On the road ahead
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There was a time when Anduz was one of the richest cities on the Brass Coast. When the Towers of Anduz were first completed, the city became a marketplace for every imaginable trade, drawing merchants from foreign lands to hawk their wares at the legendary Market of a Thousand Sails. This vast outdoor market housed a thousand stalls, each one covered with a colourful tarpaulin fashioned from sailcloth. At the height of its power, Anduz was not just rich but important. The presence of so many wealthy dhomiro merchants in the city bred influence and power. Anduz was a place where the Prosperous truly understood that ''"all things can have a price."' | There was a time when Anduz was one of the richest cities on the Brass Coast. When the Towers of Anduz were first completed, the city became a marketplace for every imaginable trade, drawing merchants from foreign lands to hawk their wares at the legendary Market of a Thousand Sails. This vast outdoor market housed a thousand stalls, each one covered with a colourful tarpaulin fashioned from sailcloth. At the height of its power, Anduz was not just rich but important. The presence of so many wealthy dhomiro merchants in the city bred influence and power. Anduz was a place where the Prosperous truly understood that ''"all things can have a price."' | ||
At the height of its power, the merchants who worked the market place were called hawkers. Prosperous to a fault, they would ply their trade, hawking their goods to any who would listen. Always eager to cut a deal and make a profit, the most successful | At the height of its power, the merchants who worked the market place were called hawkers. Prosperous to a fault, they would ply their trade, hawking their goods to any who would listen. Always eager to cut a deal and make a profit, the most successful amongst them grew fabulously wealthy but they kept the name, to let others know that they were open to any proposition. Entrepreneurs, they understood that anything that could be bought and sold, could yield a profit. The hawkers would compete with each other on price, but they were united in fierce defence of their right to trade freely with each other. The Freeborn have always outlawed slavery, but it was said that anything else for sale in the world could be bought in the Market of a Thousand Sails. | ||
There are still plenty of hawkers in the nation, some are aspiring business owners, looking to make their first throne by hawking their wares. Some are wealthy merchants committed to increasing their power by cutting deals. But the market of a | There are still plenty of hawkers in the nation, some are aspiring business owners, looking to make their first throne by hawking their wares. Some are wealthy merchants committed to increasing their power by cutting deals. But the market of a thousand sails is gone, long since destroyed by the Lasambrians who burned the stalls and stole the bright sailcloth. With it, the focus of Anduz was lost and the prominence of its wealthy merchants declined. | ||
It is time to arrest that decline? The remains of the Market are still there - some of the stone could be reused. New stalls could be erected, new sails could be woven. The Market of a Thousand Sails could be relaunched and with it the hopes and aspirations of the city of Anduz. It would not be cheap, a massive marketplace on this scale is an ambitious endeavour that would require 15 white granite, 15 weirwood and 90 crowns. But if it were endorsed by the Freeborn National Assembly, then it would help to inspire not just wealthy Freeborn but those who were hungry to join their ranks. It would remind everyone of the Freeborn belief that the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it. Enterprising merchants with money would be reminded that it is ''Prosperous'' to spend that wealth to wield power and influence. It would encourage Freeborn to seize the mantle of the hawkers, and embrace every opportunity to cut a deal. | It is time to arrest that decline? The remains of the Market are still there - some of the stone could be reused. New stalls could be erected, new sails could be woven. The Market of a Thousand Sails could be relaunched and with it the hopes and aspirations of the city of Anduz. It would not be cheap, a massive marketplace on this scale is an ambitious endeavour that would require 15 white granite, 15 weirwood and 90 crowns. But if it were endorsed by the Freeborn National Assembly, then it would help to inspire not just wealthy Freeborn but those who were hungry to join their ranks. It would remind everyone of the Freeborn belief that the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it. Enterprising merchants with money would be reminded that it is ''Prosperous'' to spend that wealth to wield power and influence. It would encourage Freeborn to seize the mantle of the hawkers, and embrace every opportunity to cut a deal. | ||
