiny of the Empire.
The Military will be a political arena for characters who are engaged in war and conflict with the Empire's enemies. A position in the Military will give a character influence over the wars the Empire fights as well as the battles that take place at each event. All three of these political structures will rival the power of the Senate and the Synod.
The Civil Service and Judiciary
The Empire has an efficient and orderly civil service; these will be primarily played by our crew. Their job is to support the game by making the game systems run more efficiently (e.g. managing meetings in the Senate, holding trials for accused parties). The Civil Service will make it possible for us to recognize what players are doing, and ensure that their actions and decisions are reflected in the game world. The Civil Service will allow us to have a wide range of logistical functions carried out by NPCs, without having those NPCs be in charge.
The Judiciary will exist to enforce the law. This will allow us to present a body of Imperial law to the players (which they change through the Senate). It will also make breaking the law meaningful and credibly dangerous, as well as keeping the resulting trials short and interesting. Trials are notoriously dull in LRP, and law enforcement is usually arduous at best. PCs will be involved in the legal process, gathering evidence and arresting suspects but trials will be conducted and judged by our NPCs.
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