In the Court of Far Horizons

"Fleet Master!" The young boy gasped, panting for breath as he tried to call out, whilst simultaneously ducking and weaving his way across the dock front. Caricomare was busier than ever since the docks have been rebuilt, despite the war with the Grendel, there were scores of stevedores hard at work unpacking the cargo from the two huge Freeborn vessels docked just that morning.

Sadly the tumult made it impossible for Giovanni von Temeschwar to hear the boy. He had a pressing meeting with a pair of Freeborn captains at the Captain's Ring. They wanted to discuss the situation in the Cazar Straits and what was being done about it. Fortunately the bustling crowd mostly parted to let him pass, the dockers in Caricomare knew better than to delay the Imperial Fleet Master when he was about his business.

"Fleet Master!" the boy shouted again, "Fleet Master Gi..." he gulped another breath of air, but the Sea Wolf spun on his heel to face the young land before he could finish the sentence, a single eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Master Giovanni, sir!" the lad said, trying to regain his composure. "Message for you sir. Urgent sir. From the Fellowship of the Purple Ships."

"Sails" the bravo corrected him.

"Yes sir. The Purple Ship Sails sir. Message from them. For you sir."

Giovanni accepted the scroll from the young boy's outthrust hand. The wax seal bore the Fellowship's impression, still fresh and slightly warm to the touch. Their offices were over a mile away on the far side of the docks, the boy must have run the whole distance. What could the Fellowship want so urgently?

The scroll disappeared inside the Fleet Master's tunic to be replaced with a ring coin that he expertly flipped towards the messenger. That kind of Prosperity deserved a reward.

The Court of Far Horizons

Overview

At the recent summit, Emperor Vesna, requested that the Constitutional Court appraise the implications of a new Imperial sodality, the Court of Far Horizons. Any new Imperial sodality can have significant legal ramifications, which depend on the precise wording of its manifesto. The aim of the civil service appraisal is to provide clarity on these consequences, to enable the Senate to better decide the matter.

The request was timely, for that same day, Archmage Vossk met with Ptolemy a herald of the so-called City of Salt and Sail for a plenipotentiary in the Hall of Worlds. The City is an obscure power of the Autumn realm, concerned with communication and travel. Their herald was keen to explore ways the City could work with the Empire to support the Court, should the appraisal go ahead.

Consequences

• Emperor Vesna has asked the civil service to assess the constitutional implications of the Court of Far Horizons
• Magistrate Abraham has delivered their analysis based on the proposed manifesto
• It would not be possible to create a second sodality concerned with maritime trade

Magistrate Abraham has conducted an analysis of the constitutional implications of the new sodality's provisional manifesto. Abraham notes that the manifesto is "bold and vigorous" in establishing its remit, but that that means that some of implications are far-reaching.

This sodality holds the following to be true:

• Merchant fleets represent the face of the Empire to the common citizenry of foreign nations;
• The lifeblood of the Empire is trade, its paths must never be hindered;
• Imperial sailors share a common purpose, and must aid one another upon the sea.

The sodality therefore exists to:

• Champion the development of trade infrastructure and trade policy to expand the Empire's Prosperity;
• Support Imperial fleets who trade beyond the Empire's borders;
• Influence and leverage foreign relations through trade for the betterment of the Empire.

Manifesto of the Court of Far Horizons

The manifesto describes a sodality will be responsible for maritime trade and the actions of fleets engaged in that trade. It is possible that the Throne intends the sodality to be responsible for foreign trade, which would be a much broader remit. The first truth of the sodality is that "merchant fleets represent the face of the Empire to... foreign nations", which implies the idea that the sodality has a very broad remit. However the Empire engages in extensive trade with Otkodov, none of which is conducted via fleets. Likewise there is trade with Skoura and orc septs like the Sand Fishers and the Brannoc Orcs, all of which is entirely overland. Constitutionally, the Throne could seek the creation of an Imperial sodality with responsibility for all foreign trade, but that would need a different manifesto, one which removed the elements about fleets.

The focus on maritime trade with other nations reduces the cross-over with the constitutional role of the Bourse, but some conflicts will still arise. In these cases, the Court would inevitably need to weigh each case on their merits to assess how important trade was to the issue in question. For example, the production of the Steel Fist is contingent on trading relations with the Sarcophan Delves. As a Bourse seat dependent on trade, it could be changed by the Senate to grant the sodality the right to appoint it, but it could also be left with the Bourse since it produces ilium. A similar title that traded liao rather than ilium, would most likely need to be appointed by the new sodality.

