Empress Jamyl places Ammatar Mandate under Ardishapur vassalage

Amarr - Amarr Empress Jamyl I this morning released a statement declaring that, as of noon tomorrow, she would be handing executive oversight of the Ammatar Mandate to Ardishapur Family heir Yonis Ardishapur. The announcement comes after several months of speculation on the empress's intentions for the Five Heirs and how they will fit into her much-vaunted plan for the restoration of the Reclaiming.

The empress's decree states that Lord Ardishapur, "pursuant to Imperial directive, shall henceforth carry ultimate responsibility for the fates and fortunes of the Ammatar Mandate, its bordered districts and outlying holdings, its economic and military resources and the souls of its faithful servants."

While the heir himself has yet to comment on the announcement, House Ardishapur did release a statement shortly after the empress's, which asserted that Ardishapur would "treat this worthy assignment as seriously as any other task bestowed by the anointed ruler of God's Empire." The statement contained no information on what policy directions the heir intends to take with the Ammatar Mandate.

Ammatar has been beset by turmoil and uncertainty ever since the Elder War earlier this year, when its lucrative tsula plantations - the Mandate's largest export crop and arguably the backbone of its economy - were systematically destroyed by Chamberlain Karsoth's forces in retaliation for the Mandate government's harboring of Starkmanir Minmatar tribesmen. While several of these plantations are in the process of being restored, the lack of strong centralized authority at home has caused efforts to flounder with little funding. Foreign private interests, primarily Khanid and Caldari, have offered outreach agreements, but the Consulate's interim government has thus far denied all offers under strict orders from the Imperial Throne.

Lord Ardishapur is expected to announce his new Consulate governor within a week.