TEXT: ™
  
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  BY CARL BOWEN, JOSEPH CARRIKER, JESS HARTLEY AND JOHN SNEAD
  TM
  
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  CREDITS
  Authors:
  Authors: Carl Bowen, Joseph Carriker, Jess Hartley and 
  John Snead
  Comic Scripter:
  Comic Scripter: Carl Bowen
  Storyteller Game System Design
  Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Rein•Hagen
  Developer:
  Developer: John Chambers
  Editor: 
  Editor: Carl Bowen
  Art Direction: 
  Art Direction: Brian Glass
  Artists: 
  Artists: Andrew Hepworth, Imaginary Friends Studio (with 
  Lan Jun Kang), Saana “Kiyo” Lappalainen, MESS Studio (with 
  HOON, Nino Aguilar, Nice Balce, Jeff Simpson and Linda Tso), 
  Pasi Pitkanen, Andie Tong, UDON (with Mike Franchina, Dax 
  Gordine and Chris Stevens) and Melissa Uran
  Cover Art: 
  Cover Art: Imaginary Friends Studio featuring Kendrick Lim
  Book Design: 
  Book Design: Brian Glass
  © 2006 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction 
  without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, 
  except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which 
  may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf and Exalted are reg-
  istered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. The 
  Compass of Celestial Directions, the Blessed Isle, the Manual of Exalted 
  Power the Dragon-Blooded, the Books of Sorcery, Wonders of the Lost 
  Age, the Age of Sorrows and the Second Age of Man are trademarks of 
  White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, 
  places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
  The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages 
  is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.
  This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are ﬁ ction and intended 
  for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
  Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com/
  PRINTED IN CANADA
  COMING NEXT:
  SCROLL OF THE MONK
  $24.99 
  160 PAGES
   From the back-alleys of Nexus to the hectic thor-
  oughfares of the Imperial City and from the wide avenues 
  of Yu-Shan to the twisting corridors of the Labyrinth, 
  martial artists of all kinds stride the mean streets of the 
  Exalted world, living their lives by esoteric codes of 
  honor and neither offering nor accepting quarter from 
  their enemies. Will the return of the Solar Exalted 
  throw the Martial Arts World into chaos, or will that 
  culture’s Sidereal masters rein in the Lawgivers or put 
  them down permanently?
  COMING NEXT IN THIS SERIES:
  THE COMPASS OF CELESTIAL DIRECTIONS, 
  VOL. II — THE WYLD
  $24.99 
  160 PAGES
  The second of ﬁ ve books dedicated to the supernatu-
  ral locales of the Exalted
  Exalted setting, this supplement focuses 
  on the Wyld. Outside the bounds of Creation, there exists 
  an inﬁ nite expanse of roiling chaos that breaks upon the 
  shaped world like a storm-tossed sea against the shore, 
  threatening to wear it away. Where it does wear away, 
  reality breaks down and savage denizens of the chaos 
  beyond Creation dwell. The dangers of the Wyld, the 
  kingdoms of the Fair Folk and the savage Wyld tribes 
  are all detailed within.
  BAD BRIAN, WRONG CREDIT. 
  NO COOKIE.
  So, I messed up. I got this great artist 
  to illustrate a fantastic depiction of Nexus 
  for the cover of Scavenger Lands. It’s his 
  ﬁ rst cover and I wind up giving the credit 
  to the wrong person. So, the correct credit 
  for the great looking cover to the Scavenger 
  Lands book belongs to the talented Mike 
  Franchina. Sorry Mike!
  
  3
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION 
  4
  CHAPTER ONE: HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE 
  7
  CHAPTER TWO: LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE 
  20
  CHAPTER THREE: THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT 
  43
  CHAPTER FOUR: THE IMMACULATE ORDER 
  73
  CHAPTER FIVE: THE LAND 
  94
  CHAPTER SIX: THE HEART OF THE REALM 
  129
  CHAPTER SEVEN: GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE 
  148
  TM
  
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  INTRODUCTION
  To plunder, butcher, steal, these things they misname 
  empire: they make a desolation and they call it peace.
  —Tacitus, attributed to the Scottish chief Calgacus
   
  INTRODUCTION
  INTRODUCTION
  Originally home to the gods in the time before the 
  Primordial War and the center of the Solar-led Old Realm 
  that followed, the Blessed Isle lies at the very heart of 
  Creation and is home to the Scarlet Dynasty that has 
  ruled Creation for the past eight centuries. The Isle is 
  the pinnacle of civilization in the Second Age and has 
  known peace and prosperity undreamed of by the remain-
  der of the Exalted
  Exalted world. With the disappearance of the 
  Empress, however, the Realm stands at the brink of civil 
  war, as the scions of the Great Houses seek to promote 
  one candidate or another to become the inheritor of the 
  Scarlet Throne. Meanwhile, the long-imprisoned Lawgiv-
  ers have returned, some with designs to smash the Realm 
  and reestablish the dominance of the Solar Deliberative. 
  Can the Blessed Isle weather this Time of Tumult, or is 
  its long peace finally at an end?
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  The Compass of Celestial Directions, Vol. I—The 
  The Compass of Celestial Directions, Vol. I—The 
  Blessed Isle
  Blessed Isle is a setting book designed to provide players and 
  Storytellers with all they need to play games set in the Heart 
  of the Realm. From the rough docks of Arjuf to the delicate 
  spires of the Imperial City, from the foot of the vertiginous 
  Imperial Mountain to the green sands of the picturesque Jade 
  Coast, this book provides settings aplenty for every type of 
  group and style of play—complete with dominion traits for 
  Exalted
  Exalted’s optional Mandate of Heaven rules.
  Chapter One: History of the Blessed Isle
  This chapter is a concise history of the Blessed Isle from 
  its creation as the abode of the gods to its time as the center 
  of the Old Realm, through the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate 
  on down to the modern-day home of the Scarlet Empire. 
  It includes a timeline of major events in the reign of the 
  Scarlet Empress as well.
  
