## Statistics Galactic Age: ~950,000 Subjective Age: ~12,000 Homeworld: [[Raindrop]] Home Sector: [[The Sectors#Sundered Harmony (6)|Sundered Harmony]] Affinity Groups - [[Past Projects/The Plague Lords/Affinity Groups/Politicos]] - Get Wine Drunk & Scream (Politics) - "Oro should rule House Orman and go to civil war with itself" - [[Past Projects/The Plague Lords/Affinity Groups/Spiritualists]] - Plumb Great Depths for Greater Power - "To rise is worthy" You are the ruler of [[House Oro]] (House words: "All Mastered"), one of the two most powerful cadet houses of [[House Orman]] (alongside [[House Ormais]], house words: "It Bleeds"). You've ruled your house for millennia, ever since you led the [[Miraculous Fleet]] on behalf of the greater House in its conquest of this sector. Given your role as a significant military asset, you've spent more time than most in Near-light-speed travel, which means that you've been bouncing in and out of the "normal" timestream for most of your life. This has resulted in a character who the great powers regard as a young adult, but who most people think of as a historical figure associated with one of the galaxy's most famous wars. This tortured relationship with time, legend, and legacy is a common problem among the great houses. In your case, it's given you an unusual perspective on the role of heroes in the ordering of the galaxy. You want to bring about an end to the Great Houses as they currently exist. The [[Celestial Empire]] is probably just as evil, but you're realistic about anyone's ability to oppose [[Celestial Empress|Her Majesty]], so you'll settle for what you can reach. You don't just want to kill the current leaders, even the most important cog is still ultimately just a cog. You want to break the entire machine. You plan to drive all of the powers of the galaxy to war with one another, to bring an end to the constant, grinding oppression those forces are capable of inflicting on their inferiors and set them against someone their own size. You've come to the [[Plague Council]] because the current head of House Orman announced to all of the immediate family that they would abide by the ruling of a Myriadic Council. You don't especially care for the war between the empire and the [[Plague Lords]], nor do you care for whatever nonsense everyone else is here to debate, but you do view this as a spectacular opportunity. If you convince those voting that you'll turn House Orman against itself and prevent it from becoming their problem (or becoming more of a problem), they might just give you the position you need. At the same time, if it gets out that you're trying to bring down your own House (let alone all the others), your life will be immediately forfeit. Despite the danger, this character, like many scions of the Great Houses, is at least partially convinced of their own invincibility. Being born immortal can have that effect on a person. You can't help but speak your mind, and let the chips fall where they may. ## Goals 1. Convince the Myriadic Council to recognize House Oro's ascendancy, and your rule over Great House Orman. 2. Drive the great powers of Sundered Harmony to civil war, thus bringing an end to their endless wars of expansion and occupation. 3. Convince the Voidsingers to preach your beliefs as part of their faith. Beliefs: 1. Violence is only acceptable between peers or near-peers 1. Peer violence is a holy and righteous way to improve oneself and the galaxy 2. Non-peer violence fundamentally disorders the cosmos 2. Each person must be afforded the opportunity to prove their worth 1. This demonstration doesn't have to be through violence, but if all else fails that's the best option ## Character Notes - This is one of the most emotionally and politically complex figures in play. Oro has grown sick of war, but only a very particular *type* of war. This isn't the story of a tired soldier, but of a warrior in their prime tired of winning fixed matches. That boredom has led to what some might consider a mad plan; drive every great power in the galaxy to war with each other, and themselves. While that's not a goal that can be accomplished here, the first steps can certainly be taken. Yes, such a war would be cataclysmic on a scale almost never before seen, but it would also consist mainly of peer armies fighting for existence, rather than rag-tag militae being steamrolled by the galaxy's great powers. Will this character's belief in the ideal get in the way of the cold pragmatism needed to see it through? - This character is powerful in a way basically no one ever becomes, and they were mostly born into that power. They have virtues of their own, certainly, but those virtues are irrelevant to their place in the running of the galaxy. Unlike many in that position, however, this character has become keenly aware of that fact. They've seen unworthy generals throw away the lives of geniuses to buy themselves a second's respite, and they've seen it so many times they almost don't get angry anymore. Almost. At the same time, a life spent in inconceivable privilege is a powerful manufacturer of blind spots. How will Oro square their expectations of deference and authority with their growing egalitarian streak? - At 950,000 galactic years, this is one of the older (though by no means the oldest) characters in play. At a subjective age of 12,000, however, they're in what Great Houses call their "Virtue Epoch," a semi-derisive name given to those in early-to-middle adulthood experiencing a moral awakening. Ormais, though a nearly 300K years younger in galactic terms, is in fact this character's "subjective senior" by around 2,500 years. How will Oro square their place in history with the fact that many of the galaxy's great powers regard them as a bleeding-heart youngster? ## Connections 1. [[Admiral Bomilcar]] 1. "Brilliant, with a delightful insubordination streak." 2. During the initial [[The Sundering of Harmony|Sundering of Harmony]], you led House Orman's largest fleet (the Miraculous Fleet) from your infamous warship *Raindrop*. Admiral Bomilcar, along with a handful of others who've since died or wandered away, did most of the actual work of strategizing and directing troops while you broke blockade after blockade as a one-warship battering ram, scattering fleets like fallen leaves. It wasn't until late in the war that you realized you were being managed, that Bomilcar was carefully guiding you to the points at which you'd have the greatest impact while trying to avoid giving you too much involvement in the command process. While you might normally have been offended to have your actions directed by someone of such common birth, the sheer skill of the management was beyond reproach. You got to know Bomilcar better, learned their art of war until they had nothing left to teach you, and bid them a fond farewell. In the near-hundred thousand years since, you've run into them often and always made time for drinks and a chat. Even as you grew weary of one-sided wars on your family's behalf, it seems they grew weary of your family in general. Now, rumor has it that Admiral Bomilcar is looking for a new liege. Do you reach out to your old mentor to help with your new plans? 2. [[Bureaucrat Micelle]] 1. "That person really likes mushrooms. Maybe too much? Honestly a bit weird." 2. It's extremely rare for a Bureaucrat of Micelle's status to attend an event like this, which makes it even stranger that you've run into them a few times now. Typically, a Principal Bureaucrat would be on one of the planets orbiting the [[Celestial Palace]], seeing to the proper management of a vast swathe of [[Celestial Empress|Her Majesty's]] empire. Instead, Micelle seems to spend all of their time in deep space, cultivating absurdly rare and eerily intelligent plant life. As you understand it, they've been around nearly as long as you have, though you first met them about a quarter-million years ago, when they were named to the title of Principal Bureaucrat. Since then, you've run into them at several social occasions, and each time they've seemed a bit stranger and more, well, more mushroom-y. Even so, and for reasons you probably haven't wanted to examine too closely, you can't help but find their company charming. Whether it's refining your personal philosophy, hearing about humidity management, or discussing battle plans, you always feel a bit better when Micelle is around. What is it about the mushroom-happy bureaucrat which makes you like them so much? 3. [[Singer Po]] 1. "The Singers have been too rigid for eons; it's about time they got someone like Po." 2. Singer Po has always been nervous around you, though you're not entirely sure why. Unlike those louts from House Ormais, you don't kill without good reason, and even then you prefer to wound. Dead enemies can't exaggerate your power to spare their own feelings, and you've always loved free PR. Anyway, for some reason, Po finds you intimidating. Even so, for the last few hundred subjective years (around 28 thousand galactic years), you've found your paths crossing a few times. Each time, you've listened to their circular philosophizing, their "what-ifs," and their aimless rambles with more-or-less equanimity. But then, somewhere along the way, it started to sink in. Now, when you talk to Po, you find yourself philosophizing back. Your belief in holy anarchy, in the value of giving each person a chance to prove themselves, that belief may not have come from Po (in fact, the Voidsinger seems vaguely horrified by it), but you don't think you'd ever have gotten there if not for your conversations with the idiosyncratic Singer Po. Now, the Voidsinger is openly maneuvering to be the next Holy Reflection, an act of politics that some circles would consider overtly blasphemous. Will your friendship survive the heady politics of this moment? 4. [[Patron Duobi]] 1. "Hilariously, stupidly, pointlessly wealthy. And I'm saying that from the top of a solid-gold ziggurat." 2. Duobi may genuinely be the single most accomplished explorer in galactic history, barring only (and arguably) [[Celestial Empress|Her Majesty]]. Their expedition to the furthest reaches of the [[The Sectors#Senescence (11)|Senescence]] remains a matter of rumors and gossip even now, nearly a million years after its conclusion. While they haven't gone on one of their own adventures in millennia, the many, many captains flying their colors have mapped more of the galaxy than any other group. Yet for all that, Duobi is strangely down-to-earth (or at least, your version of being down-to-earth). They're profligate with their wealth, of course, but as far as you're aware (and you're aware of a great deal) they've never cultivated a planet of their own, or founded a cult to worship them, or any of the typical entertainments of your fellow million-year-olds. For eons remembered by few, Duobi has maintained exactly one appetite; to see everything, and to see it before the rest of the galaxy. You joined them for one of their expeditions, more than half a million years ago now, and the experience left you bonded for life. What was so memorable about it? ## Mechanics **Asset:** [[Dragon's Hoard]] You are a member of a Great House. Thousands of worlds across the galaxy owe fealty to you and your house, with trillions of people living and dying at your whim. Your wealth is incomprehensible, even by the standards of the galactic elite, and you arrive at game in possession of a piece of extremely valuable equipment. As well, you are recognized as a [[Governor]] with all attendant benefits, including the right to vote on Myriadic Councils. - Your home, the warship [[Raindrop]], is a highly customized (see below) Stellar class raider. While it's not capable of going toe-to-toe with an entire Voidstalker battalion alone, it can generally handle anything less than that. Where the Raindrop thrives, however, is in its proximity and passive defense measures. Unless explicitly ordered by its owner, the Raindrop is never more than one second's travel away. The owner of this ship can only be killed in a [[Combat#Fleet|Fleet Combat Scenario]]. In all other [[Combat]], the character is automatically evacuated to safety when they would normally be killed. **SPECIAL: [[Raindrop]]** In addition to the normal qualities of a High Seat's personal vessel, Raindrop is an infamously deadly warship despite being no more than twenty meters in diameter. By the standards of a High Seat, it should barely qualify as large enough for a stateroom, let alone a ship. What makes the difference is that, bluntly, the Raindrop is the single most advanced piece of technology any subordinate of House Orman has ever possessed. The interior is capable of simulating essentially anything you can imagine. Your ship can appear as large as a planet or as small as a suit of armor (immensely helpful in ship-to-ship combat), while never changing a millimeter in actual, external size. You have determined, after eons of testing, that it isn't "really" extra space, but a better explanation defies you. Whatever the truth, so long as you possess this item, you and any number of other characters you select may participate in any kind of [[Combat|Combat]]. **Lien:** [[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.