Polemarch of Highwatch
Overview
The Polemarch of Highwatch is an Imperial title appointed by the Senate, created in Summer 384YE. It grants custodianship of the sinecure known as Highwatch Citadel, an historical site located in Altis, Morrow, after the sentinels there arranged an accord with the Eternal Zakalwe.
Responsibilities
The Polemarch has no particular responsibilities, they simply receive an income of useful items from the heralds of Zakalwe. If Highwatch Citadel were ever to come under threat, it would be the responsibility of the Polemarch to deal with this threat.
Powers
Infusions of Day
Each season the Polemarch receives 3 doses of Effulgent Primessence, provided by the heralds of Zakalwe. These potions can be used by practitioners of Day magic to enhance their ability to perform rituals.
These potions are not produced in the Citadel, they are provided by the heralds of Zakalwe. If relations with the Master Strategist were to decline severely, these heralds would depart and the Polemarch would no longer receive their income.
Pearls of Manush
Each season, the General of Day provides the Polemarch with a single Pearl of Manush.
Each Pearl is taken from a cove in the Day realm, where all manner of exotic shells are found. The waters of Manush are clotted with thoughts that drift on the whispering tides. Sometimes one of these thoughts will be caught inside the flesh of one of the great clams that dwells there and as the years go by the idea is coated with ever more layers of mother of pearl. A powerful Day magician can drain the power of a pearl of Manush by invoking it while performing the ritual Clarity of the Master Strategist. The pearl provides up to five additional ranks of Day lore for the magician using it, subject to the normal rules for effective skill. It also counts as up to ten mana crystals used by the magician that invokes the Pearl. Once used the pearl's power is spent.
As part of the agreement with Zakalwe, these Pearls are only to be used in the Empire's war against the Druj. If a Pearl was ever used to enchant an army facing the Jotun or any other enemy, the heralds resident in the Citadel would abandon their chambers and no further Pearls would be forthcoming. Similarly, if Zakalwe were to be the subject of enmity, the heralds would be forced to return to the realm of Day.
Appointment
The Polemarch of Highwatch is appointed during the Autumn Equinox each year. It is chosen by unanimous decision of the Urizen senators. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title may be appointed by the Imperial Senate instead.
The title can be held by any Urizen citizen. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Urizen National Assembly, and by the Assembly of the Nine.
Highwatch Citadel
Highwatch Citadel is hundreds of years old; the citadel is where the Urizen met Giovanni the Peacemaker to negotiate their incorporation into the Empire. The citadel dominates one of the tallest peaks of Altis and the pattern of trods in Peakedge Song are visible on the clearest of days. Following the expansion commissioned by the Imperial Senate there are now a number of heralds of the Master Strategist who spend their time debating matters of strategy and warfare with those visitors.
| Summit | Elected |
|---|---|
| Winter Solstice 385YE | Leo |
| Winter Solstice 384YE | Leo |
Recent Elections
This title is currently held by Leo; it will be reelected at Autumn Equinox 386YE. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.
Further Reading
- The Net of the Realms - Winter 383YE Wind of Fortune detailing the original offer
- Zakalwe