A peerless sacrifice

"Here's one. " said Portia, thumbing threw the lists. "Cilicia of Athiliah's Handiwork""Definitely a benefactor?" queried Marcus.No thought Portia to herself, I've called their name out because they're a corsair from Madruga... "Yes, definitely a benefactor" she responded in a deliberately even voice. Going through the list of names of who was coming to Anvil was the second most boring job in the entire civil service. The first most boring job was doing it with Marcus.She kept her cool and kept leafing through the lists. "Here's another. Ehud of Reumah's Redoubt."Marcus wrote this one down without querying it, which felt like a trap. "You're not going to ask me if Ehud is definitely a benefactor?" said Portia warily."No need." said Marcus cheerfully. "Everyone knows Ehud is a benefactor, has been for years now. He used to be the egregore. He's notorious for overcommitting to things. Never has enough time to do all the things he wants to help with... So he's definitely a benefactor.""Right, well in that case, here's another one. Abraham of the Constitutional Court.""What? That can't be right. He's a magistrate. He can't be a benefactor." protested Marcus."That's what it definitely says on the list" said Portia, "So you'd better write it down, just in case he turns up.""Pfft, no chance of that," replied Marcus laughing at the very idea. "He'll be far too busy.""Well then that must mean he's definitely a benefactor then, isn't he?" said Portia smiling. Sometimes scoring cheap points was the only way to make the medicine go down.

Overview

Over recent years, the Highborn Assembly have sought ways to support their fellow nations in the Empire by expressing their peerless kinship. Originally part of a sweep of opportunities, that arose in response to the extraordinary achievements of recent years, it allowed the nation to reach out to others to seek ways to help and support them.

The original author Eli, the custodian of Walter's Tomb, has passed now, but he entered the Labyrinth content in the knowledge that Highguard had done all it could to strengthen the Empire, with efforts to help the Freeborn in Kahraman; aid the Dawnish contact the factions in the Barrens; help the Imperial Orcs in Skarsind to better understand the Ossium septs; and the Marches deal with threats in the Mournwold.

The fervour to aid others is beginning to diminish, even as the nation prepares to the next great challenge, with the return of the grey pilgrims in readiness for war with the vallorn. Some were unwilling to let this window close, and called on the national assembly to remind the Highborn of the achievements won and the importance of the cause. Why let a good thing end they say? There was a grim acceptance that exerting their efforts to express peerless kinship has tested the resolve on the nation on more than one occasion. To stick to that course and embrace the power permanently, would inevitably need to sacrifice something of equal significance.

The Highborn Assembly are not the only group in Highguard who have consistently sought to do what they can to support Virtue across the nation and the Empire. The benefactors of Highguard, operate a wide range of entrepreneurial endeavours, but always with the intention to encourage Virtuous behaviour in those they deal with and support. Those benefactors who attend Anvil hold regular meetings, a Benefactors' Council to discuss matters. With so many Senate projects in need of support, the nation is looking to the Council to guide them on where they should place their support.

A Clear Statement

The Virtuous raise up their fellows. In Peerless Kinship, we have aided our sibling nations in Kahraman, the Barrens, Skarsind, the Mournwold, and, in the weeks to come, Therunin. This National Assembly wishes to continue to offer our nation's labours in Peerless Kinship, for however long there is need. Let all that is worthwhile be shared.Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard, Highborn Assembly, Winter Solstice 386YE, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority 520-22

Peerless kinship began in the Highborn Assembly with a mandate enacted by Jared of the Sons of Couros. If the drive to promote Virtue across the Empire was to continue it was clear that it could not do so without the emphatic support of Highguard's priests.

The statement of principle submitted by Nicodemus of Balthazar's Vineyard received overwhelming support from the Assembly, with only a pair of priests expressing reservations. Of course it is easy to feel something is worth the cost, before the bill comes due. Still, the Highborn have never been a nation to balk at sacrifice in pursuit of Virtue, and the search begins to see how this might best be done.

To the surprise of many it does not take long to find the solution; it is practically staring people in the face. In discussions with their congregations, priests confirm that many of their followers have welcomed the opportunity to support Highguard's efforts to strengthen Virtue across the Empire and stood ready to do so again. Even those who were expecting not to hear a plea for aid from the Highborn Assembly, are surprised there is no call to march to war from the Highborn generals. The Highborn armies are taking a much-needed rest this season, resupplying in Astolat and Upwold, so there has been no crusade - the result is that there has been no call to action and people have had a chance to relax for the first time in years.

The rest has been well received, but now there is work to be done, the truth is clear. People stand ready to support the Highborn Assembly in their call to show Peerless Kinship. They stand ready to support the Highborn generals in their call to battle. But they cannot do both, not indefinitely. To pursue both endeavours has exhausted even the people of Virtue. The nation must now make a choice - they can either continue to show peerless kinship towards the other nations in the Empire, or they can send the faithful to support the armies but it must be one or the other.

A Renewed Kinship

If the nation deems peerless kinship to be of greater value that crusade, they can use a mandate to summon the necessary conviction to make it persist. Those who argue in favour of this approach point to the flexibility that peerless kinship provides, allowing the nation to tackle a wide range of problems. They argue that Wisdom underpins peerless kinship because it allows the Highborn to ask the right questions rather than assuming they have the answers.