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{{Mandate|mandate=All things can have a price. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to hawk their wares to all and sundry. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours!|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}} | {{Mandate|mandate=All things can have a price. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to hawk their wares to all and sundry. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours!|assembly=Brass Coast National Assembly}} | ||
If the Market of a Thousand Sails is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the hawkers amongst them. They will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to taking every opportunity to turn a profit, ignoring those who called for propriety or charity. The Hawkers were always committed to the idea that the items one traded should be too the conscience of the trader, and were staunch activists against the | If the Market of a Thousand Sails is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the hawkers amongst them. They will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to taking every opportunity to turn a profit, ignoring those who called for propriety or charity. The Hawkers were always committed to the idea that the items one traded should be too the conscience of the trader, and were staunch activists against the interdictions of the conclave, the proscriptions of the synod and the prohibitions of the senate. The Freeborn have always been comfortable peddling influence as easily as other nations sell wares, these hawkers would epitomise that willingness to cut a deal, no matter how risky or outrageous. ('''OOC Note:''' We will add the hawker archetype to the Brass Coast character options). | ||
Perhaps most importantly of all, the Market would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of deals at this moment when the stars have aligned. An epithet for a city is no small thing - if Anduz becomes the City of Deals, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to pursue wealth and the influence it brings. | Perhaps most importantly of all, the Market would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of deals at this moment when the stars have aligned. An epithet for a city is no small thing - if Anduz becomes the City of Deals, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to pursue wealth and the influence it brings. | ||
Revision as of 21:07, 30 May 2026
Deep down into old Anduz
No ghosts for us to fear
At least no ghosts of freeborn haunt
Though others may be near
I'm with my friend, a brave kohan
Plus Dust and Flame and Glass
If I misstep, start to fall
I trust they'll save my ass
Deep down into old Anduz
A fortune waits us there
Of peoples long forgotten now
Gone longer than my hair!
I'll tell the local Hakima
I paid all care and due
Though if I'm really honest
I haven't got a clue!
Deep down into old Anduz
We're down here on a lark
I'm trying to impress a girl
Ignite some kind of spark
She's daughter of an old Corsair
Who has no sense of humour
I heard she knows a special trick
If you believe the rumour
Overview
For the first time in many seasons, the lands of the Freeborn are not immediately threatened. The forces of the Jotun continue to press into the Marches, while the Grendel attempt to catch the Red Wind Corsairs has been countered by Freeborn cunning. The Children of Wrecks have taken loss after catastophic loss and are now under attack by the Iron Confederacy. The apperance of the Surrani is worrying, they've laid claim to the Cazar Straits in Feroz, but they show no sign of attacking the mainland.
With a chance to draw breath, the inhabitants of the ancient town of Anduz are looking for new opportunties for their home. The land has been transformed in recent years, the influx of the Zemress Islanders and the re-establishment of the Towers of Anduz have brought Prosperity to the grasses of Segura. But the potential of Anduz remains untapped.
The place is steeped in history, it was a city here long before the Empire was created, before even the Three Sisters ever came to the Brass Coast. That city was destroyed long ago, but in Anduz, the ruins of the past are the foundations of the future. As the Freeborn settled the ruins, they created new homes from the stone of the abandoned buildings.
The place was sacked by the Lasambrians in 363 and two decades later, the shattered ruins of Anduz have become difficult to distinguish from the ruins of Old Anduz from which they were originally built. In Anduz it has always been so, take from the past the things the dead no longer need and refashion them as a gift for the living. The ruins are like old clothing, handed down from one generation to the next. The fabric cut and resown to make a new garment each time.
Inspired by the burgeoning spirit of the new age, folk are searching for inspiration. From the ruins of old Anduz, what new future might yet arise?
