Aposta Laudervit
Dame Laudervit (a.k.a. Laudie)
A noblewoman from Camlorn. Dame Aposta Laudervit has had a long and storied career promoting the interests of her native kingdom as a diplomat, a governor, and a senator before going on to represent her noble house on the Elder Council. After Ocato vacated the seat as High Chancellor to become Potentate, the regent for the empty imperial throne, the Council elected her to take over the chancellorship.
The Wild Years
Before she resigned herself to work befitting her bloodline, she chased a fanciful dream of being an actress. She spent her youth performing across the Empire as the leading lady of the famed Aeons acting troupe. After a decade in the spotlight, Laudie found herself getting passed up on lead roles due to her age. Outraged, she resigned from the troupe and returned at last to her father, putting her performing skills to use in politics. Though brief, her time in the Aeons is still legendary among fans of theatre to this day. During her time as a diplomat, she had been offered a permanant role as Elegance in the world-renowned Altmeri troupe The House of Reveries, an honor never before offered to a non-elf. She was, of course, honored, but she was not interested in their brand of anonymous masked performance and politely turned them down.On the Council
Dame Aposta was sent to represent her family on the Elder Council at the age of 65. She quickly discovered that the legislative body of the Empire was little more than a social club for Tamriel's wealthiest retirees. A tight-knit group who had been used to the leadership of her long-lived grandfather High Chancellor Maurice Laudervit, the Council was untrusting of her at first, remembering her frivolous past and the scandal it brought her house. However, she was well-prepared for the dangers of high politics and quickly won over her colleagues with her dry wit and conservative ideals. She had one genuine friend on the council in Ocato, who quietely backed the reform initiatives she had naively brought to her first day in office. Ocato was of common-blood, banished from his homeland of Summerset, and was only on the council by the machinations of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, an unwelcome overreach in the opinion of the other Councilors. Ocato's support was subtle and impersonal, warning the junior councilor that associating with him openly could cost her. Not one to let a man dictate who her friends are, Laudie made a point to show professional respect to the elf, daring the other councilors to disrespect him in front of her. This kindness evolved into sharing tea, swapping stories and books, and taking walks together through the halls of White Gold Tower. Despite their friendship, Laudie and Ocato were political opposites and just as often traded barbs when Ocato invariably backed the Emperor's agenda to the detriment of the nobility. As the most outspoken for the cause of feudalism, she grew to become the unofficial leader of the council, with the reigning chancellor Aloccius Ceducia, a largely uninvolved figurehead. When the position opened once again, Laudie was the clear favorite to win. It was a surprise to all when the Nereverine Incident, a project of the Emperor's, executed by Ocato, yielded unbelievably favorable results for the Empire. A deadly plague was stopped. A madman with godlike powers was defeated. And the members of the long-feared Tribunal gods had been killed or driven from the continent, all thanks to the Emperor's maneuvering. What's more, the subsequent Morrowind Civil War resulted in the abolition of slavery in the province, a long-standing goal of the Empire since the days of the Remans. Despite their animosity for the throne, they could not deny that public support for the Emperor was at an all time high. Beholden to the wishes of their houses who feared revolt, the Elder Council was forced to elect the only member of the council who had a hand in this historic victory. Aposta was proud of what her friend had accomplished, and didn't envy his position, which she knew he never wanted in the first place. At the same time, she had aclimatized to the traditions of the Council which once tried to keep her out, and found the circumstances of his elevation to Chancellorship highly irregular and offensive. Ocato tried his best to leverage his position to serve his Emperor, but it was Laudie who led the council in its staunch opposition to his authority. She opposed on principal any measure he wanted to introduce, even ones she agreed with, and after a year, they began holding Council sessions in off hours to exclude him entirely. A slight which cost their friendship. This power struggle came to a head during the Oblivion Crisis, when the Emperor was assassinated, and hordes of Daedra were slaughtering people all over Tamriel. The Council was quite unprepared to lead on their own. As chancellor, Ocato was the interim executive, and he quickly made the decision to entrust Laudie to help him lead the council. Their friendship rekindled for a time, with Laudie acting informally as the Chancellor, keeping order among the terrified senator. Throughout the crisis, Laudie backed Ocato's every decision save one, when he vetoed the Council's measure to recall the bulk of the Legion from the outlying provinces back to Cyrodiil. The Councilors were largely concerned with sending the legion to protect their own estates, but it was Laudie who convinced them that protecting the heartland was vital for ensuring a future for this Empire. Ocato disagreed, wanting to route the Legions to the most vulnerable settlements in each province, trusting the private armies and guards of the more cosmopolitan cities to protect themselves. Laudie wouldn't hear of it, and kept reintroducing the measure until Ocato was forced to compromise. He begrudgingly allowed the bulk of the legions to be recalled to Cyrodiil, but was able to route the remainder to wherever he wanted.The High Chancellor
After the conclusion of the Oblivion Crisis, it became clear that there were no immediate heirs who could take over the throne. More importantly, experts in Conjuration and Clergy agreed that the sacrifice of Saint Martin meant that the Amulet of Kings was no longer necessary to maintain the barrier between Tamriel and Oblivion. In short, the divine right to rule given to the Dragonborn no longer applied. With all traditional means of finding a ruler out the window, the Council was left with the impossible task of appointing one on their own before anyone attempted to take it by force. Luckily, they had some time as the entire continent had just endured the greatest disaster in history, with armies and militias decimated by the Daedric incursion. Laudie was quick to put down any talk of choosing an Emperor among the Council or their immediate families. Laudie argued, correctly, that any obvious conflict of interest would permanantly undermine the authority of any dynasty they might install. Ocato, as the High Chancellor, an orphan, and trusted confidant of the previous Emperor was the next obvious choice. However, none of the Council, himself included, had any desire to see him take the throne. With a pressing need for action, Laudie came forward with a stopgap measure that would benefit everyone: They elected Ocato to take over as Potentate, an interim executive position from the old days of Akaviri rule that was in parity with the Council. Ocato reluctantly agreed, knowing that he stood the best chance of stablizing the spiraling Empire and honoring the seat left by his fallen friend. Its true benefit was to vacate the seat of High Chancellor, allowing the Council to stand united to organize the post-Septim Empire as they saw fit. Dame Laudervit was quickly elected to take the position. Over the next ten years, Laudie's priorities were to shore up the power of the nobility, entrusting the rebuilding of Tamriel's infrastructure to them. Ocato fought them every step of the way, but had little power to overrule their budget allocations and could only veto laws once before they could overrule his office. The question of finding a new Emperor was one of constant debate in the Council chamber, but one invariably tabled in favor of protecting wealth and trade. By the end of the first decade, the prevailing wisdom of the Council was that the Empire would best be served by shoring up the power of the gentry before choosing a stable and reliable Emperor they could control. The Septims, they remembered, were always so difficult.
Current Location
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
High Chancellor (4E 1 - Present)
Age
82
Date of Birth
15 Morning Star, 3E 361
Birthplace
Camlorn
Children
Pronouns
She/Her
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