  6
  Chapter Two: Life on the Blessed Isle
  Chapter Two: Life on the Blessed Isle
  Chapter Two offers an overview of what it’s like to live 
  on the Blessed Isle, whether one is disenfranchised, a slave, a 
  peasant, a citizen, a patrician or even a Dynast. The Blessed 
  Isle is the safest and most prosperous land in Creation. All 
  it demands in return is the people’s freedom.
  Chapter Three: The Imperial Government
  Chapter Three: The Imperial Government
  This section examines the government of the Scarlet 
  Empire, a maze of overlapping agencies and redundant 
  purviews designed to obfuscate the reality that the Empress 
  was the one true power on the Blessed Isle. It remains to 
  be seen if the Imperial Bureaucracy can survive the loss of 
  its architect.
  Chapter Four: The Immaculate Order
  Chapter Four: The Immaculate Order
  This section focuses on the Order of the Immaculate 
  Dragons, the most powerful religious institution in Cre-
  ation and the state religion of the Scarlet Empire. Included 
  are descriptions of the Order’s major religious centers and 
  ﬁ gures, as well as details of how its monks, nuns and priests 
  advance though the Five Coils from lowly postulants to the 
  Paragons themselves.
  Chapter Five: The Land
  Chapter Five: The Land
  This chapter concerns itself with the various dominions 
  and prefectures of the Blessed Isle and the cities, points of 
  interest and manses they contain. Divided by geographical 
  region, the chapter provides an overview of who the movers 
  and shakers are in each area, as well as each area’s important 
  natural and supernatural features.
  Chapter Six: The Heart of the Realm
  Chapter Six: The Heart of the Realm
  Chapter Six focuses on the Scarlet Prefecture and the 
  Imperial City. At the hub of a Creation-spanning empire of 
  Exalted demigods, this region is arguably the most important 
  in the Exalted
  Exalted world and is presented in detail for those who 
  wish to set their games there.
  Chapter Seven: Gods & Creatures of the Blessed Isle
  Chapter Seven: Gods & Creatures of the Blessed Isle
  This section provides traits for the gods and beasts na-
  tive to the heart of Creation. Although the preeminence 
  of the Immaculate Order keeps the gods of the Blessed Isle 
  on a short leash, the immense prosperity of the Isle and the 
  strength of its institutions have still produced some of the 
  Exalted
  Exalted world’s most powerful gods. Also, while its lands 
  were long ago cleared of dangerous predators, the Blessed 
  Isle is still home to a number of unique creatures, some of 
  which were engineered through breeding processes lost to 
  the rest of Creation.
  
  7
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  
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  CHAPTER ONE
  CHAPTER ONE
  HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  When the Primordials ﬁ rst crystallized Creation out of 
  the raw chaos of the Wyld, the Blessed Isle was the seed crystal 
  around which the remainder accreted. It formed so swiftly 
  that the Fair Folk who were trapped inside the region that 
  became the Blessed Isle were transformed into the Jadeborn 
  Mountain Folk. In the uncountable eons that followed, the 
  Primordials forged an otherspace reﬂ ection of the Blessed Isle 
  into the Celestial City of Yu-Shan, while they transformed 
  the Blessed Isle itself into the home for the gods they had 
  created to be their servants. While the Dragon Kings ruled 
  the Threshold, the gods lived amidst splendor and wonders 
  unmatched by anything except the supernal glories of Yu-
  Shan itself.
  When the gods grew restless under the yoke of the Pri-
  mordials, they planned their rebellion within the cities of the 
  Blessed Isle. The Isle is also where they used the techniques 
  learned from the rogue Primordial Autochthon to create 
  the ﬁ rst of the mighty Exalted. Because it was their home, 
  they defended it against all counterattacks by the armies of 
  the Primordials. While much of the Threshold was blasted 
  by this epic war, the Blessed Isle came through this conﬂ ict 
  relatively unscathed.
  In the war’s aftermath, the gods took possession of Yu-
  Shan and left the Blessed Isle to the residents of Creation. 
  As a reward for their heroic efforts ﬁ ghting the Primordials 
  and their many thousands of well-armed and deadly demon 
  servants, the gods gave the Blessed Isle to the Celestial 
  Exalted to serve as the center of their newly formed Realm. 
  From their capital city of Meru, built on the slopes of the 
  towering Imperial Mountain, this Realm stretched out in 
  all directions.
  In the ﬁ rst few centuries of the rule of the Solar Delib-
  erative—before the Celestial Exalted had grown into the 
  full extent of their power or Autochthon had departed from 
  Creation—the Solar Exalted feared attack by Fair Folk seeking 
  to take advantage of the disruptions caused by the Primordial 
  War, or by Yozis or Neverborn seeking vengeance. The Solar 
  Exalted worked with Autochthon to construct a network of 
  
