DragonBlooded/ContendersII

Creeper's Views

THE CONTENDERS

In my mind Cathak, Mnemon and Sesus are the three obvious candidates to seize the throne... with whatever complement of allies and supporters they have behind them, of course, but it would probably be one of the three whose head wears the crown at the end of the day. Mnemon and Sesus are both powerful and heartily opposed just for being who they are. Cathak is too great a military power to be ignored but needs allies from almost all other theaters if it is to pull through. (BTW, Sig, where did you draw the connections between Sesus and Cathak? They're the Fire-Aspected Houses, but that's almost the extent of it. For example, Sesus has married between Cynis, Mnemon and 'everybody': Cathak has gone for the generic 'everybody' like most Houses. Besides, the two are military equals rather than compatriots.)

THE SUPPORTERS

Ragara and Peleps are both essential, yet I think neither of them could win the day. The Peleps could probably cordon off the Blessed Isle and the rest of the world and wield vast influence in the Deliberative and other political areas... but politicians get ignored during war, and ships are meaningless without armies to back them up. The Ragara's sheer wealth could probably flatten all opposition if it swung squarely behind any one of the contenders... but coin and the mercenaries it buys won't be enough to buy the Throne for them. And moreover, who are they going to back, and do they really want to risk picking the loosing side (ie. will they ever commit the almost limitless fortunes into buying their way through, or dribble a bribe here and others there and more over yonder...)?

Cynis, V'Neef, Ledaal and even Nellens are all Great Houses with at least some military presence, money, influence, supporters and estates & tributaries where _they_ are in charge. Yet none of them could hope to wrest the prize for themselves, and so they're better off hedging their bets and trying to back a side that's strong enough to become overwhelming once their clout is added to the works.

THE OTHER PLAYERS

The Thousand Scales: Whoever has them, has the machinery of governance and traditional way of life in place. Whoever loses them in the throes of a bloody, flame- colored war with a capital W is in deep trouble if they do end up on the Throne. Moreover, ministers such as Bal Keraz are so powerful through their own office alone that they can be called players in the struggle, if ones unlikely to become the boss. And a minister is likelier to draw the hearts and allegiances of the rest of the bureaucracy than the swaggering nobles with their own fiefdoms, armies and generally inalienable power base (ie. 'insufferable snobs who never saw a day's work' to the 'honest' workingmen in the Ministries)

The Immaculate Order: The people may not have much say in the matter, since the Realm is a feudal dictatorship. But the one power that can turn every body in the nation for or against a new Scarlet Emperor is the Order. The Immaculates are more powerful than probably any House alone, united behind the Mouth of Peace (or liable to have their own infighting first and then solidly assume whatever stance their newly replaced leader dictates) and have a bad record for defying the rule of the Dynasty when they disagree with it. The would-be cock on the dungheap had better ascend to it with the priesthood mumbling benedictions over him, otherwise he'll find that fifty millions righteous peasants are a bloody hassle to pacify with 'only' fifty thousand soldiers.

The All-Seeing Eye: Not only are they another all- important facet to ruling the Realm (the Realm would fast become a lesser power without their intelligence abroad and at home, their troubleshooters keeping the Imperial Service still _in_ service and with their assassins roaming _only_ where the ruler wants them to), the Eye is where House Iselsi has yet to be de-throned. The crumbling Scarlet House's presence means they're liable to have a more involved, partisan view of the affair than any other agency of the Imperial Service. Besides, they've got a lot of grudges and their own causes as well (such as opposing Mnemon's slow takeover in the Immaculate Order) so they're likely to add their own share of excitement to the struggle.

The Bronze: It's a stated fact that the Sidereals don't control the Immaculate Order, merely advise, nudge and influence it discreetly from behind the scenes. But where the Iselsi are all over the rank and file of the ASE, the Sidereals are everywhere in the higher echelons. The same could be said about the Heptagram, not to mention their ties with House Ledaal, or the fact that if necessary Heaven itself may take action on their behalf. Whoever thinks of ignoring Chejop is slitting his wrists in the political sense, because while the old man's faction may not be able to rule, they can send trouble screaming in from thirteen hundred different directions.

The Threshold & the Guild: And endless patchwork of complications and sources of worry. Being able to trust Paragon or Chiaroscuro to stay pacified and look after Imperial interests would be a boon worth the several legions it'd take to monitor them. Keeping the Lap loyal would mean life or famine for massive stretches of the South. If looked upon only as either harmless or as enemies, the Concordat of Rivers can fast eclipse the IO's significance in the struggle if seeming weakness causes them to unite and form an alliance against the Realm's continuing pre- eminence. Lookshy, the Guild and other foreign powers all stand to throw too many spanners into the works if they decide to take action against a fracturing Realm, so any would-be conqueror had better win quickly back home or keep them right as they have been: out of the way.

THE COMPLICATIONS

The Roseblack: Reminding people about Julius Caesar seems to sum up her significance, even though the situation isn't quite the same as it was back in Rome. But really, she's just a canon example of...

The AWOL Servants of the Empire: The stripping-down of the Legions, the axing of the ministries and the Magistracy of Hares has all sent powerful, capable people who still have plenty of connections left to the four winds. Some of the generals who disappeared when the Legions were put under the House's control could return with an army... or show up leading somebody else's. The ministers and other leaders on the Isle are reminders of the Empress' power and Imperial, not Dynastic rule. They're all scattered but like pieces of a puzzle, they could form a whole much greater than its parts if someone got enough of them on to a single side.