Glory to the Empire question (SPOILERS)

[fedorkkk]

So, I've been thinking about that ending in the Lotless path where you become Felipe's confidant, start a fake Revolt and then use it as a trap to destroy all malcontents and troublemakers in Magra: father Lennart, Meyer Egmont, Augustine El Borne etc.

I LOVE this ending for how brutal and morally complex it is, but two questions bother me.

1) First one is relatively simple. It is mentioned that, on Felipe's request, you were ennobled by sword. Does it mean the whole Brante family was ennobled, or just you and your descendants?

2) Now this one is more complicated.
Felipe's plan was all about preservation and conservatism. He dissolves Lesser Quorum, delivers a major blow to the New Faith and defames El Borne for his "betrayal of the Noble Lot" (read: struggle to make everyone equal under the law).

But after that, we get this peaceful and positively happy ending where Gaius Tempest (and, eventually, the Emperor himself) starts to reform the province and the Empire, grants more rights and freedoms to common folk and establishes strong rule of law for everyone. Common merchants and industrialists receive so much freedoms that Magra becomes the richest province of the realm. New Faith also keeps going, and arguments between Old and New Faiths continue, albeit peacefully. So, basically, while Felipe destroyed both Egmont and El Borne, his scheme gives the Empire exactly what these guys wanted (more rights for commoners and strong laws).

How does it match with Felipe's goals? Was this his plan all along, to scare the Empire into reforms so it does not collapse? Were the reforms an unforeseen initiative of Gaius Tempest which Felipe opposes but cannot do much about? Or does Felipe not care about whether the Empire changes as long as it stands firm and the order is preserved?

I would love to hear your interpretation of this ending.

[Ramidel]

1: Nobility of the Sword is conferred on a family, not an individual.

2: The big problem with Egmont and El Borne is that their dreams were essentially impossible.

Egmont wants to make the Lots equal. He wants to make Anizotte a free city, governed by the people. And he wanted to do all of that within the framework of the Empire. The fact is that that just doesn't work, and there's a reason Felipe scratches him out, and he absolutely doesn't get what he wants. The Lots stay intact and Anizotte remains under the Overseer's rule.

Now, El Borne just wants the rule of law in the Empire. The main problem is that he's trying to do that by right and doesn't realize that that's also a revolution. To the extent that he gets what he wants, it's because Gaius Tempest decrees it - the commoners don't have rights, as I interpret it, they have a powerful protector, and the protection of the commoners reinforces the existing power hierarchies.

I don't think Felipe actually cares much about reform. That's Gaius' bailiwick - Felipe's goals are to maintain the power of the Empire, and to climb the ladder and get more wealth and power for himself.

[fedorkkk]

Originally posted by Ramidel:

1: Nobility of the Sword is conferred on a family, not an individual.

2: The big problem with Egmont and El Borne is that their dreams were essentially impossible.

Egmont wants to make the Lots equal. He wants to make Anizotte a free city, governed by the people. And he wanted to do all of that within the framework of the Empire. The fact is that that just doesn't work, and there's a reason Felipe scratches him out, and he absolutely doesn't get what he wants. The Lots stay intact and Anizotte remains under the Overseer's rule.

Now, El Borne just wants the rule of law in the Empire. The main problem is that he's trying to do that by right and doesn't realize that that's also a revolution. To the extent that he gets what he wants, it's because Gaius Tempest decrees it - the commoners don't have rights, as I interpret it, they have a powerful protector, and the protection of the commoners reinforces the existing power hierarchies.

I don't think Felipe actually cares much about reform. That's Gaius' bailiwick - Felipe's goals are to maintain the power of the Empire, and to climb the ladder and get more wealth and power for himself.

You've made excellent points. I think the only point I disagree with is that commoners don't get "rights" in this ending. The text implies they do, it just doesn't elaborate what are these rights exactly.