Urizen leadership

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Hard to get across, but these guys are a bit like “secret masters” in that they don’t so much want to rule directly as to make sure that the people who are ruling are either like them or do what they “advise.” But they’re not secret, they live next door and wander around your town making suggestions about improvements. Harry called them “public masters.”

Most Urizen spires are governed by a council. Councils regularly co-operate with their neighbours, but disputes between spires whose councils differ on political, social or ideological grounds are commonplace. Even before Urizen joined the Empire, such conflicts were almost always settled through debate, or through arbitration by a third party. There is little history of military conflict between Urizen spires.

A council will normally appoint an Arbiter whose role is to lead the council, resolve disputes, and represent the spire to others. Traditionally the individual who is deemed to demonstrate the most complete Arete is asked to take the position. In most spires this will be the wisest and most skilled mage, but a martial spire is as likely to choose a weapon-master as a mage. Senators are determined by magical ability. The three ritual circles that have the greatest combined mastery of all the Realms each choose one of their number to represent a territory. Every citizen is encouraged to learn a little magic, whether it is practical spellcasting or superior craftsmanship, but ritual magic, the mastery of the lore of the Realms is regarded as the highest calling. Magic is seen as a mark of a rational and learned mind and more importantly as the most powerful tool that an individual or group can wield. The Urizen maintain that those who best understand the world are the ones best suited to lead it, and they look to their most powerful mages for leadership.

Many Urizen are passionate about politics. Being able to debate competing points of view and achieve consensus is seen as a high art form that raises humans above animals. It also makes civilised people superior to barbaric people who practice brute force approaches to leadership. The Imperial Senate is held up as a great triumph of the Empire, although they are often disappointed by the way the other nations choose to exploit the Senate, especially how they pick their Senators.

Urizen dreams of a utopia and strives to share that dream with the Empire, partly by example and partly through education. While different spires disagree on what constitutes the perfect society, they broadly agree it should involve the largest amount of happiness for the largest number of people. The most common belief is that the wisest and most educated should lead by example, and that mages who have the greatest understanding of the cosmos and the greatest personal power should shepherd their fellow humans for the good of all.