Empire
Rules Reminder
You must avoid using gendered nouns when referring to mixed groups. See the Conduct page for more information.
Previous rules reminders

Imperial Synod
 
(66 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
<ic>Reward the Virtuous; Punish the Wicked</ic>
{{CaptionedImage|file=Bishop Oberon.jpg|title=The Imperial Synod is a place of politics, as well as a bastion of faith.|caption=The Imperial Synod has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked.|align=left|width=450}}
==Overview==
==Overview==
The Imperial Synod exists to safeguard the soul of the Empire, protecting it from dangers and corrupting influences, whilst nurturing and promoting virtue wherever it flourishes. It provides a balance on the power of the [[Imperial Senate]] and [[The Throne]] and has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. It also controls the supply of [[liao#True Liao|true liao]] which grants access to past life visions.


The '''Synod''' is the Imperial Institution that brings together the Priests of [[The Way]] from all across The Empire. The Synod was created at the founding of The Empire by the First Empress and its existence, along with some of its powers, is enshrined in the [[Imperial Constitution]]. It's role is to ensure that the Empire and its citizens remain virtuous.
The Secretary General of the Civil Service has written a short pamphlet outlining how to participate in the Synod, which can be found [https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/images/0/0f/Synod_Participation_Guide.pdf here]. Copies of this pamphlet are also available in the Hub during events.


==Role within the Empire==
==Role within the Empire==
The Imperial Synod's primary role is to safeguard the soul of the Empire, to keep it safe from dangers and corrupting influences without - such as Foriegners, Barbarians and Eternals - and within. It provides a balance on the power of the Imperial Senate and The Throne and punishes the unvirtuous by removing them from office. It also controls the supply of Pure Liao which grants access to past life visions.
The Synod is charged with overseeing the spiritual well-being of the Empire - ensuring the virtue of its citizens and in particular those who lead them. Its remit includes being aware of all the official business of the Empire. Members of the Synod are permitted to sit in while any Imperial meetings are being convened, although they are not automatically able to pry into the private affairs of citizens. The purpose is to ensure that virtue is enshrined in all the most important decisions taken by Imperial citizens.


==Entry requirements==
To allow the Synod to perform its role, it may act to [[veto]] motions passed by the Senate - or to [[revocation|revoke]] individuals who hold important positions in the Senate or the [[Imperial Military Council|Military Council]]. The Synod's most feared punishment is to [[writ of Excommunication|excommunicate]] a citizen, allowing the ceremonial rite of excommunication to be performed on the accused and stripping them of their right to hold any Imperial title.
Any priest who ministers to a significant congregation of Imperial citizens is eligible to be a member of the Synod. This is represented by operating a church as a downtime resource. Synod members cannot normally sit in the Senate; if a priest is elected to the Senate, then they cannot vote in any part of the Synod while they serve as a senator.
 
The Synod is also granted the power to dispense the majority of the [[liao#True Liao|true liao]] produced by the Empire each season as well as being charged with maintaining Imperial doctrine, providing guidance to the faithful through rulings on metaphysical and spiritual issues.


==History==
==History==
The Synod was created at the dawn of the Empire; inspired by the Highguard Assembly of the Virtuous. The history of the Synod is intimately tied up with the history of [[The Way]].
The creation of the Imperial Synod was a crucial part of the formation of the Empire. While the Empress and many of her Highborn supporters favoured a theocratic model of government for the Empire, they were unable to convince everyone of the wisdom of this approach. The compromise was to vest legal power in the Senate - but to create the Synod to watch over the Senate and ensure it remained a virtuous house. When it became clear that the Military Council would act independently of the Senate, the Highborn were able to successfully argue that the Synod's remit should also cover the generals.
 
The notable exception to the powers of the Synod are the Bourse and the Conclave. Titles appointed by either of these two houses may not be revoked, nor are their decisions subject to veto. The exclusion of the Bourse was the result of a long and bitter battle between [[Emperor Giovanni|Giovanni of Tassato (later Emperor Giovanni)]] and his followers and the Highborn. Giovanni was insistent that the Bourse must be completely free from political interference and would brook no compromise, demanding that the independence of the Bourse be enshrined in the Imperial Constitution.
 
