BogModAlternateSidereals/Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is the Haywain.
Sickness of the Group Technique
Cost: 8m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Any Bureaucracy Excellency
The first step in an organization's death is internal corruption. After spending several hours interacting with an organization the group grows corrupt and lazy. Actions taken by members of that organization, within the purview of that group, suffer an external penalty equal to the Sidereal's Essence. The leader of an organization can restore the group to proper productivity by making a Intelligence + Bureaucracy roll at a difficulty of the Sidereal's Bureaucracy. They can keep trying once a month until they succeed or the Sidereal lets the charm end.
Greased Wheel Advancement
Cost: -; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sickness of the Group Technique
While it is useful to cripple an organization sometimes some aspect of them the Sidereal wants use out of. Luckily while they are corrupt there is always that little bribe to help get things flowing smoothly. This charm permanently enhances its prerequisite. When the Vizier uses Sickness of the Group Technique he can name a bribe condition. Money, sex, paintings, whatever he can think of will work. When offered such things the penalty to productivity is removed. Something it will take several bribes to several people but the Sidereal knows at least what will work. Other people can determine the condition with a successful Intelligence + Bureaucracy roll at a difficulty of 3.
Fallen King Curse
Cost: 3m/dot; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3, House of Endings 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: College, Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Sickness of the Group Technique
Not even the highest rulers of the land are safe from the ends that the Reckoners decide. When the will of the Viziers decides their time is up they find no one listening to their commands or their vaults holding any coin. First the Sidereal chooses a background he wants to reduce and spends several hours interacting with people in the organization. Backing, Command, Connections, Followers, Influence, Resources or Salary are all options. The Sidereal then rolls his Intelligence + Bureaucracy at a difficulty of the targets MDV + Rating in the background going to be reduced. On a successful roll the chosen trait is reduced by 1 dot for every 3 motes the Sidereal commits. Use of this charm against the Sidereal's superiors in Heaven is a Severity 4 offense at least. When the Sidereal stops committing the motes the Trait comes back in full. Money is available, servants return, people follow your orders once more.
Father-to-Son Passage
Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sickness of the Group Technique
Sometimes it becomes clear that some things must be seperated from their owners. The Viziers have many reasons to seperate two things. It is time for an heir to seek a destiny or to seperate a powerful weapon from a deadly foe before a great battle. Pulling on many subtle elements the world takes away one thing that the target possesses. During or after interacting with the target the Sidereal makes an Intelligence + Bureacracy roll at the difficulty of the targets Essence. On a success events will shortly cause that target to lose ownership of something the Sidereal names. The method of loss is not up to the Sidereal though they can stack the odds.
For example a Vizier wishing to seperate a potent daiklaive from an elder volunteer of the Wyld Hunt might arrange so that one of the target's offspring talks of leaving for the threashold and adventure leading the powerful warrior to lend the weapon to the young one and head off onto the next hunt without. Used against a guild Factor a slave revolt might cause him to lose a caravan or perhaps it is taken from him by a marauding group of barbarians. This charm can be fought in two ways. For Players used against them spending 3 willpower can let them direct their fate other ways or more preferably they can roll play out the events which cause them to potentially lose their weapon. Note this charm can not be used multiple times against a target in a season and while it can cause background dot loss that is in no way gauranteed to be permanent. Having traded off a potent weapon the Order may loan the volunteer a powerful weapon to use in the next battle. The Guild Factor may have insurance and come out richer for the theft. This charm is best used to make sure certain assets are no longer in the possession of a single person and to allow a temporary weakening to act upon, not as a way to render someone a peniless pauper with naught but the shirt on their back.
Ruination to Greatness Technique
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4, House of Endings 4; Type: Simple
Keywords: College, Combo-Basic, Shaping, Social
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fallen King Curse
Saturn is the Goddess of Endings it is true but the ends she brings are not the final sort that the Neverborn would bring if they had their way. Her endings bring new things. While empires may fall to ruin new ones will grow out of them and stronger then ever before. A Sidereal must think very hard before using this charm. Used right it can purge undesireable traits from an organization but if used unwisely what it brings about will be worse then what it was. The Sidereal rolls Charisma + Bureaucracy against a difficulty of the targets MDV + Essence. If he succeeds the organization will turn against its leaders. Some will actively try to replace them, some may just try to remove them. Regardless this disruption will continue over the course of a season. If the group in charge can survive and maintain control the aftereffects will see weakness and inefficiency purged from the organization and a more loyal group under them. If they can't the entire group will collapse and something new will form in its place. A charm to gaurd against Shaping effects when this charm is used will stop it but once it is going those in the organization must be individually freed of the shaping effect on them.
This charm is mostly intended for story use and how things play out should be in the Storyteller's(Fate's) hands. If PCs are in control of the organization or part of it this can be the start of a whole slew of stories for them. This charm does not work against an organization more then once in a story even if multiple Sidereals use this charm. Any group that wins out over it is immune to this charm from that Sidereal forever. If they move on to new organizations that new one can be targeted but the old one remains inviolate. This charm can not work on those of greater Essence.
End Delay
Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any Bureaucracy Excellency
Some people say time is money. They are wrong. Sidereals know that there is never enough time. What can be done with the Maiden of Hours no more? If she ever existed of course. The Viziers never feel they have enough time though and even less time to waste on pointless delays that organizations bring. This charm supplements an attempt by the Sidereal to start a Bureaucracy project or interact with a group. Any effects which would delay the group starting are cancelled out. There are some limits to this effect. First of all there are some delays which make projects impossible. If the local metalworkers guild doesn't have materials they can't start making swords. If the course the Sidereal wants to get started is unrelated to the group's purpose it won't help either. She can't get the ministry of finance to start a war. Finally if the project she wants to get started is cancelled or expressly forbidden by the group's leader well thats that. Aside from those problems bureaucratic red tape doesn't exist for her.