  9
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  defenses against such attacks. The outermost 
  ring of these defenses extended around the 
  borders of Creation. The most powerful 
  defenses were located on the Blessed Isle 
  itself, at the site of the largest and most 
  powerful demesne in Creation. Situated near 
  the Blessed Isle’s eastern coast, this massive 
  artifact was known as the Sword of Creation. 
  In the early centuries of the First Age, the 
  Solars used the Sword of Creation several 
  times to repel serious incursions by the Fair 
  Folk, but its full power was not used again 
  until the full-scale Fair Folk invasions fol-
  lowing the unparalleled devastation caused 
  by the Contagion.
  For the many thousands of years, the 
  Old Realm remained intact and the Blessed 
  Isle truly lived up to its name. In addition 
  to containing the huge and glorious capi-
  tal city of Meru, it was also the home for 
  most of the Celestial Exalts in Creation. 
  Despite their vast power, there were only 
  a few hundred Celestial Exalts, and most 
  of them preferred to live near members of 
  their own kind. Although each of the Solar 
  Exalted ruled a vast metropolis someplace 
  in Creation, all of them also possessed 
  huge rural estates on the Blessed Isle and 
  mansions in Meru. The Celestial Exalts 
  used powerful sorcery, impressive artifacts 
  and the gates to and from Yu-Shan to al-
  low them to rapidly travel from the cities 
  they ruled and the provinces they admin-
  istered to their luxurious dwellings on the 
  Blessed Isle.
  The vast metropolis of Meru, which 
  had a population of more than 25 million 
  people at its height, took up the heart of 
  the island. The Blessed Isle was also home 
  to a dozen other cities with populations of 
  more than ﬁ ve million, including the huge 
  port of Arjuf, where ﬂ eets of merchant 
  ships went to and from Chiaroscuro, the 
  Lap and other important Southern ports. 
  Yet, while the population of the island was 
  more than 120 million, more than half of its 
  land area was owned and administered by 
  various Celestial Exalted. They built huge 
  villas surrounded by vast stretches of land, 
  including private farms, elegant gardens 
  and grandiose hunting preserves where the 
  Exalts could hunt everything from dangerous 
  imported beasts to stolen Wyld aberrations 
  to the latest designer predators created in the 
  laboratories of the Copper Spiders.
  
  10
  the beauty of the music and the inventiveness and extremity 
  of the tortures used.
  Shortly before the Usurpation, almost every mortal living 
  in the Blessed Isle knew someone who had been killed or horribly 
  used by the Solar Exalted. As a result, the cities of the Blessed 
  Isle became centers for a carefully hidden resistance against 
  the excesses of the Solar Deliberative. Knowing the horrible 
  fates that awaited anyone caught in a conspiracy against the 
  Solar Exalted, the rebels and dissidents held secret meetings, 
  where most members wore masks and otherwise disguised 
  their identities. These precautions made sure that conspirators 
  caught by the Solars could not reveal the identities of other 
  rebels, even when powerful Charms forced them to love their 
  Solar interrogators with undying passion.
  This spirit of resistance grew among the citizens of 
  the Blessed Isle, while the Sidereal Exalted examined the 
  complexities of the Loom of Fate and made their own plans. 
  Using impenetrable disguises, the Sidereals moved among the 
  dissidents and would-be rebels and used these mortals and 
  Dragon-Bloods as the workforce to lay the groundwork for 
  their daring coup. Although they had operatives and dupes 
  throughout Creation, the heart of the Sidereals’ carefully 
  managed conspiracy was the Blessed Isle. Here, they arranged 
  a vast banquet and invited every Solar they could persuade 
  to come. More than two thirds of all Solars, including almost 
  every Solar Exalt currently on the Blessed Isle, attended this 
  banquet and was slain without even a chance to resist.
  Once again, the Blessed Isle was protected against the 
  destruction caused by this violent coup by the Sidereals and 
  the Dragon-Blooded. After the deadly banquet, the few Solar 
  Exalted still in the Realm rapidly ﬂ ed to the furthest por-
  tions of the Threshold, seeking some place of safety. Almost 
  none even stopped to destroy a single village or town before 
  they ﬂ ed for their lives. As a result, once the Usurpation was 
  over, the Blessed Isle remained largely untouched. The only 
  remaining dangers were in the estates left behind by the 
  murdered Solars. These estates housed strange and deadly 
  artifacts and were inhabited by exotic beings whose loyalty 
  to their Solar masters often extended far beyond the Solars’ 
  deaths. While dozens of Dragon-Blooded and many hundreds 
  of mortals met their deaths purging the dangers from these 
  estates, the Dragon-Blooded took complete control of the 
  Realm after less than a decade of work, all under the careful 
  guidance of their secret Sidereal advisors.
  Although the time of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate 
  was a less grandiose era, the Blessed Isle remained the match-
  less and immaculate jewel of Creation and the center of 
  the new Terrestrial dynasty. The cities continued to thrive, 
  and much of the Isle was now divided up into estates for 
  the Dragon-Blooded. Most such estates were built on lands 
  once used for the Solars’ expansive homes, and a few were 
  actually made from the actual buildings once inhabited by 
  the murdered Solars.
  For 70 mortal generations, the Shogunate ruled Creation, 
  and the seat of its power was always the Blessed Isle. As with 
  The Blessed Isle also contained the ﬁ nest magical work-
  shops in Creation, where the sorcerers and artisans of the 
  Twilight Caste developed new and ever more powerful artifacts 
  and wondrous life forms. Surrounding Meru was a series of 
  the grandest and most advanced factory-cathedrals, where 
  scores of powerful automata labored ceaselessly alongside 
  dozens of elementals and demons to help the Exalts create a 
  never-ending stream of powerful Essence technologies.
  Because it was both the home to the Celestial Exalts and 
  the center for the most advanced manufacturing, the many 
  millions of inhabitants of the Blessed Isle beneﬁ ted from easy 
  access to wonders that were uncommon in the Threshold 
  even in that miraculous Age. In addition to having the ﬁ nest 
  weather-control systems and the latest artiﬁ cial life forms for 
  use as pets, work animals or servants, the wealthier mortal 
  inhabitants could take advantage of regular skyship service 
  to travel anywhere on the Blessed Isle with great speed. Also, 
  these mortals initially beneﬁ ted from having far more con-
  tact with the Celestial Exalted. The luckiest might become 
  consorts and have Half-Caste children who would make sure 
  that their parents were well cared for. Many more were able 
  to ﬁ nd work as the aides and servants to the Exalts—working 
  in their households and having access to riches and wonders 
  of which even the wealthiest mortal merchant or the most 
  powerful thaumaturge could only dream.
  Also, the Celestial Exalts regularly selected citizens of 
  the Blessed Isle to become part of their programs designed to 
  improve humanity. Residents who particularly distinguished 
  themselves could volunteer to be transformed into the ﬁ rst 
  human inhabitants of the skies and the seas, as Solars gave 
  them and their descendents gills or wings. To more fully 
  make use of these new breeds of humanity, the Exalts built 
  huge undersea cities off the coast of the Blessed Isle and 
  created enormous ﬂ oating cities that ﬂ ew above it on cur-
  rents of Essence.
  While this degree of contact was a wondrous blessing 
  at the height of the Solar Deliberative, the inhabitants of 
  the Blessed Isle suffered greatly as the Solar Exalted grew 
  increasingly mad. While the inﬂ uence of their saner fel-
  lows kept the most violent and dangerous Solar Exalts from 
  laying waste to entire cities, as they did in some portions of 
  the Threshold, the households of the Solar Exalts who still 
  lived on the Blessed Isle became strange and terrible places. 
  Servants were killed or tortured for trivial mistakes or sub-
  jected to horriﬁ c experiments to “improve their efﬁ ciency” 
  or test some mad theory their Exalted masters had devel-
  oped. On one Solar estate, half of the thousands of mortal 
  servants were given roots and bark-like skin and planted in 
  elaborate gardens. In another mansion, hundreds of mortals 
  were altered so that their screams became inhumanly lovely 
  and melodious. The Exalt who owned this mansion crafted 
  beautiful, merciless automata to play upon the ﬂ esh of these 
  servants, and powerful life-preserving Charms and artifacts 
  kept the servants alive. The Exalt put on performances that 
  lasted for many days at a time and were renowned for both 
  
  11
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  in a single structure—the forbidding Palace of the Anathema, 
  a long-sealed fortress in the center of Vanchow, a moderate-
  sized but otherwise unremarkable city near the eastern coast 
  of the Blessed Isle. Commandeering a boat, she and four of 
  her most trusted lieutenants sailed back to the Blessed Isle. 
  With her, she carried several tattered books and one ancient 
  map. She believed that these items held the key to locating 
  and activating the defenses the ancients had used against 
  the encroaching Fair Folk in years past. While battles raged 
  throughout the Threshold, she and her companions sought 
  to unseal the entrances to the ancient manse. After weeks of 
  frantic attempts to breach its defenses, which easily withstood 
  the mightiest weapons of the era, she managed to unlock the 
  gates of the manse and enter.
  the Celestial Exalted before them, most Dragon-Bloods had 
  homes in the Blessed Isle, and many lived there full time, 
  administering distant provinces using proxies, Charms and 
  sorcery.
  Although the Dragon-Blooded made few new discoveries 
  during this era, ﬂ oating cities still hovered in the skies above 
  the Blessed Isle, and even the poorest inhabitant beneﬁ ted 
  from the era’s many wonders. For instance, luxuries such 
  as Essence-powered machines that provided every dwelling 
  with light, heat and clean water were available to everyone. 
  In addition, housing was inexpensive because every city 
  contained dozens (or sometimes hundreds) of towers that 
  were as much as 300 yards tall. The largest of these towers 
  could house as many as 8,000 mortals, carried up and down 
  these vast structures in Essence-powered lifts.
  Although attacks by the Fair Folk increased during the 
  Shogunate and the Neverborn occasionally sent forth scores of 
  ghosts to attack the living, the power of the Dragon-Blooded 
  and the distance of the Blessed Isle from the troubled edges 
  of Creation protected the land and its inhabitants from such 
  dangers. Even once the Dragon-Blooded began to war among 
  themselves, the majority of their battles took place in the 
  Threshold. Dragon-Blooded on the Blessed Isle sometimes 
  had to fear assassination or court intrigues, but the cities and 
  estates of this land remained safe from warfare.
  Records indicate that although the Great Contagion 
  ravaged the populace of the Blessed Isle to a lesser extent 
  than it did in the Threshold, the Isle’s dense cities and vast 
  estates were where mortality was the highest. Although 
  the Contagion killed almost nine tenths of the population 
  throughout Creation, the mortality was almost 100 percent 
  within the boundaries of the Blessed Isle’s cities. The tall tow-
  ers of Meru became enormous charnel houses. Shortly after 
  this catastrophe, the vanguard of the armies of the Fair Folk 
  overran the outermost portions of this once-serene land.
  THE SCARLET EMPRESS AND THE IMPERIAL MANSE
  When the armies of the Fair Folk invaded Creation, the 
  woman who was to become the Scarlet Empress was yet a 
  young captain of the Ninth Legion of the personal army of 
  the Shogun of the Realm. She was a woman of impeccable 
  family and some wealth, whose ability to rally her troops in 
  the face of even the most dangerous crisis had earned her 
  several commendations. Fortunate enough to possess well-
  equipped and well-motivated soldiers, she understood the 
  futility of ﬁ ghting the vast armies of Fair Folk in the ﬁ eld. 
  Their numbers were too great, their powers too terrifying, and 
  the Dragon-Blooded simply too few. She became convinced 
  that the Realm’s only hope of salvation lay in the abandoned 
  and potentially deadly relics of the First Age.
  The histories of the First Age told of prior Fair Folk 
  invasions, but those invasions were always driven back by 
  heroes wielding incredible powers. After studying forbidden 
  texts, she became convinced that these legends were true. 
  The majority of this power, she discovered, was concentrated 
  THE IMPERIAL MANSE
  Known as the Sword of Creation during the First 
  Age, and as the Palace of the Anathema in the Shogunate, 
  this huge structure is now universally called the Imperial 
  Manse. It is located in the center of what is now the 
  Imperial City, near the eastern coast of the Blessed Isle. 
  Here the currents of Essence ﬂ owing through the Blessed 
  Isle converge and meet in a vast upwelling of power 
  that is tapped by this mighty fortress. Using techniques 
  understood only by Autochthon and the wisest Solar 
  Exalted, and which could be safely used only by one of the 
  Celestial Exalted, the Imperial Manse lay vacant during 
  the Shogunate Era. The Dragon-Blooded rightly feared 
  the many lethal defenses within, and—like many other 
  powerful sites used exclusively by the Anathema—they 
  placed it under heavy guard. They permitted limited 
  experiments with the devices within such sites but were 
  unwilling to risk the safety of the Blessed Isle to the 
  little-understood powers contained there.
  Records do not describe what happened inside the Impe-
  rial Manse that day, but the young captain was the only one 
  who returned from the desperate mission inside the Palace of 
  the Anathema. Only the Empress and a few of her closest advi-
  sors know that two of her four companions were slaughtered 
  by the lethally intricate defenses surrounding the engines of 
  destruction. The third shed his heart’s blood upon a stone 
  slab so that his sacriﬁ ce might awaken and feed the powerful 
  and hungry spirits who tended the venerable defenses. And 
  the last was given, willingly, as a gift by the captain to the 
  guardian of the site, her soul torn screaming from her broken 
  body as a token of the survivor’s deadly earnest. Everyone 
  who ventured into the Palace of the Anathema had been 
  ready to make the ultimate sacriﬁ ce for the sake of the land 
  when they entered the citadel. Only the future Empress was 
  left with the terrible burden of survival.
  The results of these heroic sacriﬁ ces were immediate 
  and obvious. In less than an hour, vast beams of crackling 
  
