* Restricted: leading Valdrean Nobles only
The politics of the Valdrean Empire are conventionally seen as a contest between rival factions of Noble Houses. This is a correct analysis so far as it goes, but overlooks the role played by policy. For there have always been conservative and liberal tendencies amongst the Noble factions. Conservatives seek to make the Empire as Lawful as possible, and believe that hard cases make good law. Liberals seek to strengthen the Empire by improving the lot of citizens and encouraging commerce, and believe in justice for all under the law. The conservative cause tends to be espoused by the more fanatical Paladins of SARAN (of whom there are many amongst the Noble Champions). The liberal cause is particularly favoured by those of other religions, of which the Temples of KOROS and ESCUS are most prominent in the Empire. But there have over the years been many SARAN Paladins who have taken a more intellectual approach to their calling and have favoured strengthening the Empire of SARAN by more liberal policies.
The conservative cause has since the Foundation of the First Empire in the Year 500 been championed by a Secret Society known as "The Order of the Sun Diamond". The Society only ever has 16 members, but has been hugely influential in the politics of the Empire and conservative Emperors have nearly always been members of the Order. It is led by a Grand Master, who tends to be a retired conservative Emperor and Head of a Noble House. The Order reached its apogee in the Year 2000 under the Emperor Decus XX of Aven, when by creating an Opacity in the Sun Diamond it almost succeeded in turning the Empire, and possibly the whole World, into perfect Law; thus bringing about the ultimate Triumph of SARAN.
The Order's plot was foiled by the Emperor Decus XXI of Mastrin and five other Noble Champions, who infamously had to resort to ChaosMastery to Break the Law. But they failed to eliminate all members of the Order, which went deeper underground for the next 400 years or so. To counter it, Decus XXI and his allies founded their own Secret Society known as the Covenant to Preserve the Balance, which they dedicated to opposing any re-emergence in politics of the Order of the Sun Diamond and to preventing the Empire from becoming so Lawful again that another Opacity could occur. The initial members of the Covenant were the six Noble Champions who had opposed the original Opacity, but there was deliberately no set number of members. Gaius of Satril, High Priest of KOROS in Valdrea, was its first (deliberately not "Grand") Master.
Decus XXI dedicated the rest of his reign to restoring the Balance to the Empire by undoing the conservative reforms of the Aven Emperors that had been aimed at making the Empire more Lawful and consistent. He pursued liberal policies of diversity and de-centralisation of power, all within the law. For the next hundred years the Mastrin Emperors occupied the Lion Throne; Decus XXII to Decus XXV of Mastrin reigning in unbroken succession to Decus XXI and all continuing the liberal policies of the Covenant to Restore the Balance. During this time the Provincial Governorships became much more powerful and therefore the most desirable Offices to Duel for, especially those of the larger Provinces, and the Temples of Allied Gods grew in power and influence. The Emperor Decus XXV of Mastrin had no male heir and was defeated in a Duel for the Lion Throne by Corus of Gytrasan, Commander of Fort Venture, on 1 Aval 2100. He retired from the Championship of Mastrin, becoming Head of House (and Master of the Covenant to Preserve the Balance).
Corus I and his successors largely continued the liberal policies of the Mastrin Emperors, which had been seen on the whole to bring peace and increased prosperity to the Empire, but there was now a more conservative tendency in Valdrean politics, as the Mastrin Emperors had been considered by many to have gone too far, even to the point of being "Chaotic" at times. The conservative, fanatical SARAN Paladin element continued to criticise what they saw as the "Chaotic" nature of many elements of Imperial government, and the House of Mastrin, both in and out of government, was dogged by tales of its dabbling with Chaos.
