The Curia

## Favored Attributes

* Agility
* Charisma

## Favored Skills

* Shortblade
* Light Armor
* Subterfuge
* Food
* Rhetoric
* Acrobatics
* Alchemy
* Ennoimancy

The Curia is a branch of the central Chælean government responsible for observing and maintaining its adherence to the Constitution of Chæmeron. However, during the nation's first wars outside of the Calderan peninsula, the Curia was forced to take charge of preventing dissenters and saboteurs from a nobility class that still clung to their old identities as autocrats of once independent states. The Curia was progressively granted more powers to accomplish their tasks, laden with more responsibilities, and then given more leeway to cope with their new charges.

By the time Chæmeron's situation stabilized and the nobles had been fully integrated into the new system of governance, the Curia had grown so bloated it was unrecognizable. It had been completely transformed into the government's iron fist, responsible for all manners of covert operations, including espionage, sabotage and assassination. By the point where it was tasked with suppressing anomalous or divine entities, the Curia had accrued so much power and influence that it became impossible to disband, cut back or delegate its duties to other bodies of government. Fortunately, the Curia maintains a religious adherence to its founding principles, and is barely kept in line by the lack of central leadership and its open relations with the other branches of the Chælean central government, especially the Disciplinaris.

Presently, the Curia follows their duties of maintaining and policing abuses of the Constitution and sponsoring of the arts, and uses these as cover for their more covert tasks. These include espionage, sabotage, assassination, trafficking, propaganda, and subversion. Their offensive against the noble families and neighboring nations, namely the various city-states of Summerwall, makes up most of their activities. Aside from this, the Curia has also taken on the duty of recovering, apprehending and subduing anomalous/magical entities and artifacts.

### **Joining the Curia**

Most agents of the Curia are recruited while they are very young, usually from Palatinates clans, and undergo extensive training and reconditioning before being admitted as Agents. Promising Legionaries and adventurers that catch the Curia's interest may be approached by members of the Curia after a period of observation and screened, becoming Exterior Personnel upon succeeding on their assigned trial. As the goal of recruiting these individuals is to add their prowess to less sensitive missions, loyalty is a secondary virtue to their specializations.

Finally, the Curia actively attempts to recruit friendly and neutral anomalous or divine entities into their Special Personnel program. In exchange for special privileges and a girthy income, these entities are expected to lend their services and undergo routine observation whenever promoted.

### **Ranks and Privileges**

#### **Member Traits**

The inner members of the Curia tend to have their own opinions. The Agents are rather headstrong, and even with their inherent discipline and cohesion, they need a strong leader who can wrangle them together with their *gravitas* to properly function. The Chameleons are oddballs, but keep themselves together under a charming visage and undying loyalty to the cause.

#### **Special Equipment**

* Chameleon Cloak (Rare Magic Item)
* Chameleon (Food Tree Ability)
* Mindblade (Nóosmancy Spell)

#### **Reputation**

The following actions will net some degree of Reputation with the Curia:

* Surrender sensitive information to Curia operatives.
* Uncover evidence of corruption among the Great Houses.
* Free slaves.