Giovanni later became Emperor, and was instrumental in courting the Urizeni, convincing them to join the Empire peacefully. The exclusion of the Conclave from oversight by the Synod likely reflects Giovanni's political views as much as it did the demands of the magicians of the time.
 
During the Spring Equinox 383YE the [[Imperial Senate]] voted to [[384YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions#Amend_membership_of_virtue_assemblies|change]] how membership of the [[Assembly#The_Virtue_Assemblies|Virtue assemblies]] was determined. This represents one of the most significant changes to the way the Synod operates since the reign of [[Empress Varkula]]. The change was [[Making_your_mind_up|proposed]] initially as a way to allow the priests of the [[Imperial Orcs]] to more fully participate in the Imperial Synod, by moving membership of the Virtue assemblies away from [[dedication]] and toward the virtues a priest actually [[Congregation#Downtime Options|preached]].
 
==Sessions==
The civil service do not arrange any formal meetings or sessions for the members of the Synod. Rather the Synod acts by passing (or rejecting) judgements that have been raised by members of the Synod. When a judgement is submitted to the civil service it is raised onto the walls of the hub so that it may be scrutinised by any citizen. Eligible members of the Synod may then vote for (or against) the judgement at any point until voting closes. Voting is conducted in public and any citizen may view the records to see how many votes a judgement has gathered and who has supported or opposed it.
 
At set times during the summit, voting closes to allow the civil service to tally the votes cast for every judgement that is due to end then. A judgement must receive at least four hours of scrutiny, unless there are sufficient members of the Synod physically present to immediately determine the outcome of the judgement.  


==Structure==
This approach ensures that members of the Synod can have sufficient time to examine a judgement, discussing it with their peers, and considering the ramifications. It also means that all members of the Synod who attend Anvil can vote on judgements raised, regardless of how many are present.
The Synod is divided into Assemblies who are made up of members of the Synod. These are:
{{CaptionedImage|file=Angelo3.jpg|align=right|width=250}}
* '''The General Assembly''' – The General Assembly consists of all members of the Synod. The authority of the General Assembly extends to the whole Empire, including The Throne. Some of the powers of the General Assembly may be exercised by the members of a single nation if an issue concerns that nation directly.
* '''The Virtue Assemblies''' – The Virtue Assemblies consist of all members of the Synod who are dedicated to the same [[The Virtues|Virtue]]. There are Seven Virtue Assemblies and the Assembly of the Way, for all members of the Synod who are not dedicated to a specific Virtue.  The Virtue Assemblies select one of their number to be Cardinal of the Assembly. The authority of a Virtue Assembly extends to all Dedicated Priests and Pilgrims of that Virtue, and in policing the actions and judgements of their Cardinal.
* '''The Assembly of Nine''' – The Assembly of Nine consists of the Seven Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies, the Cardinal of the Assembly of the Way, and the current occupant of The Throne. The authority of the Assembly of Nine extends to the whole Empire, excluding The Throne.


==Powers and functions==
==Participation==
The Synod is divided into Assemblies who are made up of members of the Synod. These are:
Each citizen who has been responsible for the running of a [[congregation|congregation]] in the season preceding the summit is automatically a member of the Synod. This makes them eligible to raise one [[judgement]] per summit and to vote on judgements raised by other Synod members. Votes are based on the size of the [[congregation]] - the larger the flock that a priest tends to, the more votes they receive. The founders of the Empire adopted this approach to ensure that the decisions of the Synod best reflected the wishes of the citizens of the Empire.
* '''The General Assembly''' – The General Assembly consists of all members of the Synod. The authority of the General Assembly extends to the whole Empire, including The Throne.
* '''The Virtue Assemblies''' – The Virtue Assemblies consist of all members of the Synod who are dedicated to the same [[The Virtues|Virtue]]. There are Seven Virtue Assemblies and the Assembly of the Way, for all members of the Synod who are not dedicated to a specific Virtue.  The Virtue Assemblies select one of their number to be Cardinal of the Assembly. The authority of a Virtue Assembly extends to all Dedicated Priests and Pilgrims of that Virtue, and in policing the actions and judgements of their Cardinal.
* '''The Assembly of Nine''' – The Assembly of Nine consists of the Seven Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies, the Cardinal of the Assembly of the Way, and the current occupant of The Throne. The authority of the Assembly of Nine extends to the whole Empire, excluding The Throne.


The Synod possesses a range of powers that are enshrined in the Imperial Constitution. Some are available to all members of the Synod, whilst others require the decision of an Assembly to enact.
A handful of Imperial titles also confer votes in the Imperial Synod - based on the size of the congregation associated with the position. Any citizen who holds such a title is automatically considered to be a member of the Synod. Any votes afforded by the title are in addition to those they are due from their congregation if any.


The following are powers that extend to all individual members of the Synod:
Participation in the Synod is divided into a number of different [[assembly|assemblies]]:
* '''The Synod''' – At each event, the Synod establishes a formal location that is the hub of the Imperial Religion. Imperial Law applies to, but is not enforced within, this location.
* '''Sanctuary''' – A fugitive from the law may seek Sanctuary within any consecrated ground or the Synod. Once on consecrated ground, the fugitive has the turn of an hourglass in which they can confess their crimes, or gather proof of their innocence, prior to facing the Judiciary.
* '''Confession''' – Any member of the Synod may take the confession of a fugitive from the law. A Synod member who has taken confession may accompany the fugitive to their trial to plead for Clemency. The seniority of the Synod member is borne in mind when the Judiciary consider their verdict.
* '''Witness''' – The Synod is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire and is empowered by the Constitution to witness or observe all aspects of its function. Any member of the Synod is to be granted access to all common areas, in order to observe and witness, provided they remain quiet, respectful and do not directly interfere. The power of Witness includes the Senate and the Generals' Tent.
* '''Guide''' - When the Gatekeepers have distributed the Pure Liao, it is possible for a single Synod Priest who knows the correct ceremonial skill to share in the vision the recipient has. Traditionally, the one who has received the Pure Liao may name the Synod Priest they wish to have as their guide through the Labyrinth of Ages.
* '''Steward''' – Any member of the Synod may put their name forward for one of the Stewardship positions within the Synod. The Synod administers a number of resources that were once the responsibility of the Empress until such time as a new Empress is identified. The steward of each such resource is chosen at random to ensure the resource is not managed by any one Nation or Assembly.
* '''Calling''' – Once per event, a Synod Priest can call on their peers to pass judgement on an issue. This puts a motion before an Assembly that the Priest is a member of for them to vote upon and may involve the Assembly exercising one of its powers (see also: Judgement of the Synod below)


===The powers of the assemblies===
* ''General Assembly'', consisting of all Synod Priests
* '''Gatekeepers''' - The Cardinals of the seven Virtue Assemblies each appoints a member of their Assembly to be Gatekeeper. The Cardinal may not appoint themself. Traditionally, it has been frowned upon to name a Gatekeeper from the same nation as the Cardinal, but this is not forbidden. The Gatekeepers control access to the Labyrinth of Ages by dint of overseeing distribution of the Pure Liao prepared by the Civil Service.
* ''National Assemblies'', consisting of all Synod Priests from a single nation. There are ten National Assemblies, and a given priest is automatically a member of one of them.
* '''Conscience of the Senate''' - The Cardinal of the Assembly of The Way may appoint a layperson of virtue who is not a member of the Synod to a specially designated seat in the Senate created by the First Empress to serve as the Senate's conscience. The Cardinal may not appoint themself. Traditionally, it has been frowned upon to name a Conscience from the same nation as the Cardinal, but this is not forbidden. The layperson may hold the seat for no longer than a year.
* ''Virtue Assemblies'', consisting of all Synod priests who share the same dedication, or lack of. There are eight Virtue Assemblies (one for each of the seven virtues, and the assembly of the Way). A given priest is a member of one Virtue Assembly initially based on their [[dedication]], but with the option to change it through [[Congregation#Downtime Options|preaching]] between summits.
* '''Veto''' - Once per event, the General Assembly may Veto a Senate motion that is deemed to be in conflict with the Imperial Virtues. This is not done as a vote, but requires a majority of the General Assembly to enter the Senate and declare the veto.
* ''Assembly of Nine'', consisting of the eight [[Cardinal|Cardinals]] of the Virtue Assemblies and [[The Throne |the Throne]].
* '''Bestowing''' - The Civil Service harvests the Pure Liao for the Gatekeepers to distribute to those deemed worthy, or otherwise ready to experience a vision from one of their past lives. Tradition has it that the Empress is given the first portion to use, or gift to another, as she deems fitting. Traditionally, the second portion is given to the Citizen who demonstrates their Prosperity by pledging the greatest value gift to the Synod. Other preparations are distributed by collective decision of the Gatekeepers as they deem most fitting.
* '''Reward''' – Upon the judgement of the General Assembly, a portion of any gift pledged to the Synod as part of distribution of Pure Liao may be given to an individual or group whose virtuous acts are worthy or recognition and reward.
* '''Revocation''' – Upon the judgement of the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly, an individual may be deemed unworthy of the position that they hold, on the grounds of poor moral character, and be stripped of their Imperial Office. Imperial Offices include such roles as Senator, General and Cardinal. The General Assembly has the power to bid the Empress to step down.
* '''Inquisition''' - Upon the judgement of a National Assembly, the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly, an individual, or group, may be required to come to the Synod to face inquisition by members of the Synod on charges of Idolatry, Blasphemy or Heresy. As Imperial Law applies to, but is not enforced in, the Synod Tent, the Synod members have latitude in their questioning methods, but will answer for any crimes they commits as part of the inquisition. Refusal to respond to inquisition is a serious crime under Imperial Law. The duration that a person can be subject to inquisition is usually the turn of an hourglass, but additional time can be granted by the Judiciary if they are presented with sufficient grounds or evidence.
* '''Excommunication''' – Upon the judgement of a National Assembly, the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly, a priest of the Synod is empowered to deliver a writ of Excommunication upon a Citizen or Citizens who are deemed to be of utterly corrupt and virtueless character. Socially, an excommunicated individual may not hold a Civic Office, such as General or Senator and is stripped of any such office if they do hold it. Additionally, their assets are seized by the Synod on the grounds that they cannot be untrusted to operate them soundly. Spiritually, an excommunicated person may be subjected to further Ceremonial Rites which will effectively severe them from their past lives and, upon death, condemning them to wander the Labyrinth of Ages never again to be reborn. The Empress, Assembly of Nine, or General Assembly may reverse an excommunication.
* '''Recognition''' – Virtue Assemblies may judge an individual to be an Exemplar of their Virtue Path. Additionally, the General Assembly can weigh the evidence that an individual has met the majority of the Signs of the Paragon and formally declare that an individual was indeed a Paragon. Recognition can take place post-mortem and, in the case of Paragons, this is a requirement.
* '''Doctrine''' – Only the General Assembly can create, remove or amend one of the Doctrines of the Faith.


==The judgement of the Synod==
Every member of the Synod is automatically a member of the General Assembly - and a member of the relevant national and virtue assembly. Each assembly has specific judgements available to it - for example the Marcher National Assembly may revoke Marcher senators and generals.
When a Priest calls for their peers to pass judgement on an issue, this is done in the following way:
* The Priest approaches the Functionary attached to the Synod to call for judgement on a topic.
* The Functionary records the matter raised and makes it visible in the Synod along with whose judgement applies to the matter (i.e. which Assembly's judgement applies) and sets a deadline by which time judgements should be rendered (for example, four waking hours after the issue has been listed for judgement).
* The purpose of the deadline is so that Priests who are engaged on vital missions for the Empire are not excluded from being able to offer their judgement on the matter raised.
* Priests of the Synod eligible to offer their judgement are expected to check in at the Synod at regular intervals to see if they have been called on to pass judgement.
* To pass judgement, a Priest speaks with a Functionary attached to the Synod who records the judgement of the Priest.
* A Priest’s weight of judgement is influenced by the size of their congregation (i.e. the status of the Church).
* When the time limit has expired, the Functionaries consider the judgements passed by the Priests and record whether the issue has sufficient support of the Assembly to be binding. In the case of the Virtue and National Assemblies, the outcome is decided purely by the judgements-for versus the judgements-against with abstentions being ignored. For the Assembly of Nine and General Assembly, the outcome is determined by majority of total membership.
* A judgement made by an Assembly is considered binding on all whom the Assembly has authority, but may not contradict the Imperial Law or Senate.


There is no requirement for Synod members to meet and debate as their Senate contemporaries do, though it is known for Priests of the Synod to consult with one another to ensure they have the support of their Assembly before raising an issue.
The assembly that will consider a judgement is set when the judgement is raised - it may then only be voted on by members of that assembly.


''Note:'' In special cases, Assembly powers – such as Inquisition or Excommunication - may be expedited by a clear majority of an Assembly coming to the Functionaries at the Synod Tent directly to demonstrate the support of the Assembly for the action.
==Limitations==
Although the Synod is powerful - arguably as powerful as the Imperial Senate - it does not possess the ability to change the law, nor to create new Imperial titles. The Synod has the power to [[veto]] motions passed by the Senate - but it is absolutely reliant on the Senate to raise and pass any motions needed to change laws or even the structure of the Synod itself.


[[Category:Religion]]
Crucially the powers of the Synod do not extend to cover the Conclave or the Bourse. Both bodies are explicitly defined to be outside the Synod's jurisdiction. This means that the Synod cannot veto a [[declaration]] passed by the Conclave - nor revoke those who hold Bourse or Conclave titles.
[[Category:The Empire]]
{{Synod Further Reading}}
* [[Making your mind up]] - Spring 384YE Wind of Fortune proposing the change to how membership of the Virtue assemblies is determined

Latest revision as of 07:49, 11 July 2023

Reward the Virtuous; Punish the Wicked
The Imperial Synod is a place of politics, as well as a bastion of faith.
The Imperial Synod has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked.

Overview

The Imperial Synod exists to safeguard the soul of the Empire, protecting it from dangers and corrupting influences, whilst nurturing and promoting virtue wherever it flourishes. It provides a balance on the power of the Imperial Senate and The Throne and has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. It also controls the supply of true liao which grants access to past life visions.

The Secretary General of the Civil Service has written a short pamphlet outlining how to participate in the Synod, which can be found here. Copies of this pamphlet are also available in the Hub during events.

Role within the Empire

The Synod is charged with overseeing the spiritual well-being of the Empire - ensuring the virtue of its citizens and in particular those who lead them. Its remit includes being aware of all the official business of the Empire. Members of the Synod are permitted to sit in while any Imperial meetings are being convened, although they are not automatically able to pry into the private affairs of citizens. The purpose is to ensure that virtue is enshrined in all the most important decisions taken by Imperial citizens.

To allow the Synod to perform its role, it may act to veto motions passed by the Senate - or to revoke individuals who hold important positions in the Senate or the Military Council. The Synod's most feared punishment is to excommunicate a citizen, allowing the ceremonial rite of excommunication to be performed on the accused and stripping them of their right to hold any Imperial title.

The Synod is also granted the power to dispense the majority of the true liao produced by the Empire each season as well as being charged with maintaining Imperial doctrine, providing guidance to the faithful through rulings on metaphysical and spiritual issues.

History

The creation of the Imperial Synod was a crucial part of the formation of the Empire. While the Empress and many of her Highborn supporters favoured a theocratic model of government for the Empire, they were unable to convince everyone of the wisdom of this approach. The compromise was to vest legal power in the Senate - but to create the Synod to watch over the Senate and ensure it remained a virtuous house. When it became clear that the Military Council would act independently of the Senate, the Highborn were able to successfully argue that the Synod's remit should also cover the generals.