In the Year 2435 the House of Aven returned to power, the new Emperor being Narsus XIV of Aven (secretly also a member of the Order of the Sun Diamond). Decus XXXI (a descendant of Decus XXI through the female line) was Champion of Mastrin and Commander of Fort Venture (and secretly also Master of the Covenant to Preserve the Balance). Narsus XIV implemented conservative policies of rationalising the laws of the Empire to make them more consistent again and of restoring power to the centre. He was supported in particular by Normeikl, Second Champion of Bavenne and Director of the I.D.S. (also a member of the Order of the Sun Diamond) and Decus' mother Honoria of Aven, Lady High Priestess of SARAN in Valdrea (secretly Grand Mistress of the Order). In the Year 2436 Normeikl succeeded in exposing the House of Mastrin as covert ChaosMasters, which they had been ever since (it was alleged, but not conclusively proved) their resort to ChaosMastery in the Year 2000. This led to the Fall of the House of Mastrin, which dealt a serious blow to the liberal cause by tarring it by association with the "Chaotic" Mastrin Emperors. Normeikl founded its replacement, the Noble House of Normeikl, which became largely conservative. It was now the turn of the Covenant to go underground, as the Order returned to mainstream politics and became as open as it had ever been (though it no longer professed to aim to turn the Empire into perfect Law).
By the Year 2500 the conservative faction were firmly in control of Valdrean politics. The Emperor Kostof I of Normeikl was a member of the Order of the Sun Diamond and the former Emperor Stirros I, Head of the House of Satril, was its Grand Master. It was a measure of how dominant the conservatives were that these two were actually of rival factions amongst the Noble Houses. On 24 Weven 2500 Kostof I Proclaimed a Third Empire of SARAN, as a means of justifying a wide range of rationalisation measures aimed at making the Empire more Lawful, which might otherwise have been criticised as being too radical changes from the existing laws. Amongst his more controversial reforms was the Decree of 1 Aval 2501 making it illegal to practice Elementalism within the Empire without a licence from the Academia Magicae Valdrensis. This was suspected by the Covenant as being merely the first of a series of requirements for licences from central government to carry on various activities.
On 11 Aval 2501 Arril I of Tarm, Commander of Fort Venture (and secretly also Master of the Covenant to Preserve the Balance) defeated Kostof I in a Duel for the Lion Throne. Arril embraced the concept of the Third Empire, but was able to turn Kostof's reforms against the conservatives by taking it in a more liberal direction. His masterstroke was his Proclamation on 11 Destri 2501 extending the boundaries of the Empire beyond the Demarcation of SARAN; using Kostof I's Proclamation of a Third Empire as justification for changing the perfect circle of the Empire on maps to an irregular shape, which the Covenant hoped would make it impossible for an Opacity to reoccur in the Sun Diamond, and which it would be hard for the Order to oppose since it expanded the Empire.
But the conservative faction was still strong amongst the Noble Houses, and Arril faced a series of conservative challenges for the Lion Throne, both in the Arena and in the courtroom, all of which he defeated. On 12 Garrack 2501 the House of Heaven was founded, formed from the Men of Heaven who had come to Valdrea after the Fall of Heaven. Dominated by the Men of SARAN, the new House was largely conservative and its Champion, Kyarlin of Heaven was secretly admitted into the Order of the Sun Diamond in place of the disgraced Stirros III, former Champion of Satril. Stirros I of Satril resigned from the Grand Mastery of the Order in shame for his grandson's actions (though he was himself still held in high regard and had much sympathy from conservatives), and Kostof I, now Head of the House of Normeikl was appointed the new Grand Master.
Then on 4 Yarom 2504 Arril I fell to a surprise Evil attack during a Duel for the Lion Throne. Both he and his conservative challlenger Arador of Carrilon were lost, believed Ghosted. Hugran, Second (now First) Champion of Tarm and Lord Marshal of Valdrea, was appointed Regent to the underage Emperor Arril II. Lucius, Third Champion of Bavenne and High Priest of KOROS in Valdrea was elected as the new Master of the Covenant. Hugran was a close ally of Arril and fellow member of the Covenant, but he now faced a conservative challenge for the Lion Throne from Kyarlin, Champion of Heaven and Lord High Chancellor of Valdrea.
On 5 Aval 2505 Kyarlin took the Lion Throne following Hugran's assassination, and the Order returned to power.
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