The manifesto references the Empire's fleets several times, but the tenor appears to be limited to their role in trade. Imperial fleets are highly flexible and can engage in espionage, adventure and warfare, but all these activities would fall outside the remit of the Court of Far Horizons based on this manifesto. That would mean that the Senate couldn't grant the sodality powers or responsibilities for such activities, without first changing the manifesto.

That might not even be possible - the Constitutional Court expects a sodality to have a single clearly defined area of responsibility. Just as the Military Council is charged with executing the Empire's wars, the Court of Far Horizons can have similar responsibility for maritime trade. It can have jurisdiction for fleets in so far as they are engaged in maritime trade, but it would broaden the scope of the sodality too much for them to have a more widespread authority that covered espionage or similar. An alternative manifesto would be possible for a sodality that had a broad remit for fleets, but it could not then also have authority over trade.

Imperial sodalities are "singular" - there cannot be two sodalities in the Empire with overlapping concerns. If the Imperial Senate approves the manifesto of the Court of Far Horizons, then it would not be possible to create a new Imperial sodality charged with authority for maritime trade in the Empire without first abrogating the existence of the Court.

Powers

Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the Constitutional Council

• The power to set tariffs would be delegated to the Court of Far Horizons
• At present there are no other legal powers that would be automatically delegated to the Court of Far Horizons
• Any new legal powers that were solely concerned with maritime trade would need to be delegated to the new sodality
• Any existing legal powers that could be used to promote trade and relations with overseas foreign powers could be delegated to the sodality

The manifesto gives the overwhelming impression that the sodality would be responsible for maritime trade. As such the power to set tariffs would be delegated to the sodality as part of its creation. The manifesto states that "The lifeblood of the Empire is trade, its paths must never be hindered". Hindering trade is a fundamental part of setting tariffs, so it is questionable whether that wording would permit the sodality to do anything other than to remove all tariffs. The Court advise that the Senate might prefer to endorse wording that said trade should never hindered "unduly" or "without good reason" or similar, since that ensures the sodality's rights to set tariffs would be on firmer legal ground.

The sodality would not affect trade with barbarians. Trade with nations that the Empire is at war with would still be prohibited. It would not be legal to trade with nations the Empire has declared war on, unless the Senate passed a constitutional Senate motion that explicitly legalised trade with all barbarians. If that happened, then the sodality could set tariffs on such trade.

There are no other legal powers that currently exist that would be automatically delegated to the Court of Far Horizons. If the Senate created new legal powers in the future whose sole remit was to conduct maritime trade then the well-worn path for the exercise of those powers would be by vote of the sodality members. Any legal powers that could be used to promote or control such trade, but were not solely concerned with it, could be delegated to the Court of Far Horizons, provided they did not impinge on the constitutionality protected roles of the other houses. For example, the sodality could be given the power to regulate what resources can be exported from the Empire (the Senate has in the past banned the sale of liao to the Iron Confederacy for example). The sodality could be given the right to prohibit some citizens from engaging in maritime trade in the same way the Conclave can declare someone a sorcerer.

The Senate could grant the sodality the ability to announce one or more commissions each season. They might include edifices or sinecures, but great works would be the most appropriate for a sodality that was keen to ensure investment in trade infrastructure. Likewise it would be constitutional for the Senate to grant the sodality the power to perform an appraisal if they wished. How the Court used the power would be up to them, but they could appraise ways to increase foreign trade with a specific nation or increase trade in specific goods such as mithril, weirwood or white granite. In both cases this would involve transferring one of the Senate's own commissions or appraisals to the sodality.

Appointments

• The well worn path for an Imperial title whose responsibilities primarily rely on maritime trade would be election by the Court of Far Horizons

The civil service have conducted a preliminary review of all current Imperial titles to identify those whose responsibilities involve maritime trade. In all cases these titles could be appointed by the new sodality if it were passed.

Where a title relies primarily or solely on maritime trade the Court of the Far Horizons may be the only constitutionally valid way to appoint the position. In that case, the title would be automatically amended if the sodality is created. If the are other constitutionally valid ways to appoint a title after the sodality is created, then there will be no change to the method of appointment without direct action by the Senate.

No other details would change; if a position had tenure, it would only come up for election by the sodality at the point where the incumbent died, stepped down, or was revoked. National positions would be voted on by all members of the sodality, but only citizens of the relevant nation would be eligible to hold the title.

