Doriam II makes unprecedented intervention in cathedral debate
The Amarr Emperor Doriam II has made an unprecedented move by intervening in the debate raging between royal heirs. Doriam II has declared that the Tal-Romon Cathedral, which Catiz Tash-Murkon purchased recently and has since been the center of a fierce debate between her and fellow heirs Uriam Kador and Yonis Ardishapur, is now the property of the emperor himself. Doriam will thus dictate in what manner any future renovations of the site will be.
Tradition dictates that the emperor intervenes only in a grave and dire situation, such as an impending civil war. Very rarely have emperors usurped an heir’s authority as Doriam has now done, and this act has the upper echelons of Amarr society in turmoil as to what this portends for the future. Some see this as an indication that Doriam is going against Catiz Tash-Murkon in an attempt to break out of the financial straight-jacket that the Tash-Murkon family held the emperor family in during much of Heideran’s reign; others see this as a sign that Doriam is sucking up to the more conservative elements in the empire, notably Uriam Kador, as well as those strong in the faith, such as Yonis Ardishapur. Ever since Doriam’s son Articio Kor-Azor was involved in an ‘incident’ at the cathedral, which his father then helped to cover up, the emperor’s relations with the rest of the heirs have been strained and many feel he is now trying to patch things up, while at the same time distancing himself from his erratic son.
There is of course no question about whether the emperor’s decree will be followed or not. He has a divine right to do as he pleases and Catiz Tash-Murkon will certainly not oppose his decision. That is not to say she will be happy with the way things are turning out and may well take retaliatory actions, overt or covert ones. It also remains to be seen how favorably the Kador and Ardishapur families will regard this intervention. They may be happy that the emperor has sided with them, but at the same time they must be alarmed about the precedent this sets for the future. The last thing the heirs want is an emperor that is overly active in domestic affairs.
