Chair of the Wolf
Overview
The Chair of the Wolf is the impressive sounding Imperial title granted to whichever League citizen is appointed to oversee the prestigious College of Engineering in Holberg. This important centre of learning is where many of the Empire's finest architects are trained and the faculty includes a large number of ambitious students, all of whom need practical opportunities to master their skills.
The title was established by the Imperial Senate during the Autumn Equinox 384YE in response to a challenge from the masters of the College. If the Empire was successful in creating four great commissions in a single year, one in each of the League cities, then they would endorse the Chair of the Wolf by providing all the necessary support needed for the title holder to create one new commission in the League each season.
There was some discussion on how the legal powers of the Chair of the Wolf might work, but in the end the Imperial Senate were content to go further than the College had originally proposed and granted the title holder the ability to announce new commissions in the Senate.
Responsibilities
The only legal responsibility of the Chair of the Wolf is to ensure the safety of of Engineering at Holberg University in the unlikely event that the college were ever threatened in some way.
However, the Chair operates with the support of the College, and without the support of the lecturers who teach there and their students the title would be unable to employ its power of commission. The College has made clear that they expect the Chair to put their students to work to ensure that the cities of the League remain the greatest in the world. By commissioning bold new projects, works of architecture that fire citizen's Ambitions, ministries and sinecures that help to grow the Prosperity of all, and follies that make everyone Proud of their city.
Legally there is nothing to prevent the Chair of the Wolf from building one ten wain mana sinecure each season, but it's likely that the members of the College of Engineering would eventually become frustrated by such timidity. Likewise, whoever holds the title might be wise to ensure at least one commission a year is in Holberg. In theory, if the College chose to withdraw their support then the title would become powerless - in practice there would be ample warning before there was any chance of that happening. The lecturers are likely to grumble for a long time before they take any action that might actually threaten their tenure.
Power
Commission
Once during each summit, the Chair of the Wolf can commission the construction of a sinecure, ministry, great work, or folly entirely within a territory of the League. This project does not count against the limited number of commissions the Senate can begin each season - all the work of planning and construction is undertaken by the College of Engineering. The materials and money required for construction must be provided by the Chair or their agents.
If the Chair of the Wolf announces the commission of a sinecure or ministry then an Imperial title to oversee the commission is automatically created. The location and size of the commission and the method of appointment and tenure of any associated title are all part of the necessary details and may be included in the announcement made by the Chair of the Wolf or determined later by them.
The Chair of the Wolf cannot alter an existing commission.
Announcement
To use their power of commission, the Chair of the Wolf must make an announcement in the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Chair of the Wolf.
The Imperial Synod may choose to exercise their veto over the Chair of the Wolf's announcement. The Throne may choose to exercise their veto over the Chair's announcement.
Appointment
The Chair of the Wolf is a League Bourse position. Election is by Tally of the Votes at the Winter Solstice each year. Any League citizen may put themselves forward for the title.
The Chair is re-selected at the Winter Solstice each year. They cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice 384YE | Elsha Bertolf | 364 Votes |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Elsha Bertolf; it will be reelected at the next summit. 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.