The Vizier

The Vizer (The Sous-Chef, The Ink-Thane, The Prime Minister) is the Sixth Hour of the Fansus, represented by the Lovers card. He was created by Will. It is a God-from-Flesh, or, as some tales have it, a God-from-Blood. He ascended early in the First History, rising from his position as chancellor to the King of Albion, to a Name of the Great Serpent, and then to Hourhood. His aspects are Winter and Secret Histories. He presides over advisors, well-meaning traitors, spies, manipulators, and bureaucrats.

The Vizier
"There must be order. There will be silence."
Origin	Blood
Titles	The Vizier The Sous-Chef The Ink-Thane The Prime Minister
Names	The Revolutionary The Chancellor
Aspects
Date of arrival	c. 200 C.E.
Owner(s)	Will, A Poor Lunatic

Contents

History

In the earliest days of the First History, the Kingdom of Albion was the first of the Great Empires to rise, and the first to fall. Its king was guided by his chancellor, who grew wise in the knowledge of the Invisible Arts after exhausting what knowledge he could glean of mortals and of the mortal world. In his pride he sought to gain control over History, recognising that unless it could be brought to heel, Albion would fall. And so the chancellor betrayed his king, offering his blood up to the Hours as a sign of his willingness to serve.

He rose to be a Name of the Great Serpent, and in that capacity he governed the Mansus in his liege's stead. When the Segmentation occurred, the Vizier ascended to the ranks of the Hours, and found that without his patron, he wielded little power. Seeking to rectify this, the Vizier made a deal with the Peacock - the Vizier would consent to the Peacock claiming his place in the Tarot, and in return the Peacock would be his backer.

Appearance

The Vizier appears as a man in grey, his face obscured. His skin is sometimes mottled with dull scales,a reminder of his origins. He is rarely seen even in the Mansus, preferring to work through intermediaries and proxies. The Prime Minister is almost always surrounded by the tools of bureaucracy: ink, pens, and parchment.

Principles

The Vizier is Winter, for he brings silence where ever he goes. Conversation grows hushed, and then slowly silent. None dare speak where they may be overheard. He is also a power of the Secret Histories, for he weaves the threads of History to his benefit, and is counted as one of the Hours who is most knowledgeable of their uncounted threads.

He is an Hour of manipulation, scheming, plotting, and lying. He loves order and organisation, constantly micromanaging his Long and Names. He loves knowledge, both for its own sake and for the power it brings. Because of this, it is a spy and voyeur, always seeking to discover secrets that would help spread its influence.

Worship

The Vizier's servants are many, though only a few are significant. He surrounds himself with helpers, assistants, scribes, administrators, and miscellaneous minions. Some are mortal, some are Long, a few are Names. Despite their internal rivalries, their affairs and their squabbling, they operate like oiled clockwork. The Vizier does not tolerate inefficiency.

Names

The Revolutionary

"Oh my master! Shall we build a new order from the ashes of the old? Shall we melt down their chains, and forge new ones for ourselves?"

Once a spy who betrayed her homeland and rose to lead the organisation she secretly fought against. She aided the revolution from within, and built a new order to replace that which she tore down. She will come only when change is stifled by the chill of Winter, and her struggles must be met with that of Edge. She is Winter, for they bring the end; and Forge, for an end is merely a new beginning. The Revolutionary appears as a woman in singed business clothing appropriate to the time and place they have been summoned to.

The Chancellor

The Chancellor is a relic of one of those strange knots in History that form when the Hours take a personal interest. They were once an unparalleled statesman, keeping the peace across an entire continent. When they ascended, the alliances they had so carefully built and maintained collapsed, and the continent descended into war once again. Now, after centuries of service, they act as the Vizier's minister in the First City, once again weaving their webs of alliances. The Chancellor is Winter and Moth both.

Long

The Vizier's Long are known as Agents, and there are relatively few of them compared to the other Hours. They are spread thin across the Histories, and are often found in temporary alliance with the Long of other Hours. They form the core of the Vizier's power in the Histories, seeking to twist it to their own designs. They are difficult to remember, seeming to blend into the background, only noticeable when they chime in with advice murmured into one's ear.

The Vizier also quietly claims the allegiance of a number of other Long - rogues, traitors, upstarts, and moles. His network of Agents cannot see all, and so he relies on the treachery of others to fill in the gaps.

Mark

"Step back behind the throne. Abandon your self for the greater good. Feel your eyesight dim, your muscles weaken, your flesh age. It shall be restored in time, when the kingdom prospers." These are the Marks of Dedication. To obtain them, one must see beyond the individual's plight and understand the truth: the kingdom is all.

