## Metadata Name: L Holding: [[Avunculicide]] Office: [[Governor]] ## Background You were born nearly four thousand years ago. Your mother, Lady Breda, is the heiress to the High Seat of House Ludens. As her firstborn, you are the third in line for that seat. Your grandfather, Lord Velsen, has held his position for just over fifty thousand years. Like many High Seats, your grandfather is immortal. Like many who are intended to inherit a High Seat, your mother is also immortal. True, immortality can be broken through violence, but the power available to your family, and particularly to the High Seat and his heiress, mean that very few powers exist in the galaxy capable of disproving their claim to eternity. For thousands of years, you assumed that you would spend the rest of your (likely endless) life in the shadow of a shadow. The death of the Plaguesmith changed all that. You don't really care who killed him, or why, or how. You don't really care about the fact everyone on the Contemplatory seems a heartbeat from declaring war on everyone else. All that matters to you right now is the fact that Her Majesty is pissed and no one, not even your mother or grandfather, is beyond the reach of Her wroth. Combine that with the fact that the Imperial Bureaucracy has convened a Myriadic Council, and you're seeing opportunity for the first time in millennia. You've become a member of the Zalmoxis Society, a smoking club of the galaxy's movers and shakers, because you believe it's the best way to get on Her good side. The Society is famous for doing whatever it believes She wants, even if it often misinterprets Her will. While some mock the Society as a cargo cult, its members do tend to find themselves at the pinnacle of galactic politics. You've heard that two other heavyweight factions; the Friends of Zis and the Bendis Coalition, will also be present for the gathering. You don't know much about them, but you're sure that whatever they want to push through the Council will be something that Her Majesty doesn't want. If you can put a stop to their plans, surely She'll reward you. ## Mechanics ### **Asset: [[Dragon's Hoard]]** You are a member of one of the Great Houses. Thousands of worlds across the galaxy owe fealty to your house, with trillions of people living and dying at your whim. Even the least powerful members of such institutions can expect to live thousands of years, and to exercise such privilege as can hardly be described by those who've never experienced it. You have access to two pieces of Relic-class equipment. You may use this equipment yourself or give it away (or sell it, trade it, etc.). - [[Avunculicide]] is a space station larger than some moons, populated by a few thousand artists, poets, and playwrights. You were appointed Governor of the Avunculicide at birth, a common custom for the Great Houses, and have spent your thousands of years of life turning it into the perfect place to host political meetings. Living sculptures, city-sized gardens... wonders abound on your little world, and each subtly reinforces your standing and authority. Any time you participate in a [[Negotiation]], your side gains three advantages so long as no one involved in the Negotiation is actively at war with you. - [[Antipath]] is an experimental implant which you had installed a few centuries back. Mostly, it serves to help you manage fear, anger, and other unproductive emotions. An unexpectedly pleasant side effect, you've discovered, is that this lack of emotional turmoil has dramatically improved your ability to play enemies off of one another. If you are the only participant on your side of a [[Negotiation]] or [[Combat|Combat]], you may negate one advantage the other side possesses for each participant on that side. ### **Lien: [[Yoked to Tradition|Yoked to Tradition]]** Great Houses don't bother with nonsense fantasies like "personal lives" or "individual identities." You exist to be a member of your House, and to serve that House's ambitions. While the high seat commands a great deal of power, not even they are above the dictates of the family at large. Your entire life is a balancing act, devoted to keeping as much of the family happy as possible without making anyone angry enough to be rid of you. Any time you have the opportunity to do something for the good of the house, regardless of the personal cost, you must do that thing. The only exception is when attempting a coup against another member of your own house, in which case you may inflict as much harm as necessary to secure your desired position. If you are publicly proven to have worked against your house's best interests, you will be summarily executed. ## Themes These themes are offered to help inform roleplay, but do not carry a mechanical effect. - Inherited Power and the Fall of Empires - Complex Legacies - Responses to Overwhelming Might