The constitutional implications of the sodality's existence would also impact any new Imperial title. The well worth path for any position whose sole or primary responsibility was the oversight or promotion of maritime trade, would be appointment by simple vote of members of the Far Horizons sodality.

Amended Titles

Automatically Amended Titles

Kruidenkenner Trademaster

Custodian of Ivarsgard Docks

Master of the Root and Stem

Quaymaster of the Black Sails

• Four titles would be automatically amended to be appointed by the Court of Far Horizons

The civil service have identified four Imperial titles whose responsibilities are solely or primarily concerned with maritime trade, either overseeing and supporting such trade or directly benefiting thereby. A position such as the Kruidenkenner Trademaster is expected to oversee the trade of herbs between the Kruidenkenner (a Sarcophan guild) and the Empire. If the proposed sodality was passed by the Senate, then the only constitutionally valid way to appoint the listed title would be by a vote of members of the sodality.

If the Senate pass the motion to create the Court of the Far Horizons, then all four listed titles will be amended to be appointed by the sodality.

Potential Titles

Potential Titles

High Herbalist of Sybella

Master of the Clearing House

Mayor of Caricomare

• Imperial titles whose responsibilities partially rely on maritime trade could be elected by the Court of Far Horizons
• The titles will continue to be elected by senators if the Senate declines to act
• There are three extant titles that could be changed with a single Senate motion to have them all elected by the Court of Far Horizons

The civil service have identified a set of Imperial titles whose responsibilities include oversight of maritime trade, but it is not their primary responsibility. In all cases the titles were originally created with other responsibilities and have become associated with foreign trade as a result of subsequent developments. It would be possible for the Court of the Far Horizons to appoint these three titles - because of their association with maritime trade - but it is not obligatory.

Given their split responsibilities, creating the new sodality wouldn't change the appointment method of any of the positions. They could be amended by the Senate; a single motion could be used to amend any one title or all three simultaneously if desired, making them appointments of the Court of Far Horizons.

The current appointment method of the Master of the Clearing House is unconstitutional. The title could be appointed by the Imperial Apothecaries Guild or by the Court of Far Horizons; either amendment would remove the current constitutional problems with the title.

Potential Bourse Titles

• Several bourse titles could be amended to be appointed by the Court of Far Horizons
• The titles will continue to be elected via the Bourse if the Senate declines to act
• There are five extant titles that could be changed with a single Senate motion to have them be elected by the Court of Far Horizons

The Steel Fist exists as a result of long-standing trade arrangements between the Sarcophan Delves and the Empire. The Bedelaar Huisbaas pay handsomely for privileged access to Imperial markets - the benefits of which go to fund the income of the Steel Fist. However, the Steel Fist is a Bourse seat, a reflection of the fact that the position receives a significant amount of ilium each season. Where a title exists that produces Bourse resources from maritime trade then it would be equally valid for the title to be appointed by the Bourse or by the Court of Far Horizons.

Given it would remain constitutional for these titles to be appointed by the Bourse, creating the new sodality wouldn't change the appointment method of any of them. They could be amended by the Senate, and as above either each title could be individually amended or a single motion could be used to amend the appointment method of all the listed bourse titles.

Ambassadors

The proposed manifesto makes clear that the Senate would expect the Court of the Far Horizons to "Influence and leverage foreign relations through trade". Although anyone is entitled to deal with foreigners, the official power to create a treaty with a foreign power lies with the ambassador, and it is the ambassador who is expected to receive any official delegation. Trade can be an important part of these foreign relations, especially with powers like the Grendel or the Sarcophan who take a more mercantile approach to their dealings with the Empire.

The Court of Far Horizons could be given the power to appoint the Imperial Consul and the ambassadors, if the Senate were so inclined. This would inevitably involve some change of emphasis in the role of the ambassador, emphasising the importance of trade, and so bring new opportunities for trade in the future. The responsibilities of the position would be amended to make it clear that their responsibility included the promotion of trade between the Empire and the nation they were treating with.

Given it would remain constitutional for these titles to be appointed by the Senate, creating the new sodality wouldn't change the appointment method of any ambassador. They could be amended by the Senate - either each title could be amended individually with a Senate motion, or a single motion could be used to amend the appointment method of all the listed titles.

Overland Trade

• An amended manifesto could create a sodality whose purview covered all foreign trade
• Significantly more Imperial titles would fall under the authority of such a sodality

The Constitutional Court have done their best to interpret the manifesto provided by Emperor Vesna and have assumed that the Throne is considering an Imperial sodality that would have responsibility for maritime trade. A more general manifesto, one that stripped out the references to fleets, could broaden the focus to all foreign trade. Such a change would still be constitutional but it would dramatically widen the remit of the sodality, bringing overland trade with various neighbouring foreigners like the Sandfishers of Holberg, the Faraden and the Iron Confederacy under its remit.

