The Immaculates and the Disintegration of the Realm

[Guest]

Since it appears that an imperial civil war will soon be precipitated in my on-going Dragonblooded campaign, I was wondering what folks thought about what the role of the Immaculate Order might be when war does finally break out between the houses of the Dynasty. Would they simply side with the Regency, punishing any who dare to attempt to disrupt the Perfected Hierarchy and the Empress' legitimately selected successor/placeholder? Would they back some specific faction, perhaps one of the extremely pious houses like Mnemon or Ledaal, or possibly a weaker house that they could control and bend to the Immaculate agenda more effectively, like Nellens or V'neef? Would they simply remain stubbornly neutral, urging negotiations and cease-fires all around and trying to restrain their monks from intervening in secular affairs? Or do you think the Bronze Faction would have a more inscrutable set of instructions for the senior Immaculate hierarchy in the case of war?


Lastly, of course, there's always the possibility that the Immaculates will attempt to seize actual control of at least some of the border regions of the Realm and declare temple rule until such time as civil governance is re-established, to prevent the enemies of the Scarlet Throne from rushing in on all sides. What do you guys think?

 

[Guest]

Also, just noticed that I'm now an elemental. Eyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

[Forn Clakes]

I feel that the Immaculate Order would stand neutral on the situation.


At least in public.  Those who hold the reins may have ulterior motives.


~FC.

 

[Persell]

I agree.


I'd favor house cathak but thats just me.

 

[Forn Clakes]

I agree.
I'd favor house cathak but thats just me.

Personally, I'd feel that Mnemon or even Iselsi have a good grip.


~FC.

 

[Hanat-Osul]

Personally, I'd resolve that on a case-by-case basis: there would be a few border regions & small towns where the local temple would step into the fighting with a "this-simply-will-not-do" attitude, put both sides in their place, and seize the area for the benefit of whoever has the "divine mandate" to rule it.


On an organization-wide basis, I think the Order is too full of conflicting personalities to have an overall agenda.  The Mouth of Peace takes her orders from Kejak, of course... but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of the "bishops" or whatever would follow her lead.

 

[Guest]

Neutrality would be quite tempting for the Order, but as I think about it more, I can't help but think about the enormous pressure the Order would come under to take one side or another, regardless of how the factions fall out.  The Immaculates, while endowed with property of their own, are still somewhat dependent on imperial taxes for their operating budget, in addition to contributions from various Great Houses (though this is more true of the Wyld Hunt), so if they remain neutral, what will they do when the money starts drying up? Do you think the Bronze Faction might step up with slightly more direct funding of the Order's operations.


Honestly, given how Salary works vis a vis Resources in creation, if the Bronze Faction just had a whip-round in the office, they could probably cover the Order's operating budget for a year. I'm guessing that the only thing that stops them is how hard it would be to properly launder the cash so that it wouldn't be child's play to trace the money back to them.

 

[Flagg]

I would think that the Sidereals' spending cap in Creation would apply singly, as well as for group efforts. If the Sids did this, they'd have to do some fancy footwork (*cough* Duck Fate *cough*) to avoid a massive Audit.


-S

 

[Hanat-Osul]

Jesus H., Still, AGAIN with the Duck Fate.

 

[Flagg]

Well, Sidereals do have a power that lets them avoid ANYTHING, so I make a point to mention it, and highlight it's ridiculousness, as often as possible.


-S

 

[Forn Clakes]

Jesus H.' date=' Still, AGAIN with the Duck Fate.[/quote']
Dammit, I was just about to mentiion that, but you beat me to it!


I type in what I have named "mantis-typing", that is two finger jabs.


~FC.

 

[Haku1]

Well... in my 1000 xp game that is due to start next thursday...


I've had the Immaculate Order be simply... gutted... there are VERY few dragonblooded left in it...


The majority of them went back to their houses, went freelance... or... were... 'silenced' when they took positions on the civil war.


As for what the sidereals are doing...


That I can not say... as it is possible that my players do lurk here.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

The stance the IO (or various factions thereof) would take on a Realm civil war really depends on the type of civil war being waged.


 If the war's provoked by the Siddies in order to avoid a conflagration that'll wreck the Realm, I see the IO openly proclaiming themselves neutral (what they do behind the scenes, however...) and 'working towards the cessation of hostilities.'


 Now, if the train has truly derailed and the Siddies can't control the Houses anymore...anything is possible, up to and including the sundering of the IO itself. Suggestions for such a turn include a bit of medieval European history, oh, 'round the time of the Avignon papacy...