Concord
Overview
A Declaration of Concord allows the Imperial Conclave to agree a statement of belief, intent or support. It communicates the will of the Conclave as a body not only to the magicians of the Empire, but to eternals and mortal factions alike. The wording of any successful Declaration of Concord is communicated across the Empire by the Civil Service once the summit has ended.
The Declaration has no binding legal consequences in itself, but it clearly expresses the intent of the Conclave, so it is often used when the Conclave wish to demonstrate their collective will to another Imperial political house such as the Senate. It can also be used to accept, or reject, offers and proposals from outside sources such as eternals, factions within the Empire, and foreign nations. Indeed, such offers often come with the requirement that a suitably worded Declaration of Concord be passed to indicate that the Conclave is in favour of the proposal.
The Imperial Magus is empowered to raise a Declaration of Concord, once each summit. This declaration, takes precedence over most other declarations. It is deliberated first during a conclave session, or second if the Throne has nominated a prime declaration.
Necessary Details
- The wording of a Declaration of Concord must explicitly state the assertion that the Conclave is upholding
The Declaration must clearly state what it is that the Conclave agrees on in the wording of the text. It is common to have wording such as "the Conclave believes..." or "The magicians of the Empire support...". The declaration should be a clear simple expression of what it is the Conclave wishes or are doing (or that they reject). In general, more is less - the longer and the more complex the wording, the less clear the resulting declaration will be. Civil Service guidelines suggest that a few concise sentences are the best way for the Conclave to communicate their intentions to others.
It is important to remember that the wording of a Declaration of Concord cannot be amended after it is submitted, and is recorded verbatim. If the declaration passes, it is the wording on the original declaration that is distributed to the magicians of the Empire regardless of what was said during the debate.
Examples
- This Conclave requests that the Senate not construct a fane without a suitably worded declaration passing in Conclave.
- The Conclave accepts Lashonar's gracious boon
- The magicians of the Empire should guard against the machinations of Agramant, working with the magistrates to expose and destroy cults dedicated to that wicked eternal.
Resolution
- The wording of any successful Declaration of Concord is disseminated to magicians across the Empire by the Civil Service
Any Declaration of Concord that passes is noted by the Civil Service, and the text of the declaration is disseminated to every Imperial magician. In practice, this means that the wording of a Declaration of Concord will generally reach the ears of interested outsiders as well - representatives of eternals, Imperial factions, or foreign interests - with a specific interest in the matter of the declaration.
A declaration that fails is noted in the official Conclave records, but no effort is made to distribute the details. The assumption is that there are many reasons to reject a proposed Declaration of Concord and it is folly to read too much into that decision.
Note that the Conclave can only vote to uphold, or reject, a Declaration of Concord. They cannot vote to change the wording, for example. As such it is very important to ensure the wording is as concise and clear as possible.
If the Declaration of Concord addresses an offer by an outside force, a successful Declaration of Concord indicates the Conclave's decision with regard to that proposal.
OOC Design
- NPCs that are looking for the Conclave to take a stance on an issue will respond to a successful Declaration of Concord
- Profound Decisions will note any response by NPCs on the history page for that Conclave Session
- A Declaration of Concord may lead to further campaign developments if it provokes a strong response in the NPC magicians who hear it
The precise wording of a Declaration of Concord that passes is disseminated to Imperial magicians. First and foremost, this means that it is recorded on the wiki for any player character to read. Like the Statement of Principle judgement used by the Imperial Synod, however, a Declaration of Concord may lead to a response from plot. Unlike a Statement of Principle there is no hard-and-fast measure for whether a declaration will provoke a response from the magicians of the Empire. Any successful Declaration of Concord could influence an ongoing situation, or even prompt a Wind of Fortune.
Wherever possible, Profound Decisions will note the general response to a Declaration of Concord. Often this will simply be polite interest, or a note that the magicians of a certain nation or archetype are discussing the implications. Other times, it may prompt a strong response from NPC magicians that leads to a full Wind of Fortune in its own right. Most things do not lead to a strong response - for example a Declaration of Concord urging magicians to support efforts to repel the Druj in Tassato is unlikely to have a significant impact, because most people are already doing what they can to help the Imperial war effort. But a Declaration of Concord asking magicians to root out traitors and Druj sympathisers in the city is more likely to provoke a significant response.
The Declaration of Concord is primarily aimed at Imperial magicians, and is no substitute for a plenipotentiary or ambassadorial communique. A Declaration of Concord intended to address outside faction is much less likely to prompt any kind of response, except where that outside faction is already paying attention to Conclave politics. For example, the decision to allow the Zauberer of the Commonwealth unfettered access to Imperial Lore, and the subsequent establishment of the Lyceum Schloss means that many magicians of that nation are following Imperial Conclave declarations with interest. A Declaration of Concord dealing with relations between Imperial magicians and the Commonwealth Zauberer is more likely to produce a response than if the Commonwealth were not involved in Conclave politics.
If a Declaration of Concord does not pass, it is not considered to be the same as the Conclave saying they do not believe something - it is generally accepted by Imperial citizens, eternals, and foreigners alike that there are a number of reasons why the precise wording of a concord may not be upheld.
Further Reading
Core Brief
Additional Information
- Conclave vault
- Key Appointments to the Imperial Conclave