Wisdom is finding the right question. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to urge Highguard to embrace the value of peerless kinship. The Virtuous apply what they have learned.Synod Mandate, Highborn Assembly

If this mandate is enacted, then Highborn armies will no longer automatically generate a mandate for the nation to consider. Instead the Highborn Assembly would be able to use a single statement of principle that identified an Imperial nation that they wished to support, just as they do to date with peerless kinship.

Throwing the support of the nation behind this choice would see some of the previous restrictions lifted. The Assembly would be able to choose any nation to help, provided they didn't chose the same nation two seasons running. Asking Highguard to find ways to help a fellow nation would be bound to fail if they had already identified all the ways they could help the season before. Other that this restriction, the Assembly could pick whichever nation they felt was most deserving of aid.

A guiding principle of peerless kinship is the idea that Highborn citizens would talk to the nation to find out what help would be most welcome. That remains true, but the Assembly could guide that conversation by indicating a single statement of principle or mandate passed that season or last by the peer nation's Assembly. Provided that statement passed the Assembly - indicating it had the support of the people of that nation, then attempts to provide peerless kinship would, where possible, focus on the issue identified in the statement or mandate.

A New Crusade

If the nation deems crusade to be of greater value than peerless kinship, they will need to use a mandate to remind people of its importance. Those who argue in favour of this approach point to the many threats faced by the Empire - while crusade is not guaranteed to offer martial benefits it does offer that prospect more often than peerless kinship. Perhaps, when the day comes that all wars have ended the Highborn can put down their armies. Until then they argue that Ambition demands they do everything possible to defeat the Empire's enemies and set aside all other goals.

Aim high and pursue your dreams. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to urge Highguard to continue to crusade all the last war is won. If we stand together then nothing is beyond our grasp.Synod Mandate, {{{assembly}}}

If this mandate is enacted, then Highborn armies that engage in a military campaign will automatically generate a mandate for the nation to consider. In the near future, any opportunity would be likely to take the same form as the recent call for an ongoing crusade against the Jotun rather than more short term responses.

The orders given by the generals will continue to be critical, with the precise wording of the order given by the general shaping any mandate. Wisdom is a Virtue of course. While it may be appealing to generals to submit their orders in the form of a sermon the reality is that the best orders are those that are concise and direct - that lay out in simple terms what the goal is and why. The longer the orders, the easier it becomes for people to misunderstand what is desired. "Let every word you speak carry meaning; do not use forty when four will do."

The cost of this renewed focus on the actions of the Highborn armies would be the end of peerless kinship. It would no longer be possible to reach out to other nations to help them.

Competing Mandates

These mandates are in competition with each other. If more than one is upheld - assuming any are - whichever judgement passed with the greatest margin is considered to be successful and the other mandate fails. If neither mandate passes, then neither power will be available going forwards, and Highguard will look for other ways to pursue Virtue in the future.

A Virtuous Benefaction

Since the death of Britta, the Council of Benefactors has played an important role in the nation, pooling the resources of some of the most wealthy Highborn citizens and providing backing to crucial projects that might otherwise have gone without. The goal of constructing the Grand Inspiration of the Way shows what can be accomplished when Virtue comes before profit.

The recent revelations about the nature of Vardas have shaken people's faith and that has caused many citizens to question the value of donating what wealth they can spare to support the Grand Inspiration. Only the Highborn have remained true to their word, consistently donating ten wains of white granite each season to ensure that the work can progress. At that rate the work will take many years to complete, but even the most impenetrable forest may fall one tree at a time.

But what of other grand ideals? The drive to anchor the Way in Asavea is in danger of foundering before it has even set sail. Is this not a better use of what funds Highguard can spare? Or the war against the vallorn, which the Assembly have repeatedly stressed is the Empire's highest calling. Should these wains not be dedicated to that goal?

And what of profit itself? Benefactors know that profit is not something to be reviled. Profits that are built virtuously, in partnership with others spread Prosperity and build Virtue. And they enable more investment in the future. Should the benefactors not be looking at those possibilities instead?

Under normal circumstances, the Highborn look to their Assembly for leadership, but on this issue, they recognise that their benefactors are those best placed to make this decision. Virtue is everything, but resources are limited, and no one person can do everything. The benefactors are the group best placed to decide what should happen to the donations the nation produces each season.

There are two formal meetings of the Benefactors' Council at each summit, at 11am on Saturday and Sunday morning. They are likely to be held in the main tent of the Shattered Tower. If the Council what to change where their nation's donations are going, then they must ensure that their egregore is present when they make the decision. The egregore will make a note of the decision and pass word on to the other benefactors in the nation.

The Council can choose to redirect the flow of donations currently going to the Grand Inspiration of the Way, towards any civilian commission. If there is some debate over the decision, then the egregore will expect a decision to be taken by a simple majority vote of those present who are well known for their role as benefactors. A list above contains all the eligible benefactors currently known to be attending Anvil.

Whatever commission is chosen, the people of Highguard will donate ten wains towards it, each season, until it is complete. They can only donate mithril, white granite or weirwood, but they will find the means to donate whichever of these is most needed to finish the work. They will continue to support the commission until the benefactors council nominate a new commission to receive the support of the nations' benefactors.

The commission can be any civilian commission - the benefactors of Highguard trust their council to identify the commission most deserving of their support, whether that be continuing to support the Grand Inpsiration of the Way, a different prestigious monument to Virtue, essential new infrastructure, or just a great work that is needed to raise Prosperity.

Further Reading

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