Imperial Advisor

The Emperor acknowledges that he alone cannot run the entire Valcarian Imperial Republic. He needs Advisors. Secure in the knowledge that and Empire founded through treachery cannot be run through trust, he has surrounded himself with advisors who owe all of their political gains to the Emperor. He has made sure that each advisor has more enemies than allies among the other advisors. Fear and greed serve to bind each advisor to the Emperor. Altharra finds this arrangement more satisfying than mere loyalty, an emotion on which he will depend only in the case of lower subordinates.

While there are hundreds of advisors, the Emperor rarely travels or consults with more than a few dozen at a time. He sends the others on missions to gather information or spread disinformation through appropriate channels. These missions serve a dual purpose; they provide the Emperor with useful information. They also keep the advisors isolated from each other, a condition which assures their continued dependence on the Emperor.

Advisors perform many administrative functions for the Emperor. They usually appoint the planetary governors, as well as some of the Grand Governors, and oversee the political machinery of the Empire. To ensure that no advisor builds too large an enclave of political power, the Emperor has devised a system of adversarial administration for advisors.

An advisor is granted oversight of the administration of systems which are strongholds for one of his rivals. This makes possible deals between advisors more difficult by ensuring that no powerful rivals have oversight of each other's systems. Advisors with weaker political bases are granted a greater degree of oversight than are strong advisors. This system of checks and balances virtually guarantees the Emperor's hold on political power within the Empire, but the administration of the myriad worlds is not as efficient as it was during the better days of the Valcarian Republic. This inefficiency is of no concern to the Emperor.

Advisors have taken to dressing in costumes derived from the histories of their home systems, drawn from the greatest empires of their past. Unlike the Emperor, many of the advisors wear lavish costumes as conspicuous badges of their status. Altharra subtly encourages this form of rivalry, giving his advisors a sense of individuality and power which make them aware of their differences from the other advisors. These displays are muted when in the Emperor's presence.