Guardian of the Maze of Zoria
Overview
The Guardian of the Maze of Zoria is an Imperial title created by the Imperial Senate in Summer 383YE. The position of Guardian is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income of liao, and additional votes in the Imperial Synod.
Responsibilities
The Guardian oversees the Maze of Zoria in Miekarova that serves to house the knowledge the Empire has left of Zoria's teaching. If the shrine were to be threatened, it would be the responsibility of the Guardian to face those threats; likewise should any opportunity related to the shrine arise they would decide how to respond.
Powers
Bounty of Liao
The sinecure provides nine measures of liao to the Guardian each season, to be used as they see fit.
Voice in the Synod
The Guardian receives eighteen votes in the Imperial Synod. They may use these votes in any appropriate assembly, following the normal rules for votes provided by a Sinecure.
Appointment
The Guardian is a virtue position which is appointed by judgement of the Varushkan assembly.
The Guardian is appointed during the Autumn Equinox each year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Varushkan National Assembly, and the Assembly of the Nine.
| Summit | Elected | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Equinox 386YE | Illya Nikovitch Volkov | 190 Votes |
| Autumn Equinox 385YE | Illya Nikovitch Volkov | 166 Votes |
| Autumn Equinox 384YE | Illya Nikovitch Volkov | 106 Votes |
| Autumn Equinox 383YE | Illya Nikovitch Volkov | 144 Votes |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Illya Nikovitch Volkov; it will be reelected at Autumn Equinox 387YE. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.
The Maze of Zoria
The Maze of Zoria stands in Mieriada near the vale of Griejezdo. It is a strange creation; a vast circle of trees with dense plants and vines wrapped between them makes the maze impassable to those who do not know the right route to tread. Some strange magic lingers here still ensuring the maze must be traversed alone and though each pilgrim can only find a single route through the maze, no two individuals can agree upon what that route must be.
According to local legend, Zoria created the Maze using powerful magic. The maze is considered to be one of her legacies, a test of Wisdom for those confident enough to try it. Most people assume that the quicker one can complete the maze, the wiser one is. But the opposite has also been said - that the longer spent in contemplation of the maze the more judicious one shows oneself to be.
The maze is located in the Vale of Gniejezdo, in Miekaravoa. The priest who most recently brought the Maze to Imperial attention - Starac Sijed of Dawn - knew the location well, for he was once entrusted with the care of the site. He passed on the responsibility to another when he and his family departed Varushka for Dawn, where they became House Orzel. Guardianship of the maze was passed from person to another in short order but the most recent guardian was a young man named Domagoj Gnietzen who he disappeared more than two years ago. According to the more fanciful claims he entered the maze late one winter's night seeking Zoria's wisdom and never managed to escaped. However the wise ones note that the wolves were thick in the forests that year and more than one young man was caught out after nightfall and never returned.
The Maze is not the only site closely associated with Zoria - Zoriah's Cave in the Opascari mountains is said to have once held the paragon and her belongings - although what legacy the cave might have concealed was lost long ago when a Thule raiding party plundered the cavern.