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  so-called Seven Tigers returned to their troops and began 
  a systematic war of conquest. They planned to subdue the 
  coasts of the Threshold and then turn their attentions to 
  the Blessed Isle itself.
  THE EMPRESS’S RIPOSTE
  Word of the Seven Tigers’ depredations reached the 
  Empress quickly, as refugees from the Threshold streamed 
  onto the Blessed Isle with tales of the brutality of the Seven 
  Tigers’ conquests. Their armies methodically reduced the 
  already half-destroyed cities and fortresses to rubble. Once 
  they conquered a region, they pressed all surviving vessels 
  into service as troop transports and were clearly readying 
  an invasion force for the conquest of the Blessed Isle itself. 
  As news of their victories spread, the coastal cities of the 
  Blessed Isle repaired and augmented the defenses built in 
  haste against the Fair Folk, and the elderly and the young 
  were mustered to man them.
  In an effort to avoid further conﬂ ict and not spill the 
  blood of Exalts who had once been her fellow ofﬁ cers, the 
  soon-to-be Empress sent messengers to order the Seven Tigers 
  to desist their actions. The heads of the messengers were 
  returned across the Inland Sea, their mouths stuffed with 
  the silken scrolls they’d carried. The Empress saw only two 
  options before her: Turn the weapons she had so recently 
  mastered on those soldiers who once fought alongside her, or 
  allow them to overrun the Isle and then turn on one another. 
  Having heard stories from the cities the Seven Tigers had 
  already overrun, and knowing that the Fair Folk still lurked 
  on the borders of Creation, ready to return if they saw weak-
  ness, she made the only possible choice.
  As the Seven Tigers readied their forces for the invasion of 
  the Blessed Isle, she ventured back inside the Imperial Manse. 
  Soon after, pale streamers of ﬁ re struck from the heavens at the 
  encampments of the Seven Tigers. Vast and twisted warriors 
  of water strode across the waves and smashed ships at harbor. 
  Screaming winds that left coats of frost on the ground ripped 
  down siege towers and froze men solid with a touch. Bolts 
  of Essence-lightning leveled fortresses and vaporized mighty 
  jade war machines. By the time the Empress called a halt, the 
  armies of the Seven Tigers were scattered, and the generals 
  themselves were being led back to the Isle in chains. Met at 
  the harbor by a handful of Dragon-Blooded who had already 
  thrown in their lot with the then-mysterious Empress, the 
  Seven Tigers vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. 
  Meanwhile, the laborious task of rounding up the scattered 
  troops of the Dragon-Blooded daimyos and forging them into 
  legions was begun. The young ofﬁ cer had now irrevocably 
  set in motion her climb to the Scarlet Throne.
  As before, her strike against the Seven Tigers was not 
  without consequences. This attack on her enemies caused 
  already-damaged buildings throughout the Blessed Isle to 
  fall. She learned, however, that if she limited the scope of 
  her weapons to the Blessed Isle and the seas immediately 
  surrounding it, she could control the forces of the Imperial 
  Essence struck out from the Imperial Manse and the score 
  of war manses that were scattered across the Blessed Isle. 
  These beams instantly evaporated the front ranks of the 
  Fair Folk armies. Simultaneously, a host of giant warriors, 
  some as many as a dozen yards tall, rode and ﬂ ew out of the 
  Imperial Manse. Inhuman and terrible to look upon, most 
  had unnatural bodies composed of one of the ﬁ ve elements. 
  These deadly beings attacked the survivors and drove them 
  back out into the Wyld. These huge warriors faded only once 
  the Fair Folk reached the Bordermarches of the Wyld.
  This vast display of power saved both the Blessed Isle 
  and those portions of Creation that had not yet been fully 
  subsumed by the Wyld. Because the Scarlet Empress lacked 
  both the knowledge and ﬁ nesse of the Solar Exalted for whom 
  these defenses had been built, however, earthquakes rocked 
  the Blessed Isle. After the attacking armies of the Fair Folk 
  had been destroyed and the few survivors had ﬂ ed to the 
  Middlemarches, both Vanchow and the northern portion 
  of abandoned Meru lay in ruins. The devastation was far 
  less throughout most of the Blessed Isle, but no portion of it 
  remained untouched.
  THE SEVEN TIGERS
  In the hours that followed the end of the Fair Folk in-
  vasion, there was stunned silence. For days, the only sights 
  on battleﬁ elds were dazed soldiers keeping a half-bewildered 
  sentry against a possible counterattack and looters half-heart-
  edly stripping the bodies of the dead. Rain poured steadily 
  from the heavens, casting a gray veil across all Creation and 
  driving even the greediest corpse robber to higher ground. 
  But for a precious handful of days, there was no strife, as the 
  entire world struggled to come to grips with the fact that 
  both the Contagion and the Fair Folk invasion were over. 
  An Age had ended and a new one had begun.
  Dragon-Blooded commanders found themselves in the 
  ﬁ eld with armies at their back and no Shogun to command 
  them. Some few choose to harry the rear guard of the Fair 
  Folk as it retreated, but they did so without passion, since their 
  best efforts had done little to aid the vast Essence constructs 
  called forth by the Imperial Manse.
  More ambitious generals began to wonder what they 
  could make of this new world. Even as the forces of the various 
  Threshold daimyos struggled out of the mire, they faced the 
  specter of a new age of warfare, as the shattered Shogunate 
  made conquest a possibility now that mere survival was no 
  longer an issue. A handful of the boldest and most daring 
  of these generals and daimyos joined forces and agreed to 
  rule Creation together (at least until one could gain some 
  advantage over the others).
  The oldest, Skri Shanash, invited the others to her 
  camp at the Lap, to discuss the future of the lands around 
  the Inland Sea. They drew up plans to carve up both the 
  Blessed Isle and the lands of the Threshold, with provinces 
  apportioned to each. Satisﬁ ed with the arrangement, the 
  
  13
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  Defense Grid—as she had renamed the Sword of Creation—
  sufﬁ ciently well to avoid anything more than minor tremors. 
  As a result, the Scarlet Empress had to be content with ruling 
  the Blessed Isle.
  Although it had suffered vast devastation, the Blessed 
  Isle had been cleansed of all Wyld taint, and a combination 
  of the island’s natural Essence ﬂ ows and the Defense Grid 
  kept shadowlands from forming within its borders. As a 
  result, while it was a barren and devastated land compared 
  to its former glory, it had suffered far less than most of the 
  Threshold. It remained the tarnished crown of a much-bat-
  tered Creation. The ﬁ nest cities of the post-Contagion era 
  would have been considered both small and exceptionally 
  primitive by the standards of both the First Age and the 
  Shogunate, but regardless, the ﬁ nest cities remained in the 
  Blessed Isle.
  CHEJOP KEJAK AND THE FORMATION OF 
  THE SCARLET EMPIRE
  After her triumph over her rivals, the soon-to-be Scarlet 
  Empress was approached by an emissary of Chejop Kejak, 
  leader of the Bronze Faction of the Sidereal Exalted. Troubled 
  by the possibility of a recurrence of either the Contagion or 
  the Fair Folk invasion, he wished to make sure that such 
  catastrophes never happened again. He believed that the 
  young woman who had just saved Creation was his best hope 
  for achieving this goal. The Empress recognized the precari-
  ous nature of her situation. If she attempted to step down, 
  she would almost certainly be tortured by ruthless would-be 
  conquerors so that they could learn the secrets of the Imperial 
  Manse, and Creation would succumb to chaos and endless 
  war. Yet, if she used her power indiscriminately to eliminate 
  all who stood against her, she’d simply raise new generations 
  of enemies—or depopulate the Realm of the Dragon-Blooded 
  needed to defend it against further invasions. And while she 
  was safe from any sane rival as long as she was the only one 
  with access to the defenses of Imperial Manse, she also knew 
  that some of her rivals were far from sane.
  Kejak’s proposition offered her a glimmer of hope. She 
  returned the emissary with a promise of acceptance… as long 
  as Kejak came to her. Stunned by her insolence, but fully 
  aware of both her raw power and the gravity of the situation, 
  the Sidereal swallowed his pride and journeyed—alone and 
  on foot—to the ancient fortress that housed the Celestials’ 
  defenses—and the Empress as well. He knelt before the gates, 
  head bowed, for a full day. Impressed by his show of humility, 
  and by the fact that the arrangement was obviously so impor-
  tant to Kejak, the Empress opened the doors of the Palace 
  of the Anathema and bade him enter. What transpired in 
  that meeting can be pieced together from later events and 
  scraps of correspondence long since destroyed.
  Kejak outlined his problems, what he thought the 
  Empress’s problems were and where their interests overlapped. 
  He then proposed a solution: resurrecting the Realm, under 
  the Empress’s guidance. He’d get a stable central political 
  entity that could impose some kind of social structure on the 
  Dragon-Blooded, and the Empress would receive both the 
  empire and freedom from her rivals. The Empress thought 
  his plan overly optimistic and naïve. In her opinion, ofﬁ cially 
  