City of Adventure
- An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a gateway to adventure
- If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to blazing new trails
- That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Adventure
| The Brazen Propylaeum |
| Commission Type: Edifice |
| Location: Anduzjasse, Segura |
| Cost: 25 white granite, 5 mithril, and 90 crowns |
| Availability: Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned |
Effects:
|
Anduz has always been a gateway to adventure. When the Freeborn first came to Segura they discovered the remains of an abandoned city. The ruins squatted on the roads leading south, past the Lasambrians to the lands of the Surrani and West towards the Faraden. Trade flowed into the Brass Coast, despite the predations of bandits - while adventure often began here, precisely because of them. Some came to Anduz seeking to explore the ruins themselves. Many simply used the settlement as a stopping off point, a place to begin their journey as they blazed a trail into the unknown.
Some Anduzers claim the city's history represents the epitome of what it really means to be Freeborn - a commitment to throw yourself into every endeavour no matter how long the odds, no matter the risks. “Life is short — let it never be dull!” is the nation's defining motto, and those early trailblazers certainly embodied that. Seeking out adventure wherever it is found, never allowing themselves to stop and worry what might go wrong. People committed to excitement and adventure whenever it presented the opportunity.
On the South side of the city lie the ruins of an ancient propylaeum, a huge stone gateway that once arched over the road south. Built not to protect Anduz but to inspire Ambition and make the souls of those arriving or leaving, soar. Torn down centuries ago by raiders, some dhomiro are hoping to persuade the city's backers to restore the epic gateway so that it can once again serve as an inspiration to visitors.
The work is not cheap, the Propylaeum would require 25 wains of white granite, 5 wains of mithril and 120 crowns. The idea is to alloy the mithril with brass to give the structure a beautiful brazen sheen when the sun illuminates it. But if the Freeborn National Assembly backed the creation of the Brazen Propylaeum, it would help to inspire adventurers and thrillseekers across the nation. The rash, the bold, and the brazen would draw inspiration from the epic structure. It would encourage trailblazers, people unafraid to challenge convention and to eager to commit to any endeavour no matter how difficult or dangerous it might be.
Life is short, let it never be dull! We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to be blaze new trails. Aim high and pursue your dreams, no matter the dangers.
Synod Mandate, Brass Coast National Assembly
If the Brazen Propylaeum is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the trailblazers amongst them - they will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to overcoming challenges, regardless of the costs and heedless of the risks. The Freeborn have always craved adventure and excitement, these trailblazers would epitomise that willingness to throw themselves into any endeavour, no matter how risky or outrageous. (OOC Note: We will add the trailblazer archetype to the Brass Coast character options).
Perhaps most importantly of all, the Brazen Propylaeum would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of adventure at the dawn of a new age. Names, as any wise magician can tell you, have power. One of the most subtle hearth magics, the name of a thing can influence it's nature and change it's fate. If Anduz becomes the City of Adventure, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to adventure.
City of Deals
- An edifice could be built to celebrate the city's position as a mercantile hub
- If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to cutting a deal and turning a profit
- That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Deals
| The Market of a Thousand Sails |
| Commission Type: Edifice |
| Location: Anduzjasse, Segura |
| Cost: 15 white granite and 15 weirwood, and 90 crowns |
| Availability: Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned |
Effects:
|
There was a time when Anduz was one of the richest cities on the Brass Coast. When the Towers of Anduz were first completed, the city became a marketplace for every imaginable trade, drawing merchants from foreign lands to hawk their wares at the legendary Market of a Thousand Sails. This vast outdoor market housed a thousand stalls, each one covered with a colourful tarpaulin fashioned from sailcloth. At the height of its power, Anduz was not just rich but important. The presence of so many wealthy dhomiro merchants in the city bred influence and power. Anduz was a place where the Prosperous truly understood that "all things can have a price."'
At the height of its power, the merchants who worked the market place were called hawkers. Prosperous to a fault, they would ply their trade, hawking their goods to any who would listen. Always eager to cut a deal and make a profit, the most successful amongst them grew fabulously wealthy but they kept the name, to let others know that they were open to any proposition. Entrepreneurs, they understood that anything that could be bought and sold, could yield a profit. The hawkers would compete with each other on price, but they were united in fierce defence of their right to trade freely with each other. The Freeborn have always outlawed slavery, but it was said that anything else for sale in the world could be bought in the Market of a Thousand Sails.