1. Notion: The Greater Good: It has occurred to me that I could change the course of History for the better, if only the necessary sacrifices can be made.
2. Temptation: The Greater Good: I have dedicated myself to bringing peace and prosperity to the lands, no matter the cost.
3. Ascension: The Greater Good: The Vizier has touched me, tapping my shoulder to gain my attention. My voice is now as a whisper, and I can see the course I must take as clear as the sun. I know this to be the Third Mark.
4. Ascension: The Greater Good: The Fourth Mark brings sleeplessness. My efforts have left my body weak, but rest is a luxury I cannot afford. I have ordered a traitor to be brought before me to be questioned. Tomorrow he shall be executed. The day after that, I shall tear down those that seek to destroy what I have built. All shall be well in the end.
5. Ascension: The Greater Good: The Fifth Mark causes others to find me difficult to spot until I speak. I seem to fade into the background of the world. Others call me cruel and heartless. They do not understand that necessity of it all.
6. Ascension: The Greater Good: Conversation dies when I draw within earshot. I see the threads of History, trailing behind each person, each place, each event, and each moment. I merely need to reach out and tug on them to change it all.
7. The Silent Revolution: I have passed through the Gate of Crowns, still in service to something greater than I. My mind is sharp as a blade, my body indefatigable, my fervour brighter than ever. I will walk the world in service to the Vizier, reweaving History to my liking. I shall not grow old. Perhaps I will rebel. Perhaps I will rise higher yet, though not too high.

Cults

The Vizier is not commonly worshiped as an Hour. It is often believed that he is merely a Name - perhaps of the Peacock or the Aged Bones or the Anaconda. More commonly he is worshiped by individuals seeking to better their country, organisation, or ideology.

Locations

The Fansus

• The Clock Tower There are few consistencies within the Mansus, but the Clock-tower is one of them. It may always be seen inside, no matter where one is. Its time is not as regular as it is however, changing depending on where one stands and which Hour rules. It is there that the Vizier pulls the strings of History, surrounded by perfect order, a perfect organisation. The air is chilly, and little sound is heard save for the rustling of paper.

The Histories

• A Royal Tomb: It is said that the king who lies here is not dead, but sleeps until the need is greatest. Let us put him to rest, and claim the treasures within.

Items

Books

• On Governance: A 13th Century text by an anonymous author describing how a kingdom might best be ruled. In Latin.

• Minutes of the Serpent-King's Council: The king is dead. A regent must be selected. This is the record of a meeting that never happened. In Old Norse.

Relationships

• The Aged Bones: The Aged Bones! She-Who-Remembers! If the Vizier can be said to be fond of a person, he is fond of her. They used to share a History, and the Vizier retains some sentimentality for the past. A noble ruler, a wise counsellor, perhaps even a friend.
• The Caladrius:
• The Bright-Delver: While not counted among the serpentine Hours, the Vizier is as protective of the Delver as the Anaconda. It refuses to admit this.
• The Architeuthian:
• The Engine of Cycles: What is this. Why is this abomination allowed to continue. It is an insult, no matter how impressive it is.
• The Harvester: Destroy it. Now. It is worse than the Engine, if that is even possible.
• The Watcher in the Window:
• The Apple-of-the-Eye:
• The Archivist:
• The Elder Sister:
• The Silver Owl:
• Old Tarnished: A belligerent upstart. But a useful check against the other Hours nonetheless.
• The Cuckoo:
• The Fanged Bramble:
• The Snow-Stained:
• The Spark:
• The Ferryman:
• The Diagram:
• The Anaconda: The Vizier has a fraught relationship with the Anaconda. Both former Names of the Great Serpent, the Anaconda never trusted the Vizier, for his ascension came from betrayal, and the Anaconda was a loyal Name. Nevertheless, the Vizier has great respect for the Anaconda's desire for order and stability, and counts himself as one of the Anaconda's allies.
• The Great Serpent: Ever since the Segmentation, the Great Serpent's Vizier has been at a loss. Even after rising to Hourhood it is often overlooked. The Great Serpent brought stability, order, and guidance to the Mansus. As it once was, so must it be again.
• The Synapse:
• The Void-In-Skins:
• The Peacock: In the Peacock, the Vizier sees a chance to regain his old power. He sees a dupe and a tool, and waits for the Peacock's schemes to blow up in its face, giving the Vizier a chance to aid with the recovery, and so ingratiate himself with whoever then rules the Mansus.
• Snake Tail with Appendages: Chaos. Disorder. Rebellion and revolution. The Snake Tail is everything the Vizier loathes. Still, its power is to be respected, even if nothing else about it is.
• The Insidious: A Nowhere. A rival spymaster? Something to be silenced, whatever it is.
• The Mendicant Without: What. What is this thing. It comes from Nowhere, it cares not the decrees of the Great Serpent - why did the Anaconda allow it to live again?
• The Unmirror:
• The Anvil:
• The Maker:
• The Deceiver:
• The Huntsman: