Overseer of the Westward Road
Overview
The Overseer of the Westbound Road is an Imperial title awarded to a Varushkan citizen. It is a national position appointed by majority vote of Varushkan owners of forests or mines. The vote is organized by the Imperial Bourse.
The mercantile offices of Delev are part of the Northern trade network.
In the years since Skarsind was recovered, the roads were repaired and some work went towards re-establishing trade, but the Wintermark focus was more on the routes through the passes into Hahnmark in the north-east. Over Winter 379YE, work began on restoring a trading network along the northern territories with Torfast Trading Post in Skarsind as a central hub, and subsidiary offices in Delev, the Temeschwari guilds and the Treji Wayhouse.
Responsibilities
The Overseer is expected to keep the trade flowing along the roads that lead from Delev west into Skarsind and east to the rest of Varushka and Dawn. The close contact with the traders allows ample opportunity for the Overseer to acquire supplies at bargain prices - metals from Skarsind and Temeschwar, and herbs from Hercynia. To a lesser degree, the Overseer can be seen as responsible for keeping an eye on trade opportunities across the northern Empire, and ensuring that Varushkan merchants are properly positioned to take advantage of them.
Powers
Ministry
As a ministry, the title of Overseer of the Westbound Road allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials traded from the north at a set price. The Overseer makes their decision on how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.
| Total Money Spent | Production |
| 7 Crowns | 5 Green Iron, 3 Orichalcum, 2 Weltsilver, 3 Bladeroot |
| 17 Crowns | 10 Green Iron, 6 Orichalcum, 4 Weltsilver, 6 Bladeroot |
| 35 Crowns | 15 Green Iron, 9 Orichalcum, 6 Weltsilver, 9 Bladeroot |
| 48 Crowns | 20 Green Iron, 12 Orichalcum, 8 Weltsilver, 12 Bladeroot |
Selection
This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice. The Overseer is appointed by Varushkans who control forest and mine personal resources. The larger the forest or mine an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.
Only a Varushkan character may hold this title, but there is no requirement for them to be from Delev (the title notionally involves encouraging trade throughout Varushka). They do not receive a seat on the Bourse.
Removal
The Overseer serves for a year, until they die or step down, or until they are revoked.
The title holder can be revoked by the Varushkan national assembly, the assembly of Nine, or the general assembly.
History
Commissioned during Summer 380YE as the last of the four trading ministries that comprise the Northern trade network, work was completed shortly before Autumn 380YE although there was a delay in appointing the title due to the need to ensure that the western roads were suitably warded..
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.