There are still plenty of hawkers in the nation, some are aspiring business owners, looking to make their first throne by hawking their wares. Some are wealthy merchants committed to increasing their power by cutting deals. But the market of a thousand sails is gone, long since destroyed by the Lasambrians who burned the stalls and stole the bright sailcloth. With it, the focus of Anduz was lost and the prominence of its wealthy merchants declined.
It is time to arrest that decline? The remains of the Market are still there - some of the stone could be reused. New stalls could be erected, new sails could be woven. The Market of a Thousand Sails could be relaunched and with it the hopes and aspirations of the city of Anduz. It would not be cheap, a massive marketplace on this scale is an ambitious endeavour that would require 15 white granite, 15 weirwood and 90 crowns. But if it were endorsed by the Freeborn National Assembly, then it would help to inspire not just wealthy Freeborn but those who were hungry to join their ranks. It would remind everyone of the Freeborn belief that the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it. Enterprising merchants with money would be reminded that it is Prosperous to spend that wealth to wield power and influence. It would encourage Freeborn to seize the mantle of the hawkers, and embrace every opportunity to cut a deal.
All things can have a price. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the Freeborn to hawk their wares to all and sundry. Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours!
Synod Mandate, Brass Coast National Assembly
If the Market of a Thousand Sails is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebrate the hawkers amongst them. They will applaud those Freeborn who are committed to taking every opportunity to turn a profit, ignoring those who called for propriety or charity. The Hawkers were always committed to the idea that the items one traded should be too the conscience of the trader, and were staunch activists against the interdictions of the conclave, the proscriptions of the synod and the prohibitions of the senate. The Freeborn have always been comfortable peddling influence as easily as other nations sell wares, these hawkers would epitomise that willingness to cut a deal, no matter how risky or outrageous. (OOC Note: We will add the hawker archetype to the Brass Coast character options).
Perhaps most importantly of all, the Market would cement the nature of Anduz as a city of deals at this moment when the stars have aligned. An epithet for a city is no small thing - if Anduz becomes the City of Deals, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to pursue wealth and the influence it brings.
City of Passions
- An edifice could be built to commemorate the city's history as the birthplace of the firebrands
- If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create a new Brass Coast archetype committed to championing social causes
- That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Passions
| The Burning Agora |
| Commission Type: Edifice |
| Location: Anduzjasse, Segura |
| Cost: 20 weirwood, 10 white granite and 90 crowns |
| Availability: Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned |
Effects:
|
Anduz has always been a cosmopolitan city, a place where people thrived and ideas with them. Arguments were common place, often heated and passionate, but rarely would they come to blows. The Freeborn philosophy is that society is best served when every individual is responsible for themselves and to themselves. They left Highguard looking for a chance to make a new future for themselves, not to impose one on others. The city was known for it's passions, the high-minded ideals of its priests and sutannir and the dedication of its inhabitants to fight for the things they believed in.
Maria i Contero i Guerra, the wife of Emperor Ahraz was born here, and many of the Firebrands, the followers of the young Emperor owned resources in the city at that time. The city has a storied reputation as a place where people pursue Virtue, the way a corsair pursues a prize ship. A place where a passionate commitment to an ideal is regarded as more important to the Way than doctrine or dogma. Emperor Ahraz is long dead, but many in Anduz carry a torch for their adopted son. Those embers have been fanned into a raging fire by the recent publication of the dramatic events of the doomed Emperor's life and death.
More controversially, there are some (especially the Riquezans) with growing concerns about the exact nature and intention of the Grand Inspiration of the Way. The goal to spread the Way of Virtue to the whole world is a laudable goal, yet, what version of the Way? There is a fear that the Highborn may seek to use the Grand Inspiration to try to push a rigidly-orthodox interpretation of doctrine and in doing so, stifle a commitment to a Virtuous life.
