Public The First Magisters

[Pel Grennin]

Odacer-Faustin was not home for Pel, but it had been accommodating for him, his work, and his family. Lord Rasnuhl and Karl Von Strauss had been excellent patrons to Pel and his work since his dramatic presentation, and he was excited to get to work on more radical ideas. But the Galaxy was moving more quickly than Pel had anticipated, and he was being pressured into...Compromises he saw as unnecessary. And so, with his host's permission, he had called a meeting of some of the more independent minds of the Force within Imperial influence, and a few beyond.

Pel was clearly nervous, and didn't do much to hide his nerves. He had a presentation to make, images to share. He was not a political man, and he was wading straight into the heart of discourse of the newly formed Imperial Confederation. The heart of divisions. He knew how his proposal would be seen by more radical elements. They were all servants of the Empire, and of the Galaxy, in the end.

"Thank you all for joining me," Pel said as his guests arrived. Pel was nothing if not a good host - he'd made sure that there was plenty of food and drink available for them. It was all impeccably presented, thanks in no small part to the caterers and cooks he and Nakiri had long made use of. Pel didn't consider himself a man of great wealth and station, but the people who had set this up for him had left their homes, some even their family, in the midst of the chaos after the collapse of the Empire of the Lost. It was good to have them, and he was thankful that they were on hand.

"Some of you may be familiar with my work, some of you may be strangers I know of only by association. I would like to thank, first, our host Lord Rasnuhl for agreeing to offer his world, not just for this meeting, but to help save my work. It is greatly appreciated.

"For those who are less familiar with me, I am Pel Grennin. I have long served the dream of the Empire, in multiple forms and through multiple crisis. I am a surgeon and student of the Force. I have dedicated a great deal of my studies to Force Bonds and their applications, and I am honored to serve with the Imperial Sector Authority. I admit, my initial education was under the Sith Order, but I abandoned my ties to them when I was young, and saw that they were simply wearing the face of the Empire.

"Under the Empire of the Lost, I feel I was perhaps neglectful in my duties, and did not provide the vigilance that my station demanded of me, and I have no desire to make that mistake again. There has been a great union that has given us all another chance, and I won't be letting it slip through my fingers. The Imperial Confederation's Knights and Inquisition are grand and honorable institutions, but I must serve in my own way.

"I am not opposed to oversight and structure. But there are not only opportunities that cannot be overlooked, but also traditions that we risk alienating from the Imperial Confederation. Traditions that have long had to hide their strength and their wisdom, for fear it would be taken by the Sith, or appropriated by the Jedi. The Empire of the Lost had a strong bond with the Voss, for example. As the Imperial Confederation expands, must we force the Voss to become Inquisitors and Knights? Their distinct traditions and practices will be essential in safeguarding the Empire and the Galaxy. How many others would be overlooked if we do make a place for them?

"That space is what I am proposing. Each of us here have long established our own power bases, or have the Empire's best interests at heart, or come from a distinct tradition. We need to preserve these differences and share them amongst the Empire, instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi and the Sith, who take the best and brightest the Force have chosen, and hammer them into their own image. And I welcome the Inquisitors and the Imperial Knights to join and participate - there is much knowledge and power to make the Empire stronger.

"And so, my proposal is a flexible system that formalizes oversight of Force Users, binding them to the Empire, allowing them to self-organize and share their traditions and discoveries with each other and the Empire, in the form of what I propose to be called Imperial Lodges. Members would be bound to loyalty to the Imperial Confederation in exchange for membership. The Lodges would largely regulate themselves, with the need of Inquisitorial investigation being seen as a failure on the Lodge's part, not the Empire's. We take responsibility for ourselves and each other, and not just to the Empire - to all the traditions the Lodges would extend to. We are in this together.

"As such, the Lodges would be, by design, low on hierarchies, and each Lodge would be open to any member, within reason. The Teacher-and-Apprentice model is found throughout the Galaxy, I see no reason to stray from that model, by and large. Rather than being competition with the Inqusition and Knights, I hope that it may be a prime place for them to recruit. We can offer a safe place for those blessed with the Force to open up and seek tutelage and the chance to serve. This way, people whose children show sensitivity can come to us, rather than fearing the very Empire that protects them, and sending them into the hands of the Jedi or Sith. Perhaps we can even develop new traditions that will endure under the Empire. I, for one, hope that my own children and apprentices will have such opportunities.

"I hope to build at least one lodge on each world in the Imperial Confederation, and perhaps the tradition could be extended beyond our borders as an extension of our cultural and diplomatic outreach, as well. They would provide a space of camaraderie to all those who have pledged, and allow us to share and gather knowledge. Academies, temples and shrines, libraries, these are all services that the Lodges can provide to all citizens of the Empire. And, in time, we could be a model for the rest of the Galaxy, and they can see that the dream of the Empire endures and reigns supreme.

"I have provided a summary of the model to each of you - please take your time to study it, and I am thrilled to answer any questions."

The summary is as such:

• Force organizations, traditions, and users in the Imperial Confederation must be Imperially Sanctioned in order to exist and function outside of the Imperial Knights or Inquisition.
• The Imperial Sanctioned Grand Lodge will be constructed on the Imperial Confederation's capital of New Alderaan.
• The Grand Lodge is responsible for maintaining all other Lodges, who offer Imperial Sanction on their behalf to individuals and organizations.
• Lodges are physical locations with people who are responsible for their operation and upkeep.
  • These people are known as Stewarts. If something happens to the physical lodge, the Stewart is held responsible.
  • Any Sanctioned are welcome at any Lodge.
  • Lodges must be able to provide food and board to Sanctioned if requested.
  • Conflicts between members are handled by the Lodges.
  • A Lodge must keep records of members and are responsible for its members' activities, which are all reported to the Grand Lodge.
• Conflicts between Sanctioned organizations, or between Lodges, are handled by the Grand Lodge.
• All Force Organizations that seek Imperial sanction must operate a Lodge, at their own expense.
  • It is expected that the benefits of doing so will more than make up for any expenses
• There are few ranks, intended to be permissive and flexible amongst members:
  • Apprentices are newer members and students, who are bound to a teacher and a specific Lodge, and may only practice under supervision.
  • Sanctioned Fellows have made vows to the Imperial Confederation, and are members of the Lodges in good standing. They may take apprentices.
  • Stewarts are responsible for a specific Lodge, its members, and its activities.
  • Magisters are Sanctioned Fellows who are noted as being leaders or masters of certain techniques or traditions. While the title bears no powers or responsibilities, it does denote expertise.
• Non-Force Users may seek membership either as trusted allies of the Lodges - known as Patrons - or as adherents to a tradition, even if they are not Force Users, known as Deacons. They may achieve any normal rank within the Lodges, as well as whatever accolades they might earn in their own traditions

Lady Varokscar
Open to non-Sith Imperial characters!