Would the Imperium help the son of a deposed Duke?

[Evilschemer]

In my current campaign, one character makes a Noble with a starting Social Level of D/12.

His events include:

1 - ( 10 ) Sponge successfully
2 - ( 8 ) Join a conspiracy that succeeds
3 - ( 10 ) Sponge successfully
4 - ( 8 ) Join a conspiracy that fails
5 - ( 3 ) Challenged to a duel and loses.
6 - ( 6 ) Get involved in politics

The last event in the character's history was a Mishap (4): "Political Maneuverings ursurp your position."

How perfect was that?

EDIT - ADD - I forgot to mention, he finished chargen with a Social Standing of F/15.

So we figure he was the bored rich heir of the Duke of some planet or subsector somewhere in the Spinward Marches (yet to choose a world, so any suggestions are helpful).

He got involved in several conspiracies and secret societies and was even secretly linked to a few attempted terrorist plots. He was eventually caught and banished for a while, then came back from exile to enter legitimate politics (ala Benazir Bhutto in Afghanistan), only to have his father killed, his government overthrown, and be sent into exile once again.

So he's in exile now, which is great for joining a rag-tag group of freelance travellers/adventurers.

So, my REAL question is this: How much support and assistance would the Imperium provide such a de-throned Duke? Is this simply an internal political matter that the Imperium would stay away from? Or can the duke go to the Archduke and say "Hey! Dude! I need an army to invade my own planet."

Of course, maybe the new duke, or his father, or the old government, is not popular with the Archduke and, although the new duke may retain his full title and priveledges, his request for military aid was denied.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Can you clarify these for me, please? It will help us to help you! :lol:

He got involved in several conspiracies and secret societies and was even secretly linked to a few attempted terrorist plots. He was eventually caught

By whom? Imperial Ministry of Justice? Local/planetary law enforcement?

and banished for a while

By whom? Which court(s)? Imperial (The Moot on Capitol) or a local/planetary court?

then came back from exile to enter legitimate politics (ala Benazir Bhutto in Afghanistan)

Legitimately? If so, who revoked the exile order?

only to have his father killed, his government overthrown, and be sent into exile once again.

By whom?

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

OK I think I can see a chain of events:

He gets caught for the offences by local/planetary law enforcement/security serivces;

He is tried at the highest court on the planet;

The judge in his trial is also some sort of noble and has a duty to report his crimes to the Moot back on Capitol;

The Moot summon him from custody and try him themselves;

They boot him out and exile him as a bad egg.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Alternatively, as he is a noble, he could be arrested by local law enforcement and then handed over to the Imperial Ministry of Justice Investigator for questioning. He would then have to go before the Moot, be tried and sentenced to exile and loss of noble title (or whatever other punishments they might give).

His return to politcs could be a semi-legit one: the Moot says: "We have a job for you, Mr Noble In Exile. Go back home, sort out the situation there and, *if you don't make a pig's ear of it*, we *MIGHT* let you back into the Moot.

Might."

So he scuttles back home with a chance to redeem himself.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Once back home, he tries to make it work, but the people he associated with at the beginning of all of this still remember him and might bear grudges if he grassed them up to the authorities at the start of all this, just to get himself out of doing a stint of porridge.

So they slot his dad, successfully take over the government and boot him off planet. The Moot sez "yah boo, you screwed it up, you suxorz, don't come back" to him.

Is this simply an internal political matter that the Imperium would stay away from? Or can the duke go to the Archduke and say "Hey! Dude! I need an army to invade my own planet."

He couldn't go begging to the Moot to get his planet back, cos they already gave him an opportunity to get it back and he botched it. They say "sorry, who are you, exactly? A noble, you say? Sorry old chap, you look more like some sort of rag-tag ruffian to me! Be off with you or I'll set me Vargr on you! Off now, I say! Be off with you!"

 

[Evilschemer]

Well, I was thinking that his earlier youthful indiscretions (vis a vis messing about with some revolutionaries) got him banished by his father, the Duke.

After a few years of wandering, he comes home and says "Sorry pop. I've learned my lesson. I'm truly penitent. Can I come back now?"

Pop says, "Sure, welcome home son. I'll set you up with a seat in parliament."

So he enters legitimate government.

However, his old revolutionary cronies are still out there. They spring this coup, which he now opposes, and topple the legitimate government of the planet, setting up a People's Revolutionary Republic of Wherever.

Dear old Daddy Duke is killed in the coup.

Young Mr. Player Character manages to escape with his life and some funds.

So, Young Mr. Player Character with a SOC of 15 is the rightful heir to the duchy.

So I'm thinking of a potential story here, as I type this. I may have answered my own original question.

Young Mr. Player Character goes to the Archduke and says "Hey! These revolutionaries took over my planet! I'm now the legitimate duke! I'm not welcome on my own world! I need you to send a task force of Planetary Assault Marines to pacify my world and re-establish the legitimate government!"

Archduke Norris considers this. He remembers this guy (the PC is now 46) as a young punk-ass snot-nosed spoiled brat rich kid snob.

"Look. You're the duke now. It's your planet. You're supposed to take care of this sort of thing. And if I remember correctly, you bear more than a little bit of responsibility for this mess yourself. "

"I'll tell you what I'll do. Here's some money and an accountant. Take this back to your planet, rally your Husclars, and take care of business. I will not waste any Naval manpower cleaning up your damn mess!"

I love it. I've now got an adventure hook! Go to the Sector capital, petition the Archduke, get turned down, go back and take care of it.

 

[Shiloh]

Is it worth thinking about how the layers of Imperial Government work?

As I read it, if he's Soc-F, he's a (sector) Duke. Since Norris is his liege, he's an Imperial Duke, who'll usually have more than one planet as his Fief, and will have Counts and Barons as "vassals".

The Imperial nobility very rarely "rules" a planet directly, leaving that to the local Government. They're more like an Imperial Representative. Though a Duke might have quite large planetary holdings spread over several systems, as well as significant (Mega)corp interests.

If someone offed his Dad, I think that would draw Imperial ire. It would have to to help protect all the other Dukes. If the Imperial Duke has been turfed out of his fief, then either the rebellion is trying to secede from the Imperium (having been being run by this potentially inept dynasty) or is attempting to make representations at court for a different Duke. I still don't think the Imperium is going to look kindly on the assault on the *office* of Duke...

Unless nobility works differently in YTU, of course.

 

[StephenT]

Yeah - if you're running this strictly by OTU canon, then a Duke is the Imperial ruler of an entire subsector, with personal command over an Imperial Field Army and an entire fleet of the Imperial Navy ready to respond to his 'suggestions'. Deposing him by force isn't a matter of local politics: it's high treason against the Imperium.

On the other hand, it's possible that one of the Duke's fiefs might rebel against him; but you'd need a good reason why this wouldn't be treated as rebellion against the Emperor. Maybe rival political factions at the Archduke's court engineered the coup, and also ordered the local Imperial fleet not to intervene?