As a counterweight to this "Grand" Inspiration, these concerned citizens propose the construction of an open space in the centre of Anduz, a torchlit agora where people can exchange ideas in passionate debate. Segura is almost as far as you can get from Bastion and still be in the Empire, what better place for a safe haven for those who would seek to ask the right question and courageously face any unwelcome truths that might be found? Not a place for heretics or idolators, but for those who want to pursue a Virtuous way to live their lives without tied down by dogma.
The Burning Agora would cost 20 wains of weirwood, 10 wains of white granite and 90 crowns. It would need to be a substantial affair, lit with torches rather than lightstones, so that the Freeborn love of flame could inspire speakers and listeners alike. If it were commissioned, the Freeborn National Assembly could use a mandate to endorse its construction and the legacy of Ahraz and those who followed him. If that happened it would inspire orators and idealists across the Coast to pursue their beliefs. The impassioned, the driven, those who believed in a cause would draw inspiration from the grand structure. It would encourage firebrands, people unafraid to challenge the powerful and to prepared to commit to their cause no matter the cost.
We prize freedom and disdain arrogance. We send (named individual) with 50 doses of liao to encourage the citizens of Segura to create a place to discuss where doctrine and encourage free thinkers. Every being deserves to live the life they want in the manner they wish.
Synod Mandate, Brass Coast National Assembly
If the Burning Agora is completed and this mandate is enacted then it will encourage citizens across the Brass Coast to celebreate the legacy of the firebrands - the historical example set by the followers of Emperor Ahraz as well as those living examplars who share their forebear's commitment to Virtue without doubt or fear, regardless of the disapproval of others. The Freeborn have always prized freedom and responsibility and disdained arrogance, these firebrands would epitomise that willingness to challenge authority as they sought ways to make the Empire live up to its ideals, no matter how much opprobrium they faced. (OOC Note: We will add the firebrand archetype to the Brass Coast character options).
Crucially, the Burning Agora would dedicate the soul of Anduz to the passionate pursuit of ideals, during a time of revelation. If Anduz becomes the City of Passions, then any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory are more likely to reflect it's commitment to idealism.
City of Wonders
- A single commission could attempt to build all three edifices to transform the city's future
- If endorsed by the Freeborn Assembly it would create three new Brass Coast archetypes
- It would require a piece of art to inspire the project provided by the Cat's Graces or similar
- Anduzers will provide a purse of 20 crowns to reward the winning artist
- That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders
| Dust, Glass and Flame |
| Commission Type: Edifice |
| Location: Anduzjasse, Segura |
| Cost: 50 white granite, 35 weirwood, 5 mithril, 30 ilium and 120 crowns |
| Availability: Available up til the start of the Spring Equinox 389YE or until one of the other edifices on this opportunity is commissioned |
| Special: Requires a foundational piece of art depicting the new city to inspire architects |
Effects:
|
Of course nobody can agree on what should be built, so inevitably someone asks why can't they build them all? That turns out to have two major problems. The first is that each of the commissions draws on the powerful hearth magic of names to influence the nature of the city. Anduz can't be the City of Deals, Passions and Adventure - magic doesn't work like that. But if magic is a problem, then why not use magic to solve it?
Instead of building one of the commissions, the Brass Coast could attempt a single grand project, that one romantic fool calls "Dust, Glass and Flame". The actual idea is to build all three edifices, but to include a grand fountain at the centre of the city, one permanently enchanted with ilium by the hakima to invoke wonder. It would require a lot of ilium - 30 rings in total, but that would be sufficient to balance the influence of the three individual structures and bind them all together to serve the city harmoniously.
Empire includes a large element of hard skills - the success and triumphs that your character has on the field are often down to your abilities as a player, whether that's fighting in battle, trading in the Bourse or giving a speech in the Senate. For that reason we would politely ask participants to only submit original compositions created by participants in the game. This competition is a chance for the many fantastic artists in the Empire community to achieve glory. It's fine for a player-character to hire another player-character if they pay them with in-character funds, but generative AI can't be used in Empire and submitting a piece of art that was purchased out-of-character, or created by someone who isn't an active participant in Empire is outside of the spirit of this contest.
At least it would if the designs were coherent. And therein lies the second problem. The plans for each of the three edifices have been created independently - at the moment the styles and arrangements don't quite gel. If it were just a matter of artistic choices that wouldn't be vital, but when trying to take advantage of hearth magic in this way it is vital that everything gels together.
To solve that problem, the hakima suggest that asking the Cat Graces to hold a contest to create a foundational piece of art, once it is confirmed as a sodality by the Imperial Senate. What is needed is an artists impression of New Anduz to set the tone for the redevelopment of the whole city. The designs for the Agora, the Propylaeum and the Market could be updated to reflect the art produced. (The National Assembly would have to take up the challenge of organising an appropriate contest if the sodality fails to pass the Senate). The contest needs to challenge artists to create a beautiful piece of art depicting the new city, something to capture the imagination and inspire those who see it. Then the sodality need to pick the best one. Once a copy of the winning artwork is provided to the civil service, inhabitants of the city will provide the artist who created it with a purse of 20 crowns in reward for their efforts.
That leaves one final issue that is not so easily overcome. The cost. Creating all three edifices - and a huge magical fountain to tie them all together is exciting, it's romantic, it fires the imagination. It's also very expensive. Can the Brass Coast really afford it? Each of three individual edifices is a tall order, they're large impressive structures that would need a lot of investment. Any one of them could change the fate of Anduz and help bolster the fortunes of the nation. Just completing one would be a challenge and require everyone to pull together. It's a great accomplishment to achieve any one of these.
It might appeal to the heart to try and do it all, but it's not the most efficient way to restore the fate of Anduz and even suggesting it, risks embracing the idea in a fit of enthusiasm and then discovering a year or more down the line that they can't raise the funds. The fate of Anduz is to continue its slow decline if nothing is done - the worst thing that could happen is to choose the most expensive option and then for it to languish for years unfunded. After all, look what happened to the Grand Inspiration of the Way, two years have gone by and still not complete...
The nation would be ill-advised to attempt the most dramatic development of Anduz, unless there is genuine support to ensure that the resources are there to ensure it can be built.
On the other hand, if it could be done, it would transform the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Wonders. The place would rival the great cities of the Empire, and any future opportunities involving the city and the surrounding territory would be more likely to reflect it's nature as a city of wealth and adventure that embraced novelty and new ideas.
City of Stones
- If nothing is commissioned, or no work begins within a year then Anduz will gain the ruins quality
- That would change the fate of Anduz, making it the City of Stones
If nothing is done, if this opportunity to determine the fate of Anduz passes unmarked, then the city will continue much as it always has. Anduzjasse would gain the ruins quality, as the focus of people who living there turns to survival among the remnants of a previous age. That will happen if nothing is commissioned, or if one of the edifices is commissioned but a year passes with no progress on the building. If that happens, the city would gain the moniker the City of Stones and future opportunities would reflect the focus on survival over success.
Timing
- The three mandates are not competing, the Freeborn National Assembly can pass any or all of them
- The mandates are only available at this summit
- The mandates have no effect unless the commission associated with them is built
Each of the three mandates is only available at the forthcoming summit. They are not competing mandates, the Freeborn National Assembly could pass some or all of them, but they must be enacted in the coming season, otherwise the opportunity to benefit is lost.
None of the mandates will have any effect until the commission it is associated with is built, either the single edifice linked to that mandate, or the grand edifice, Dust, Glass and Flame, that is linked to all three mandates.
The Freeborn Assembly does not have to pass all the mandates. The Empire can build one of the three edifices, or the grand commission that combines them all, but the Assembly can pick and choose which mandates they wish to enact. They could skip one or more of the mandates for any reason.