The notable exception to the powers of the Synod are the Bourse and the Conclave. Titles appointed by either of these two houses may not be revoked, nor are their decisions subject to veto. The exclusion of the Bourse was the result of a long and bitter battle between Giovanni of Tassato (later Emperor Giovanni) and his followers and the Highborn. Giovanni was insistent that the Bourse must be completely free from political interference and would brook no compromise, demanding that the independence of the Bourse be enshrined in the Imperial Constitution.

Giovanni later became Emperor, and was instrumental in courting the Urizeni, convincing them to join the Empire peacefully. The exclusion of the Conclave from oversight by the Synod likely reflects Giovanni's political views as much as it did the demands of the magicians of the time.

During the Spring Equinox 383YE the Imperial Senate voted to change how membership of the Virtue assemblies was determined. This represents one of the most significant changes to the way the Synod operates since the reign of Empress Varkula. The change was proposed initially as a way to allow the priests of the Imperial Orcs to more fully participate in the Imperial Synod, by moving membership of the Virtue assemblies away from dedication and toward the virtues a priest actually preached.

Sessions

The civil service do not arrange any formal meetings or sessions for the members of the Synod. Rather the Synod acts by passing (or rejecting) judgements that have been raised by members of the Synod. When a judgement is submitted to the civil service it is raised onto the walls of the hub so that it may be scrutinised by any citizen. Eligible members of the Synod may then vote for (or against) the judgement at any point until voting closes. Voting is conducted in public and any citizen may view the records to see how many votes a judgement has gathered and who has supported or opposed it.

At set times during the summit, voting closes to allow the civil service to tally the votes cast for every judgement that is due to end then. A judgement must receive at least four hours of scrutiny, unless there are sufficient members of the Synod physically present to immediately determine the outcome of the judgement.

This approach ensures that members of the Synod can have sufficient time to examine a judgement, discussing it with their peers, and considering the ramifications. It also means that all members of the Synod who attend Anvil can vote on judgements raised, regardless of how many are present.

Angelo3.jpg

Participation

Each citizen who has been responsible for the running of a congregation in the season preceding the summit is automatically a member of the Synod. This makes them eligible to raise one judgement per summit and to vote on judgements raised by other Synod members. Votes are based on the size of the congregation - the larger the flock that a priest tends to, the more votes they receive. The founders of the Empire adopted this approach to ensure that the decisions of the Synod best reflected the wishes of the citizens of the Empire.

A handful of Imperial titles also confer votes in the Imperial Synod - based on the size of the congregation associated with the position. Any citizen who holds such a title is automatically considered to be a member of the Synod. Any votes afforded by the title are in addition to those they are due from their congregation if any.

Participation in the Synod is divided into a number of different assemblies:

  • General Assembly, consisting of all Synod Priests
  • National Assemblies, consisting of all Synod Priests from a single nation. There are ten National Assemblies, and a given priest is automatically a member of one of them.
  • Virtue Assemblies, consisting of all Synod priests who share the same dedication, or lack of. There are eight Virtue Assemblies (one for each of the seven virtues, and the assembly of the Way). A given priest is a member of one Virtue Assembly initially based on their dedication, but with the option to change it through preaching between summits.
  • Assembly of Nine, consisting of the eight Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies and the Throne.

Every member of the Synod is automatically a member of the General Assembly - and a member of the relevant national and virtue assembly. Each assembly has specific judgements available to it - for example the Marcher National Assembly may revoke Marcher senators and generals.

The assembly that will consider a judgement is set when the judgement is raised - it may then only be voted on by members of that assembly.

Limitations

Although the Synod is powerful - arguably as powerful as the Imperial Senate - it does not possess the ability to change the law, nor to create new Imperial titles. The Synod has the power to veto motions passed by the Senate - but it is absolutely reliant on the Senate to raise and pass any motions needed to change laws or even the structure of the Synod itself.

Crucially the powers of the Synod do not extend to cover the Conclave or the Bourse. Both bodies are explicitly defined to be outside the Synod's jurisdiction. This means that the Synod cannot veto a declaration passed by the Conclave - nor revoke those who hold Bourse or Conclave titles.

Further Reading

Core Brief

Additional Information

Retrieved from "https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Synod&oldid=103049"