The list prepared by the civil service shows all the titles they have found that could be affected. If the Imperial Senate chose to extend the sodality's remit to all foreign trade, then each title would need to be individually evaluated. Any title that no longer had a valid method of appointment would be automatically amended to be appointed by the Court of the Far Horizons. Titles that were still valid could be amended using a Senate motion.

Support

Three groups have indicated that they might support the Court of the Far Horizons, if it were given a broad remit by the Imperial Senate and backed with significant legal powers. As is often the case, few groups have any interest in supporting a talking shop; they are only prepared to support the sodality if it is clear that it can wield actual power.

The Fellowship of the Purple Sails

Ships set sail from Imperial ports for every corner of the Known World.

• The Fellowship want the Court of the Far Horizons to be given the power to set tariffs
• If that happens, members of the Fellowship of the Purple Sails will join the new sodality en masse
• If the Court is given the power to set tariffs, then members of the sodality will be able to dock at Hayden in Sumaah

The Fellowship of the Purple Sails is a large sodality of merchants and fleet captains that has extensive business operations across the Empire and beyond. It rarely takes a direct interest in politics, since most members spend much of their time at sea, but word of the new Imperial sodality has piqued their interest. The new sodality seems to encompass all the Fellowship's interests; many members of the Fellowship are eager to join the Court and their leadership are openly discussing joining en masse, should the sodality receive the backing of the Senate.

What concerns the Fellowship most is the fate of Imperial trade, and the assertion of the Court that the trade should never be hindered is what interests most Purple Sails. However they are only prepared to join the new sodality if it gains the seal of approval of the Throne and the Senate gives it the power to set tariffs. Without that, there is a concern that the sodality will be a toothless body that is unable to set or even influence Imperial trade policy.

If the Court of the Far Horizons is given the power to set tariffs, then the Fellowship of the Purple Sails will be dissolved, with members moving to join the Court. If that happens, then the Fellowship will turn over one of their most valuable assets to the new sodality - docking rights at the port of Hayden in the Sumaah Republic. Hayden lies well over five hundred miles from Zemeh close to the limits of the rule of the House of the People.

The port does not customarily permit traders form the Empire to dock there. The Fellowship enjoys special privileges as a result of a private agreement with the High House of Prosperity, secured nearly a decade ago. This privilege could be transferred to the Court of the Far Horizons. Hayden is no more profitable than Zemeh or other ports Imperial fleets enjoy access to, but it does provide some unique goods that cannot be acquired elsewhere. The Purple Sails do not intend to disclose these details unless the Empire joins, since that information is only shared with other members of the Fellowship.

For as long as the Court of the Far Horizons have the power to set tariffs, members of the sodality (and only members of the sodality) will be able to dock at the port of Hayden.

The Bedelaar Huisbaas

Dino i Riqueza, Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves

• The Sarcophan want the Court of the Far Horizons to be given the power to appoint all titles associated with maritime trade
• They will donate a total of 2 thrones a season to the Imperial Treasury if all the maritime trade titles listed above are appointed by the new sodality
• They will donate a total of 8 thrones a season to the Imperial Treasury if all the three "Sarcophan" Bourse seats are also appointed by the new sodality
• They will donate a total of 12 thrones a season to the Imperial Treasury if the Ambassador to the Sarcophan is also appointed by the new sodality

The notoriously mercantile Sarcophan Delves enjoy positive relations with the Empire, but it is clear that one thing they do find frustrating is the way the Empire allows politics and religion to interfere with commerce. Such restrictive practices are anathema to the Sarcophan, most of whom prefer to place profits above what they see as confounding distractions.

As such the leading families of the Sarcophan Delves are enthusiastic at the prospect of dealing with members of the Court of Far Horizons on a professional basis. Provided that the three potential titles listed above are given over to the new sodality, then the Bedelaar Huisbaas will provide "compensating payments" to the Imperial treasury equal to two thrones a season.

It is a relatively small contribution, however if the Senate will go further and also grant the sodality the right to appoint the bourse seats that are based on trade with the Sarcophan - that is the Custodian of the Concordium Dock, the Prime Factor of the deBruin Docks and the Steel Fist - then the Sarcophan will increase the compensating payments to a total of eight thrones a season.

