The Necessary Servant
Note: The Necessary Servant first appeared in Unknown Armies 1st Edition. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. The Necessary Servant is never the commander, never the president, never the titled holder of a lordly domain. Instead, he is the secretary, the seneschal, the aide de camp. While the visible ruler commands respect and wields obvious power, the Necessary Servant acts in the ruler’s name, applies oblique power, and makes the reign of the ruler possible. Though unknown and unnamed, the Necessary Servant is absolutely essential for the success of any large-scale operation. To put it in the parlance of modern business, “You can’t micromanage success, but you can micromanage failure.” Where would Microsoft be if every expenditure, down to a box of donuts for a secretary’s retirement party, had to be personally okayed by Bill Gates? Not on almost every computer in the U.S., that’s for sure. Everyone with significant power has to delegate that power. Necessary Servants are those people who loyally accept delegation. They do the detail oriented busy work that frees up executives to meditate on the Big Picture. (Or to take three martini lunches and bang their secretaries, depending on the Executive.) Not every middle manager or executive assistant is a Necessary Servant, however: only those whose actions and attitudes are sufficiently synchronized with the Archetype. To go the extra mile into Necessary Servant territory, one must have a genuine interest in the power structure one serves. Skilled service is required, and it has to go above and beyond the call of duty. The wage slave who leaves right at 5:00 with the phone still ringing is ineligible for Avatar status. Obviously, the Necessary Servant has to be essential to the functioning of the business/church/club/whatever. Anyone who won’t be missed or can easily be replaced is not “necessary,” no matter how skilled or dedicated. This is perhaps the most critical element: While the Servant takes orders from “the boss” and labors in a subordinate position, it is crucial that the boss rely on the Servant more than the Servant needs the boss. As with most Avatars, there are positive and negative elements of the Necessary Servant. When devoted to a benevolent structure, the Necessary Servant can make it far more efficient. Similarly, a Necessary Servant who selflessly serves can free “the boss” from minutiae and detailed work, providing the space for a leap from “good” to “great.” On the other hand, a good worker can do great harm when serving a bad master. Other Necessary Servants can come to utterly dominate their supposed master (who is, after all, helpless without the aid of the Servant). The more typical “power behind the throne”- the conspirator who controls by suggestion and stoops to conquer- could be channeling the Necessary Servant. Most insidious of all are those Servants who mean only the best, but whose capabilities make them a crutch to their boss. Instead of learning to take charge, the leader fails to lead, letting the Servant do all the work. Want to know more about the Necessary Servant? Read the entire archetype here.
1 Comment
GreatOldOne
2/27/2023 12:33:23 pm
I'm not expecting a reply to this since it's been about 5 years, but the link in this post actually goes to your update for the Savage, not the Necessary Servant.
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