The highest calling

"We should destroy the Druj - the Throne said so - the Synod agrees. I'm not sure why it's even a choice." Iseult leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. She glared at the others as if daring them to disagree.Lowen took the bait happily. "We're already doing that... we don't need the Synod to tell us to do the thing we're already doing. The point of the Synod is to point out things that need doing that nobody is bothering with." He held his arms up hands spread wide inviting the others to accept that the logic was irrefutable.Bleydhik put his elbow on the table, arm up, hand cradling his chin. "You're both wrong", he said confidently. "What's needed is to work out what's most important - not what's needed right now - but what one thing is most important of all to us."The other two looked at each other and grinned. Lowen shook his tankard to indicate it was empty, while Iseult drained hers. "I reckon you're right Bleyd," said Lowen still grinning. "And what's most important of all to me... is filling my tankard... and Virtue says it's your round!"

Overview

Less than a year ago, the Archbishop of Capodomus Cathedral used a powerful sermon to call for action against the vallorn explicitly naming it as the greatest threat facing the Empire - one that demanded sacrifices are made to defeat it. All while the Empire continues to strain every sinew to bring down the Asavean Plenum and replace the power of their corrupt priesthood with the Virtue of the Way, even as they try to complete the Grand Inspiration of the Way.

Inspired by the Archbishop's sermon, the General Assembly had an opportunity to settle the matter by throwing it's moral weight behind a single choice. A greater majority in support of any one of these great causes would have united people behind that Ambition, elevating it above all others. Instead, the General Assembly demonstrated that there is no single cause that unites all the Empire. They passed a mandate by Brynn Tendfallen calling for each nation - and each Virtue - to consider what Ambition was most important to them.

That mandate has a far-reaching impact; for now, the influence of the General Assembly has weakened, with people paying less attention to statements of principle that fall short of a greater majority. Instead they are focussed on their own national and Virtue Assembly. If an assembly can clearly elucidate a single issue provided it is identified as something of singular importance. People are not going to respond to claims that an Ambition is the highest, if it is the second time they've heard that this year... But if the assembly used the power sparingly - picking and choosing when to emphasize that something was truly crucial - then it would be guaranteed to have an effect, just as a greater majority in the General Assembly does now.

The Highest Calling

For the next year a specially worded statement of principle passed by certain national assemblies, and all virtue assemblies, will have additional impact provided it achieves a greater majority Any Virtue assembly or any national assembly except Urizen, Varushka and Wintermark are eligible Statements of principle that pass the General Assembly with a lesser majority in the next year will not create a response beyond Anvil

This decision has fundamentally weakened the authority of the General Assembly - at least for now. Statements of principle that get a greater majority will remain important to everyone in the Empire - as they demonstrate common purpose and unity. But statements of principle that do not get a greater majority will be ignored by folk beyond Anvil, whose attention will be on the words of their national and Virtue assembly.

Aim high; pursue your dreams. We send Bryn Tendfallen to urge every citizen to find common cause with those pilgrims of the Way with whom they share bonds of nation and virtue. Trust your heart and follow that which commands its devotion.Brynn Tendfallen, General Assembly, Summer Solstice 387YE, Vote: 1259-294

As a result, at any point during the next year, most other assemblies can use a single judgement to explicitly pick one agenda that they believe people should pursue above all others. The judgement would still need to achieve a greater majority, but assuming it does then it will be especially inspirational to the nation or those dedicated to the virtue. Wintermark, Urizen, and Varushka are not affected by this decision, since the people of those nations openly question the leadership of the Synod and this mandate did not get a greater majority, but any other nation and any of the Virtue assemblies could take advantage of this option.

To do so, the assembly must pass a statement that clearly names a single goal or agenda that they wish the faithful to pursue above all others. If that statement concludes with the words "This is the highest calling of our assembly." then it will have the same impact on the people of that nation, or the devotees of that Virtue, as if it had been passed by the General Assembly. It will be guaranteed to have an effect of some kind. As always, though, it is impossible to predict what that effect might be in advance.

... This is the highest calling of our assembly..national or Virtue assembly

Each assembly can only pick one thing as their highest calling - once that decision is made any future attempts to pick a new highest calling will be ignored. If a single Assembly passes two statements of principle both of which name a highest calling, then the statement of principle with the greatest margin of support will be the one that is embraced by people.