The Sarcophan explain that the "compensating payments" would be a share of the increased profits they expect to make as a result of dealing directly with citizens appointed by fellow merchants rather than politicians or priests. They are aware that the Imperial Senate receives income from two of these three titles through the Auction of the Seats and intend to compensate the Senate for this loss. Under the Sarcophan proposal, rather than a single variable payment once a year, the Senate would benefit from a predictable return every season.

While their proposal is presented as a way to compensate the Imperial Senate, it is arguably little more than a bribe in return for the Sarcophan's preferred outcome. Any pretence otherwise is undermined by their final offer; if the Senate will also grant the Court of the Far Horizons the legal authority to appoint the Ambassador to the Sarcophan Delves, as well as all the other titles, then the Delves will increase the compensating payments to a total of twelve thrones a season.

Salt and Sail

• The City of Salt and Sail want the Court of the Far Horizons to be given the power to appoint all ambassadors
• If that happens, they will grant the sodality the power to send a single message of up to 111 words to anywhere in the mortal world once a year

The City of Salt and Sail is a largely unknown eternal of the realm of Autumn. A representative of the City, a herald called Ptolemy, the Keeper of the Infinite Rookery, was present in the Hall of Worlds at the previous summit as a result of a plenipotentiary called by Vossk, the Archmage of Autumn. Many questions were asked, some of which the herald was able to answer.

Since that meeting, Ptolemy has taken a keen interest in the progress of the Court of the Far Horizons. It seems that some of the aims of the new sodality align with those of the City, at least close enough for the herald to make a promise of support. If the Imperial Senate will grant the sodality the legal right to appoint all Imperial ambassadors, then the eternal will offer their support as a patron for the new sodality. If that happens, then the City will offer what aid they can spare to support the new sodality as it becomes established.

One form this aid will take is the offer to take a single message, once a year, to anyone, anywhere in the world. While this offer may seem no better than a winged messenger, Ptolemy points out that ritual requires the magician to know the name and the approximate location of their target. Ptolemy's offer includes neither restriction - with the assistance of the City of Salt and Sail, whoever is elected as Speaker for the new sodality could send a message to anyone, anywhere in the world,

There would still need to be some way to identify the correct recipient of course, but the Speaker could employ any logic to designate who should receive their missive. It could be as simple as the leader of a named Druj sept or as difficult as the current owner of a stolen magical item. Provided there was an identifiable recipient somewhere in the mortal world, the City would deliver the message. The only limitation would be that it must not be more than one hundred and eleven words in length in total.

Once the city had delivered such a message they would not deliver another until a year had passed. The City would provide written guarantees that the service would remain available to the Empire for as long as the sodality retained the rights to appoint all Imperial ambassadors.

Limitations

• Maritime trade will never be enough to influence the great nations of the world
• There are periodic opportunities to use maritime trade to influence the Empire's smaller neighbours

Maritime trade between the Empire and the great powers of the world, nations like the Asavean Archipelago or the Sarcophan Delves is important, but it still only represents a very small part of these nation's economies. All the great nations engage in trade with each other, to a greater or lesser extent, as well as with their near neighbours. Moreover, the huge size of these nations means that they are mostly self-sufficient with large internal markets that provide for their citizens or subjects. As such it is not possible to use maritime trade to influence their governments or affect the way they view the Empire. The number of fleets that chose to trade with a nation each season is never significant enough to influence their view of the world in itself. The Empire has had direct experience of this in the past, in their interactions with the Principalities of Jarm who repeatedly made clear that they would not change their laws to suit the Empire. All attempts to use maritime trade to convince Jarm to change failed - they are too large to be influenced in this way.

The same is not always true of small local powers like Axos, Faraden or Skoura. These tiny nations, several of which are smaller than an individual Imperial nation, are less self-sufficient. These small nations still trade with other great powers, but because they are so near the Empire, Imperial maritime trade far outweighs any other trading relations. As such, occasionally an opportunity will arise to use maritime trade to influence one of the Empire's smaller neighbours - either by embargoing them or by working to increase the trade to a specific port. These opportunities are rare and the details will always be explicitly defined in a wind of fortune when they do occur. Absent such an opportunity, there is no effect on foreign relations from maritime trade, even with a smaller country - we do not check how many fleets have gone to a port unless there is a specific plot that provides a reason to do so.

Further Reading

• Imperial Sodality
• Forever is composed of nows - 387YE Winter wind of fortune introducing the opportunity to appraise Imperial sodality manifestos