Overseer of the Gloaming Road
Overview
The Gloaming Road is a trade route that crosses the dusty Lasambrian hills between Faraden and Segura. Once just another nameless path through the arid wilderness, its prominence dramatically increased in recent years. In Autumn 380YE a pernicious blight laid waste to the iridescent butterfly population of the forests of northern Faraden. Merchants of that nation then brokered a trade deal with the Freeborn, exchanging precious mithril for vast amounts of Iridescent Gloaming from the Empire. The Gloaming Road bustled with caravans hauling valuable goods, and Faraden requested an overseer be appointed from among the Freeborn to manage the exchange.
When it was first created the position of overseer of the Gloaming Road was not an Imperial title; rather it represented a campaign resource appointed by the Ambassador to Faraden and their opposite number Lady Saretta of the Red Moon. During the Autumn Equinox 384YE, following the wishes of the newly appointed Liege of the Five Winds, Overseer of the Gloaming Road became an Imperial title, appointed by Auction of the Seats. This removed the current Overseer, and lead to the first auction taking place at the Winter Solstice and therafter following the usual pattern of Autumn elections alongside the other mithril producing seats and ministries.
Responsibilities
The change to Imperial title has not changed the responsibilities of the Overseer. They are expected to ensure the continued exchange of iridescent gloaming with Faraden. Numerous minor, independent Imperial and Faraden merchants are taking advantage of the thriving trade route to do business, but it falls to the overseer to handle the bulk of the trade taking place - and to ensure that it continues unabated. This is further complicated by the presence of the Jotun in the Lasambrian hills - while there is an agreement to allow Faraden traders to pass unmolested, no such arrangement exists for Imperial merchants. As a consequence, Imperial gloaming traders congregate at the Kabalai Palace and deal with the weary Faraden when they arrive in Segura.
Shortly before the Autumn Equinox 385YE, news reached Anvil of the renegotiation of the treaty between the Faraden and the Jotun allowing merchants to pass through the Lasambrian Hills. The price to purchase mithril has increased by a further fifth over what it was in previous seasons; the Faraden are now having to pay through the nose to bring any caravans through the Lasambrian hills.
Powers
Ministry
| Total iridescent gloaming provided | Wains of mithril received |
| 60 iridescent gloaming | 2 wains of mithril |
| 138 iridescent gloaming | 4 wains of mithril |
| 220 iridescent gloaming | 6 wains of mithril |
The overseer can provide large stocks of iridescent gloaming to the merchants of Faraden, in return for which they receive a significant amount of mithril. This functions in the same manner as a traditional ministry. The amount of mithril received is reflected by the total amount of iridescent gloaming traded. The overseer trades the gloaming during downtime from their character page. Iridescent gloaming is removed from, and mithril is placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.
The production of the ministry is entirely dependant on Faraden's ongoing need for iridescent gloaming from outside its borders, and the continued provision of the magical material by the Empire. Were the overseer unable or unwilling to put up significant amounts of gloaming to trade, it is likely that Faraden would seek a new supplier elsewhere.
Following the imposition of sanctions on trade with Faraden during the Winter Solstice 382YE, the cost to purchase mithril via the ministry increased by roughly a fifth. During the Autumn Equinox 384YE the Imperial Senate ratified a treaty with the Faraden that saw the Faraden returned to a mercantilist trading standards.
Following the Spring Equinox 383YE, Sadogua provided the Faraden with a number of blight resistant grubs, putting an end to the blight. The amount of mithril available for trade was reduced as the demand for gloaming from outside the borders of Faraden returned to what it was before the blight struck.
Selection
As with the other mithril Bourse seats, the holder of the title is determined during the Autumn Equinox. As an Imperial seat, any Imperial citizen may participate in the auction and hold the title.
The Overseer of the Gloaming Road title is retained for a year, or until the citizen holding the seat dies, or steps down. As a title appointed through the Bourse they cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
This title has some additional restrictions. The mithril it produces is provided by Faraden merchants eager to acquire Imperial iridescent gloaming. In the event relations with Faraden collapse, or the Gloaming Road were to be closed, the title would still exist but would not be able to purchase mithril.
The Gloaming Road
During 380YE, a disease crept into Faraden from farther lands and swept through the iridescent butterfly populations therein. The results were disastrous for the carefully-cultivated forests where Faraden silk-harvesters worked, shattering the production of iridescent gloaming over a few short months. Desperate for gloaming, the Court of the Five Winds authorised merchants from several key families to approach the Brass Coast and discuss the large-scale trade of the material in return for mithril. An initial exchange during the Autumn Equinox of 380YE was successful, and an ongoing trade agreement between the two nations was formalised during the following Winter Solstice. Antonio i Carno i Guerra was appointed in Winter 380YE to serve as the first overseer of the Gloaming Road
Brightly coloured fabrics are vital to Faraden culture, and iridescent gloaming is key to their production. While the effects of the gloaming blight continued, the nation's hunger for iridescent gloaming remained strong. The situation changed with the ratification of the Liberty Pact which placed additional tariffs on Faraden mithril - but even that was nothing to the damage done to the profitability of the trade route when the Imperial Conclave effectively ended the gloaming blight in Summer 383YE.
In Autumn 384YE, following the ascension of Tchinua Ganbatar to the Seat of Five Winds, the Gloaming Road was made an Imperial title as part of the same treaty that saw trade sanctions for the Faraden lifted. This also made the Imperial Senate responsible for maintaining roads and bridges that form the western part of the route, incurring a cost to the Imperial Treasury of 5 thrones each season.
| Summit | Nation | Elected | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Equinox 385YE | The Brass Coast | Khalil i Carno i Guerra | 5 thrones |
| Winter Solstice 384YE | The Brass Coast | Khalil i Carno i Guerra | 5 rings |
| Summer Solstice 383YE | The Brass Coast | Sagremar i Zayden |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Khalil i Carno i Guerra; it will be reelected at Autumn Equinox 386YE. 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.