Second Acolyte
Second Acolyte
Religion
Traditions
-20% Shock Damage Received
+20% Siege Ability
Reason's ChorusThe Acolytes served many roles in the Demesne, being trusted advisers, administrators, generals, court magicians, researchers, scientists, and philosophers - but first and foremost the direct apprentice of the Sorcerer-King. An Acolyte was expected to master every discipline of the mind in the course of honing their Intuition, including both magical pursuits and the more traditional contents of an aristocratic education. This generalized intellectual prowess gave them the ability to draw on vastly disparate domains of knowledge and see connections where others could not.
+10% National Tax Modifier
+10 Maximum Absolutism
The Turning of the WheelThe Week of Ascension was a festival which occurred every five years to mark the first Ascension of the original Sorcerer-King, Nichmer. During this time, every member of the magical class, including the Acolytes, would be summoned to the Charred Tower. This was the focal point of each Acolyte's political machinations, using the opportunity to form alliances, isolate rivals, and build relationships with promising initiates who could become personal aides.
+20% Spy Network Construction
Unrestricted MagicWhile restrictions on magic were anathema in the Demesne, each Acolyte often had personal research projects and areas of interest. Through a combination of implicit demands and explicit incentives, Acolytes could direct the flow of magical research among their immediate subordinates, often achieving great breakthroughs on the back of accumulated knowledge and a total lack of ethical barriers. Such breakthroughs could then be kept secret, to be used at the most opportune time for the Acolyte's personal benefit.
-5% All Power Costs
In the Eyes of the GreatThe Acolytes of the Demense were expected to retain a formal staff of talented initiates, their own magical apprentices, to handle the most pressing matters of governance. While this staff would indeed make big picture decisions, the matters of daily governance were often tedious and held little interest for the magical classes. As a result, even these initiates conferred much of the day-to-day administration in the hands of trusted, non-magical secretaries and operatives.
-5 Years of Separatism
The Reaper's GiftThe goal of each Acolyte below the Eighth was to ascend in rank, and goal of the Eighth was to maintain their position at all costs. The best time to jockey for status and the [Z99.Monarch.GetTitle]'s favor was during times of war, where Acolytes would often command large contingents of the Demesne's forces and be responsible for a number of initiate officers. This meritocratic environment led to each Acolyte doing their best to acquire the most competent general staff from among the thousands of aspiring mundanes who rushed to the army each year as part of the great influx of talent known as the 'Reaper's Gift'.
+15% Manpower Recovery Speed
Reformulated OrganizationFor the Acolytes, the organization of magical ranks stood in stark contrast to the meritocratic environment of the mundane staff. Often, positions were given to initiates solely on the basis of personal relationships or alliances, as the Acolytes attempted to strengthen the position of their various assets and pawns. This allowed the Acolytes to command a vast, informal power base among a chosen group of initiates, forging an officer corps that was deeply loyal to the Acolyte personally and which sought to perform to their greatest ability in return for the Acolyte's favor.
+5% Discipline
Rings of the EightThe formal ordering of the Eight Rings was a tool used by the [Z99.Monarch.GetTitle] to reward competence and bestow personal favor. Though each ring was explicitly about a contract of loyalty, to the Acolytes they also carried an implicit promise of meritocracy and fair play on the part of the [Z99.Monarch.GetTitle]. Over time, the rituals surrounding the rings and the personal relationship between each Acolyte and the [Z99.Monarch.GetTitle] would take on greater layers of meaning, with their formal interactions becoming a dense maze of metaphor and meaning only decipherable by a select few at the heart of the court.
+1 Diplomats
-20% Envoy Travel Time
Ambition
+15% Morale of Armies
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD