Osticos -

![[north 2.png]] # Osticos Ruling Clan - Old Aristocratic Patricians of Wealth - Oligarchic - Strict Traditional Legalists Tier 6 > The Osticoi ([[Osticos]]) are one of the oldest families in the [[Calradian-Empire]], and the wealthiest. They have always resented it when the Emperor is chosen from another dynasty. The northern third of the Empire is ruled by [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], who represents a long-standing oligarchic trend in [[Imperial]] politics. It holds that strict adherence to [[Imperial]] law is the best guarantee that the empire will not become a tyranny. Oligarchs like [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] also tend to believe that only landowners can have the extensive education, experience in government, and stake in property to really understand and appreciate the law, and thus the [[Senate]] should be supreme. # Politics Emperor [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]]' philosophy: > "I am fighting not for myself, but because this empire went wrong, and I am going to turn it back to how it should be. From the birth of our empire until only 100 years ago, the [[Senate]] chose the emperor. The [[Senate]] could remove him. Any emperor who went against the [[Senate]] was a tyrant." > > "One hundred years ago, the emperors stopped going before the [[Senate]], and started naming their heirs themselves. The [[Senate]] was weak at the time. We acquiesced, so as not to split [[Calradian-Empire]], but we never accepted. Nor did we have the right, even if we had wanted, to sign away a right and a duty given to us by the Heavens." > > "You have seen what happened in the past 100 years: we have had some good emperors, some bad ones, and some lunatics. A strong [[Senate]] is the only reliable barrier both against tyranny." > > "[[Arenicos]] was a good emperor, all told. But if he indeed named [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] his heir, and that is not just a lie, it shows that even the best of men may be seized by madness. The daughter of the former Padishah? How do we know she won't just serve us to her people on a plate." > > "People like [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] hate the [[Senate]], calling it corrupt and that it blocks any change. He would have the army proclaim the emperor. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] is a scoundrel, but I will do him the honor of taking his proposal seriously. I respect our men; I would even call them heroes. But they are easily enough swayed by a ration of free wine and a good speech. Letting them choose the emperor is the rule of the mob." > > "If I win this war, I will reestablish the [[Senate]]'s authority over the emperor. People think a strong emperor who can do whatever he wants makes a strong state. The opposite is true. We must be sure never to lose an army." > > SUMMARY > NO - WOMEN CAN JOIN THE [[Senate]] > NO - SOLDIERS SHOULD BE PROVIDED PENSION BY THE STATE > NO - FOREIGNERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BECOME CITIZENS > NO - SLAVES SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUY THEIR FREEDOM > ==YES - [[Senate]] SHOULD NOMINATE THE EMPEROR== # Dialogue [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] on house [[Osticos]] and the [[Senate]] > "We're of a very old family that has done great service to [[Calradian-Empire]]. But I'll tell you something - a man, whatever his bloodline, is only as good as his honor and his obedience to the law. " > > "The [[Senate]] chooses the Emperor. That is our law. It has been twisted, broken, or ignored for 100 years. But it has never been changed. Without law, without fealty to the written word, there is but tyranny and the mob." > > "Senators understand the law. If a man does not understand the law, no matter how much money he has, he cannot enter the [[Senate]]. I respect our soldiers but they cannot govern. If I win this war, I will re-establish the [[Senate]]'s authority over the emperor." [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] on the [[Senate]] and [[Apys]] [[Varros]] > "Men such as him, who have no regard for the majesty of [[Imperial]] law, are a disgrace upon the [[Senate]]. Years ago, when he was a magistrate, he let it be known that whoever paid him the highest bribe should win any judgement that came before him. When I learned of this, I filed a prosecution against him, and won it, banning him from further office for a period of several years. In my opinion, he should have been hanged." ## Others on [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] on the [[Senate]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], and his uncle [[Pateor]] > "Twenty years ago, my uncle [[Pateor]] led a deputation of his veterans through the streets of Ambrela (or [[Amprela]]), requesting a fair compensation for their services to [[Calradian-Empire]] - a bit of land, so they wouldn't end up on the streets begging scraps from those who they fought to defend. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] and his friends in the [[Senate]] prosecuted my uncle for mutiny, then beheaded him. The army fondly remembers [[Pateor]] and my men have told me that they aspire, some day, to take [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]'s head and parade it about on a pike. I hope you'll forgive me if I indulge them in this." [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] [[Pethros]] on [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] > "For me - you may wonder why it matters. Under a good king or an evil one, landlords will rape their tenants' daughters, watch captains will demand bribes from merchants, masters will beat apprentices, husbands will beat wives." > > "Well, perhaps it does not matter. But the common people - if the good king triumphs, even if it costs tens of thousands of lives, they will tell it to future generations. That right beats wrong. And perhaps the wrongdoers will be a bit more afraid, perhaps the righteous will be a bit bolder." > > "[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] says he fights for the return of the old laws, that prevented tyranny. I do not believe that. > [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] says he fights for his own men. Him I believe" > > "The Empire... learned to love it. So long as the ruler is from one faction, there will be war. Men fight civil wars because they cannot stand to see one from the other faction lifted above them, to see his imitators in their alleys elevated by his glory." > > "Do not think it will end with the death of [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] or [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]. The ruler must come from above. I am not aristocrat nor populist. I am a foreigner ([[Darshia-Cnty.]]). I am the memory of a dead man, my husband ([[Arenicos]]), a cold man who gave no one is full counsel." [[Apys]] [[Varros]] on [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] and the [[Senate]] > "Ah, yes - a man who hands out huge gifts to his backers to their support in the [[Senate]], and yet prosecutes better men then him on charges of corruption. I asked him about this, and he said, 'While giving gifts is an ancient and hallowed tradition, selling judgements as a magistrate rocks the very foundations of our Empire.' Did you ever hear such hypocrisy?" [[Apys]] [[Varros]] on [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]], and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] > "Well, of course what I want to is to serve the people. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] is a vile little hypocrite and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] a puffed-up foreign usurpress, so of course I would back [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]]." [[Milos]] [[Elaches]] on democracy, [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]], and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] > "The Empire, before it was an empire, was a republic. Popular assemblies made the decisions. My family were known for their talents as rhetors. We took it upon ourselves to speak to the popular assemblies, to steer them to reason. It is not easy to get a tumultuous crowd to think in its interests and not follow its passions, but we tried." > > "The popular assemblies are dead, of course. The temptation to turn our affairs over to a tyrant, or a gathering of rich old men - it was overwhelming. Who wished to deal with the chaos, the stubbornness, of a crowd? It was never easy. But I still believe that the only just way for a community to make decisions is for all its members to vote." > > "[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] [[Pethros]] will never restore the assemblies. Neither has any faith in the people. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]], well, he is no democrat, but he has that faith. I will fight for him. Maybe he will bring back the assemblies. No one else will." [[Penton]] on house [[Neretzes]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] > "The [[Neretzes]] have always upheld the law, upheld order, and made sure that the best people are the ones in charge. So that's what I'm doing now." > > "The quality of blood will always show itself. Look at [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] and his scoundrels. Play to the mob. Who are [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] [[Pethros]]' people? Nobodies. She's a jumped-up adventuress." > > "Anyway, [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]]. He's from a good family, you can't deny that. He knows our laws and respects our laws, and you know he'll keep up standards." Mentor (Either [[Istiana]] or [[Arzagos]]) on [[Arenicos]] and the [[Senate]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]], and [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] > "[[Arenicos]] is a man of genius with one great flaw: he believes everyone understands him when he speaks. He thinks that when he talks for three hours before the [[Senate]], the Senators have followed every word and grasp the urgency of what he says, not that they applaud because he is Emperor." > > "Most men do not break with tradition lightly. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Garios]] [[Comnos]] does. But he does not grasp that when he makes his daring moves, it is no longer so daring, and his rivals will soon imitate him. And thus, the unspoken contracts that have tied together our Empire fall apart." > > "[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]] sees us weak, when we were once strong, and the outer kingdoms strong, when they were once weak. He believes, as a man who cares nothing of events outside [[Calradian-Empire]], that the cause is entirely within ourselves - we have abandoned our old traditions, and grown weaker. It does not occur for him for an instant that barbarians have learned our tricks, and grown stronger. " > > "[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] [[Pethros]] knows she would be a good Empress, and that the time is right to establish that a woman can inherit. Believe me, I am the last to dispute that only men can sit on the throne. But if [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Rhagaea]] is empress, then it is only one easy step for her mad daughter [[Ira]] to inherit it." # Game Files / Developer Diaries ![[garios said.png|234]] string id="clan_empire_north_1_history_self" text="{=WaQauPua}Ostikos history - old patricians." /> [world_lore_strings.XML] !-- Aristocratic starting kingdom --> Aristocratic clan - head of west empire Patriarch 1_1 - Clearcos Lady - Very high sense of decorum Heir 21 - Equally strong sense of entitlement "The Osticoi are one of the oldest families in the Empire, and the wealthiest. They have always resented it when the Emperor is chosen from another dynasty." [spclans.XML] Grantor Castle, owned by house [[Varros]]. (<-- "Blackheath". To Ascyron, [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]]' heir -->) | Orthra, a relatively recent settlement, was named by an [[Imperial]] captain after the dawn for its fine eastward views of the Myzead, the hill country of the eastern [[Calradian-Empire]]. It was founded as a stud farm to breed [[Imperial]] horses with steppe stock from the east, and continues to provide horses for the [[Imperial]] cavalry. | | ---- | | -- Lord 41 - lieutenant --> [Which would be Arcor, [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] [[Osticos]]' lieutenant.] -- Orthra - 'dawn' --> | | ![[lucon.png]] | !--[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]], head of aristocratic faction of empire 1 STEVEDIDFACE --> !-- [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]] should be older, over 60, and gaunt, ideally with a stoic's beard and a short Roman-style haircut --> name="{=CLqPbdiZ}[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]" age="62" voice="curt" default_group="Cavalry" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" id="Oligarchic" value="1" /> | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ![[zerosica.png]] | !-- [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]'s wife. Traditional matriarch, benevolent--> name="{=wbLqHvjE}Zerosica" age="52" voice="curt" default_group="Cavalry" is_hero="true" is_female="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" | | ![[ascyron.png]] | !-- Ascyron, [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]'s heir, Sulla type. More enthusiastic than father. Switch with [[Apys]]? --> name="{=rGuYLmez}Ascyron" age="28" voice="earnest" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" default_group="Cavalry" | | ![[zoana.png]] | !--[[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]'s daughter, conventional aristocratic maiden STEVEDIDFACE --> NPCCharacter id="lord_1_31" name="{=AccBcEIt}Zoana" age="20" voice="earnest" is_hero="true" is_female="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" | | ![[decantia.png]] | Wife of Ascyron vvv name="{=zFPc7VEO}Decantia" default_group="Cavalry" age="19" voice="earnest" is_hero="true" is_female="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" | | ![[arcor.png]] | !-- clan 1 lieutenant. [[Characters/Bannerlord/Imperials/Lucon]]'s cousin. Far more ruthless than the clan leader --> name="{=O75XlydW}Arcor" default_group="Cavalry" age="50" voice="curt" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" | | ![[susada.png]] | Wife of Arcor, not mother of Arion name="{=J0QdMsnX}Susada" default_group="Cavalry" age="32" voice="ironic" is_female="true" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" | | ![[arion.png]] | name="{=W1uwgvAQ}Arion" default_group="Cavalry" age="19" voice="curt" is_hero="true" culture="Culture.empire" occupation="Lord" |