  14
  reestablishing the Realm would engender a series of bloody 
  civil wars. While her control of Celestial powers would 
  allow her to win those wars, the price of victory seemed 
  prohibitively high.
  Kejak then informed her of the full extent of what his 
  aid would mean. She would have the assistance of the entire 
  Bronze Faction of the Sidereal Exalted and its most prominent 
  tool, the Immaculate Order. He required only one condition. 
  Kejak’s examinations of the Loom of Fate told him that a purely 
  secular empire would eventually collapse into decadence. To 
  avoid this, he proposed linking the political necessity of empire 
  to the spiritual structure of the existing Immaculate Philosophy. 
  The doctrine of the Immaculate faith already stated that the 
  Dragon-Blooded themselves were essentially divine and that 
  their word was law. Using this philosophy to explicitly support 
  the new Realm (as it had implicitly supported the Shogunate 
  before the Contagion) would both help pacify the masses and 
  also offer a sop to the other Dragon-Blooded. If they accepted 
  Kejak’s plan and supported the empire, they would be regarded 
  as gods. If they didn’t, they’d rapidly ﬁ nd themselves outside 
  the empire and at the mercy of the Anathema and Fair Folk 
  in the hinterlands. Meanwhile, the humans of the new Realm 
  would be trained to support the empire as a matter of faith as 
  well as good business, ensuring the loyalty of the populace. 
  Successive generations of Dragon-Blooded would then grow 
  up with a spiritually and politically advantageous code of 
  conduct in place.
  They argued and negotiated for nine long days, as the 
  Empress weighed the temptations of his offer against the 
  risks of attempting to support an empire with an untried 
  faith—and of allowing Kejak and his allies substantial ofﬁ cial 
  inﬂ uence. Eventually, she could see no other option, and she 
  accepted his offer. She granted imperial sponsorship to the 
  Immaculate Order, with the caveat that it be dedicated to 
  upholding the reign of the Dragon-Blooded and, through 
  them, the Empress. Neither the Empress nor Kejak trusted 
  the other, but both recognized that both higher loyalties 
  and practical necessities would bind each to uphold their 
  respective ends of the bargain.
  THE BIRTH OF EMPIRE
  After she completed her fateful deal with Chejop Kejak, 
  the Empress once more used the vast machines of the Impe-
  rial Manse, but this time they had a peaceful purpose. She 
  projected an enormous image of herself in the sky above every 
  village and city on the Blessed Isle. When all eyes in the 
  Blessed Isle were turned upon her, she used these machines 
  to send her voice so that it could be heard as clearly as if she 
  stood no more than an arm’s length away from each and 
  every listener. Her image was clad in inhumanly vivid scarlet 
  robes, and even today, poets, novelists and foreign artists 
  attempt to capture a pale shadow of her ﬁ nery and grandeur 
  on that fateful day. In the proclamation, she informed all of 
  the inhabitants of the Blessed Isle that the Realm was hers 
  to do with as she willed. This speech is familiar to every 
  literate citizen of the Realm.
  THE REACTION TO THE PROCLAMATION
  In the wake of the Imperial Proclamation, there was 
  chaos throughout the Blessed Isle. Local daimyos who 
  dreamed of power and glory gathered their armies around 
  them, swearing they’d serve no usurper. Immaculate temples 
  were ﬁ lled with the faithful and terriﬁ ed, and true to Kejak’s 
  word, the priests counseled the troubled masses to accept 
  the divinely granted authority of the Empress. Troops who’d 
  witnessed the destruction of the Seven Tigers or who desper-
  ately sought a new and stable order ﬂ ocked to the Empress’s 
  scarlet banner. This banner was raised in every town and 
  THE IMPERIAL PROCLAMATION
  Children of the Blessed Isle, soldiers and priests, Exalted of the Immaculate Dragons and those 
  who toil in the dust, hear me. Know that the wars and the Contagion are over, now and forever. 
  Know that the Fair Folk have been driven back to the empty places beyond the walls of the world and 
  that it is my power that has done so. Know that those who sought unlawful dominion over the Blessed 
  Isle have been vanquished and their bones sunk beneath the mire at the bottom of the hungry seas. 
  You have peace. This is my gift to you. I think you are all wise enough to accept it.
  Your gift to me shall be obedience. For I am the Scarlet Empress, she who has laid waste to the 
  Fair Folk and washed clean the Contagion and she who has protected the Blessed Isle so that you 
  might live. Mine is the power and the right to rule, and mine is the power and the right to destroy all 
  those who would threaten this land.
  Let it be proclaimed, therefore, that the Realm has risen and that the Scarlet Empress reigns over 
  it with honor as its shogun and queen. Let it be proclaimed that the subjects of the Realm do fealty 
  to the Empress and serve the Realm faithfully, for it nurtures and protects them even as the Empress 
  does. And let the enemies of the Realm tremble, for there is no power in all Creation that can stand 
  against it.
  
