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Governors of Albarith

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The Governors are neither loyal servants nor treasonous rebels; they are a handful of dust on the scale, balancing the Emperor's wrath against the people's despair.
—Senator Atelia Graves, Volcatia District

Each Governor in Albarith oversees a province within the Emperor's sprawling domain, forming the Council of Albarith, a body charged with overseeing the Empire’s vast bureaucracy. Yet their role extends far beyond mere governance; in such a large realm rife with intrigue, the Council's edicts often stray from the Emperor's wishes, mostly because the Empire is so large, and also because the Council has its own ambitions.

The Council's membership is drawn from noble families that claim a direct lineage to the Imperial line. This blood connection fuels their claim to authority while also fostering rivalries, as each family vies for control of the Council. The result is a constant dance of alliances, betrayals, and power plays, with treachery always echoing through the marble halls of Albarith's palatial estates.

While outwardly loyal to the Emperor, the Governors are rumored to maintain a secret agenda aimed at counterbalancing the growing power of the Hierarchate and the Congress of Judges, two factions that also wield immense influence over Arcadia’s theocracy.

Despite their machinations, the Governors struggle to keep things in check as the Empire expands and the Emperor's madness further destabilizes the realm. Internecine conflict leaves many provinces within Arcadia vulnerable to rebellion and external threats, and so the Governors face an unenviable choice: to support an increasingly erratic ruler, or to conspire for a future without him from within.

Adventure Hook

You can use the Council’s machinations against themselves and the Emperor to embroil the party in adventures that involve political intrigue.

A prominent Governor openly opposes the Emperor’s edict via an anonymous message, calling for the dissolution of the Council’s oath to the throne. The Emperor, suspicious of Council members conspiring against him as a block, demands proof of loyalty from each Governor to root out the traitor. The party—Imperial soldiers themselves or Albarithi nobles—is caught in the middle, tasked with delivering a missive that could either pacify the Emperor or incite rebellion.

How does the party’s position—as Imperial soldiers, Albarithi nobles, or neutral operatives—affect their ability to navigate the political tension?
What is the Governor’s true motivation for opposing the Emperor? Are they acting out of altruism, ambition, or fear of the Empire’s collapse?
Could the anonymous message be a fabrication meant to destabilize the Council or distract from a greater plot?

Tags: Regimes

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Governors of Albarith

Lords of Arcadia

Emperor Gazreth Estrise

Congress of Judges

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