This opportunity remains available for the next year. An assembly need not respond immediately - they could declare a goal to be the assembly's highest calling at any time until the end of the Spring Equinox 388YE. While it may seem most effective to embrace a cause quickly, those assemblies that chose to delay will be in a position to respond to events as they change in the coming year.

A choice like this will always carry heavy consequences. The assemblies of Highguard, Navarr and the League have all been vocal in support of the goal of defeating the vallorn, for example. Once an assembly declares an Ambition to be their highest calling, other opportunities are likely to fall away as people focus on the single most important task. Opportunities to pursue other challenges may be lost if they are not in keeping with an assembly's new "highest calling".

There is a price for such dedication of course - if the Assembly throws their weight behind a single cause in this dramatic fashion then people will put their shoulder to the wheel to support it. They will take the assembly at its word and assume that this goal transcends all others. Any further attempt to name some other issue as the highest calling of the assembly way will have no effect until a year has passed.

Choices

The Civil Service has put together some general guidance regarding statements of principle

The seven eligible national assemblies and the eight virtue assemblies could all chose to throw their weight behind a single cause, or they could all chose very different options. There are no limits on what a statement of principle could say - the business of the Synod covers every part of the Imperial domain. There are some recurrent themes however, which are common with statements of principle, which the civil service can provide general guidance on.

Defeat an enemy

Any assembly could use their highest calling to seek the defeat of a threat or enemy of the Empire. This won't make Imperial armies or warbands any more effective in battle - the Empire's soldiers are already committed to the fight. Even when it is unified and able to speak with one voice, it is very difficult for the Synod to change the tide of war in this way. Statements like this are more likely to reduce the effectiveness of armies that don't follow the guidance provided by the Synod. If a nation assembly claims that fighting a named enemy is a nation's highest calling, then their armies are likely to be less willing to fight on other fronts.

Statements have been effective in the past at changing the way Imperial soldiers fight. The Dawnish assembly were able to encourage their armies to hold back in the conquest of the Barrens to try to win support for their cause. Urged on by their Synod, the Dawnish armies sacrificed military success for a better diplomatic outcome. As that conflict ultimately demonstrated, these strategies are rarely successful unless conducted with the support of a nation's generals.

Destroy the Vallorn

Any assembly could try to build on the success of Navarr and Imperial historians in gathering together every souce of information on the vallorn to confirm the findings in On the Nature of the Vallorn and reveal how the vallorn might finally be defeated. Ultimately the decision to tackle the vallorn is a political one, it is a question of priorities and political influence. Unless the nations that support fighting the vallorn have enough political support to push their agenda, other priorities will always be placed ahead of it.

Any of the eligible assemblies could declare the fight against the vallorn to be their highest calling. The more focussed such calls are - in terms of identifying what would help, the more change they will result in options to help the Empire prepare for the coming battle. Such options won't remove the need for resources to build armies and raise fortifications but they could provide other options which have the potential to make the political argument easier to win.

Convert Nonbelievers

Any assembly could name a group they wish to convert to the Way. The larger, the more powerful, more unified, and more distant a group is, the costlier such efforts will be. The initial outcome of a general statement seeking to begin the conversion of a new group, would most likely be an opportunity for members of that assembly to find out more about the target's existing religious beliefs. Where the Empire already possesses such intelligence, such as with the Asaveans, Suranni, Faraden, or Axiou, then statements that built on that information would be more effective - the more precise a statement is, the more likely it is to identify some course of action that isn't currently being prioritised. Actually converting a faction of the target group to the Way is unlikely to be possible without significant diplomatic consequences.

Build a Commission

An eligible Assembly could use a statement of principle to declare any commission to be their highest calling. That could be the Grand Inspiration of the Way or it could be an important fortification or any major commission. A runeforge, college of magic or a great work, could all benefit from the support of the Synod. Such a commission need not even be one in progress - people are perfectly capable of imagining a commission the Senate could approve - and putting their support behind it.

Such support wouldn't take the form of wains donated to support the commission - but it could provide benefits that help with the cost by finding ways to make the constriction more achievable such as trading other resources for materials or helping to defray other costs. It could help a commission overcome specific shortcomings; a nation might find a way to support more armies or overcome the limitations to allow them to build a college of magic or a runeforge. The most likely outcome would be options for the assembly to increase the costs of the commission to allow it to provide enhanced or additional benefits.

Strengthen the Faithful

Any eligible nation or Virtue assembly could make strengthening the faithful their highest calling. Ultimately the Empire is the sum of it's parts - strengthening a nation can help to make the Empire more powerful, even as it advances the cause of that nation. It's not effective for a nation's assembly to call on members of the nation to simply work harder, but they could identify some novel goal that could strength the nation but which isn't currently being worked on. Or they could chose a different nation they think is in need of help and aim to support them.

Likewise, any virtue assembly could urge the faithful to support a nation as it tries to overcome the challenges it faces. However they could also look to improve their own position, looking to strengthen the faithful of that Virtue. As with any statement, the wording is crucial. A statement of principle can shift the focus of the faithful to a novel cause, but it won't persuade them to do things that run against their cultural traditions. For example, the Dawnish Assembly could call on magicians to support their armies, but urging the Dawnish nobility to focus on the nation's finances will be met with open opposition.

Game Design

Any statement of principle that passes an assembly with a greater majority could lead to an opportunity if the circumstances are right. In most circumstances, statements that urge members of an assembly to work harder, or strive to achieve something they are already pursuing have little or no effect. This is because the faithful are already working as hard as they can on these goals - they cannot do more no matter how hard the Synod urges them to do so. Statements that run contrary to the status quo, that are controversial or divisive are much more likely to create an opportunity for a mandate because they represent changes to the status quo. In that case, a wind of fortune can explore the implications of changes the Synod have called for - with opportunities to choose whether to proceed or not.

This wind of fortune presents a guaranteed opportunity for every nation and every virtue assembly to get a response to a single favoured statement of principle. That overrides the normal rules that would prevent an uncontroversial statement from having a significant impact, but it doesn't change the fundamental approach. Statements that would lead to a change of approach or outlook, statements that would breed controversy or conflict will always have a more dramatic effect than statements that simply urge people to nuckle down and support the status quo.

War is a common example of this. Exhorting Imperial soldiers to fight harder rarely provides any improvements in their fighting strength. All Imperial armies include priests in their ranks who tender to the spiritual needs of the soldiers, providing sermons on the Way to the faithful. They spread the teachings of the Synod and guide their congregations. Imperial soldiers are not fanatics but morale is high, buttressed by the belief that they will reincarnate quickly if they live a virtuous life.

As such, trying to use the Way to motivate soldiers to do more to kill the enemy or conquer territory faster has no little or no effect because these soldiers are already doing everything they can to achieve this goal. The Way can guide soldiers to enable them to accomplish other goals, impact their strategy, or reduce their willingness to fight in other conflicts but the devoted can't do more when they are already wholy committed to the fight.

We have previously run plots involving assemblies encouraging citizens to donate wains to support the construction of the Grand Inspiration of the Way. Those plots have run their course and are not something we would run again. The leadership of the Synod can have a powerful effect on the campaign, changing the way people think and act, but it isn't a simple substitute for the wealth controlled by the Bourse. The citizens who attend Anvil are the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in the Empire - it is the player-characters who control the wains needed to build commissions - not the NPCs.

Any assembly could name a specific commission as their highest calling, but the resulting mandate wouldn't reduce the costs or pay for the commission. It might provide options for an Assembly to pay the costs in other ways, with other materials, or by paying a heavy political price instead - but it won't just produce wains to fund the commission. Those must be obtained on the field at Anvil.

The Synod can use statements of principle to encourage the devoted to reach out to a neighbouring power to try and convert them to the Way. As experience with the Lasambrians demonstrates, encouraging a group of people to embrace the Virtues or the Way does not make them allies of the Empire. If a group already has a reason to be grateful to the Empire, like the Sand Fishers who were freed from the Druj and given rich lands of their own to live on, then the Way can build on those links. Strengthening bonds of Loyalty and Prosperity can help to cement an ally's positive relationship with the Empire. But a group that is hostile to the Empire won't be won over, even if they are persuaded to embrace the Virtues or adopt the Way. Sharing a faith doesn't make them any more inclined to like the Empire. People who feel Ambitious and Proud and filled with Courage are more likely to oppose the Empire, and fight all the harder for their own interests.