  15
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  hamlet on the Blessed Isle (often through the actions of 
  itinerant monks, who’d been alerted by their superiors 
  that the proclamation was coming). Within a fortnight, 
  the bulk of the troops on the Isle had sworn fealty to the 
  Scarlet Empress, and their commanding ofﬁ cers had received 
  visitations from the Empress like the one in which she had 
  proclaimed her authority. The legions were put in motion 
  against those Dragon-Blooded who had announced their 
  deﬁ ance or their desire for independence, and the results were 
  swift and bloody. In less than a year, the Empress’s legions 
  had scoured the Isle of most opposition and established the 
  new Realm as a solid and forceful entity that soldiers could 
  follow and citizens could take comfort in.
  THE FOUNDING OF IMPERIAL CITY
  The capital city of the Old Realm was the vast me-
  tropolis of Meru, located at the foot of the huge Imperial 
  Mountain. Here were located the vast palaces and largest 
  factory-cathedrals of the Anathema. The moderate-sized city 
  known as Vanchow, however, near the eastern coast of the 
  Blessed Isle, had once been a vital part of the Old Realm’s 
  defenses. There, Autochthon had built the Sword of Creation 
  over the largest conﬂ uence of Essence currents in Creation. 
  Yet, when she activated the Realm’s defenses both to repel 
  the Fair Folk invasion and to destroy the Seven Tigers, the 
  resulting earthquakes had destroyed most of Vanchow. Only 
  the Imperial Manse stood untouched amid the ruins and 
  the thousands of corpses created by the Great Contagion. 
  Afterward, the Empress lived in the outer chambers of the 
  building she now referred to as the Imperial Manse.
  As word of her presence there spread, petitioners, would-
  be courtiers and representatives of the Immaculate Order 
  sent by Chejop Kejak all came to the ruins of Vanchow. At 
  ﬁ rst, they settled in the few surviving structures or camped 
  among the ruins. In time, they began to bury the bodies of 
  the dead and remove the rubble. Soon, the Scarlet Empress’s 
  advisors among the Immaculate Order suggested that she 
  commission a new capital.
  The capitol of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate was 
  also in ruins, and those few portions that survived were a 
  vast charnel house. The Scarlet Empress knew how closely 
  her rule was tied to her control of the Imperial Manse, so 
  she ordered the Shogunate capitol be razed and proclaimed 
  Vanchow as the new capital of the Realm. Three years after 
  the Imperial Proclamation, the Scarlet Empress commanded 
  her subjects to build the Imperial City on the ruins of Van-
  chow. Here, the Realm’s greatest architects competed to gain 
  permission to build the largest and most important public 
  buildings. In addition to monies derived from taxes, much of 
  the city was paid for by wealthy Dragon-Blooded who wished 
  to lavishly demonstrate their wealth, their generosity and, 
  most importantly, their loyalty to their new Empress. The 
  Scarlet Empress personally approved all of the plans for the 
  city, as she was determined to have a capitol that was the 
  gem of Creation.
  Using summoned demons and elementals and some of 
  the more powerful artifacts remaining from the Shogunate, 
  as well as vast numbers of skilled and unskilled mortals, the 
  initial plan was completed in nine years. As the inhabitants 
  of the Realm came to terms with their survival and the fact 
  that life would indeed go on in this new Age, however, more 
  people continued to ﬂ ock to the Imperial City. As a result, 
  construction continued, albeit at a slower pace, for the next 
  91 years. By the time it was largely completed in RY 103, the 
  city was home to more than two million inhabitants. Both 
  then and now, it is the largest city in Creation.
  THE FATE OF THE THRESHOLD
  The Scarlet Empress soon realized that without regular 
  use of the full power of the Imperial Manse, she had little 
  hope of ruling the entirety of Creation. By the time she had 
  brought the Blessed Isle largely under her control, reports 
  were already coming in about various states in the Threshold 
  forming around all manner of local leaders. After further 
  discussion with Chejop Kejak, they both sadly understood 
  that without ﬂ eets of skyships and other lost wonders of the 
  Shogunate, there was no way for any Dragon-Blood, even 
  one backed by the power of the Imperial Manse, to control 
  much more territory than the Empress already did.
  The Scarlet Empress also realized, though, that her 
  newly founded empire could be gradually strangled if it 
  were cut off from the rich provinces surrounding the Inland 
  Sea. At this point, she attempted to ensure a solid impe-
  rial foothold off the Blessed Isle without world conquest. 
  Those states that immediately offered allegiance to her 
  were granted special privileges. Their queens and princes 
  were invited to meet with the Empress and offer counsel, 
  and legions were posted throughout their territories so that 
  they need not bear the expenditure of their own defense. 
  In addition, the export of their goods to the Blessed Isle 
  was exempted from the usual tariffs imposed on foreign 
  trade. Ambassadors, accompanied by operatives of the 
  nascent All-Seeing Eye, traveled on diplomatic missions 
  to the neighbors of these allied provinces. Empowered to 
  offer similarly generous terms, these ambassadors proposed 
  unification with the new Realm without the slightest 
  threat or effort at coercion. Meanwhile, other agents of 
  the All-Seeing Eye canvassed the territory, with an eye 
  toward subversion or gathering intelligence for invasion 
  should the offer be refused.
  Ultimately, most of the kingdoms, duchies, provinces 
  and city-states along the rim of the sea agreed to various 
  tributary relationships with the Realm. Several came to 
  agreements with imperial ambassadors only after legion 
  troops deposed rulers disinclined to negotiate, and inde-
  pendent-minded governors demonstrated a tendency to 
  suddenly drop dead with no visible cause. By RY 223, much 
  of the Threshold had come loosely under imperial control. 
  Imperial territories and tributary lands paid taxes to the 
  
  16
  imperial coffers, receiving in exchange the protection af-
  forded by the legions, the benefits of the presence of the 
  Immaculate Order and a preferential trade relationship 
  both with the Isle and with other imperial territories and 
  tributaries. The Realm also built paved roads and harbors 
  in many areas. These latter were put in place to facilitate 
  the movement of troops should such become necessary 
  in the future. In the interim, though, the benefit they af-
  forded trade was immeasurable. Using a careful mixture 
  of occasional brutal punishments and frequent generous 
  rewards, the Empress was able to minimize revolts and 
  disruptions to trade from one end of the Inland Sea to 
  the other, and the resultant flow of wealth to the Blessed 
  Isle was both immense and unceasing.
  Some of these allied states were reduced to penury 
  by taxes and similar forms of tribute they paid to the 
  Realm, but several of the stronger young nations were 
  potent enough to be able to dictate their own terms in 
  their dealings with the Realm. Armed with magics of their 
  own, strong defenses and ready troops, they were rich but 
  unprofitable targets, and the Empress wisely accepted 
  their allegiance without forcing their subservience. The 
  only term that was immutable in any treaty made with 
  the Realm involved the Anathema. Other concessions 
  could be asked for and granted, tariffs lowered and taxes 
  negotiated. But in every single instance of discussion with 
  the Realm, one constant held: Any Anathema found were 
  to be turned over to the agents of the Realm immediately. 
  Failure to do so was always grounds for war.
  THE SCAVENGER LANDS
  The only place where the Empress’s policy of alli-
  ance and subversion utterly failed was in the territories 
  once known as the River Province, now referred to as 
  the Scavenger Lands. The Scarlet Empress desperately 
  wished to gain control of the large store of First Age 
  weapons and technologies held by the Seventh Legion 
  of the Shogunate. Unfortunately, this same storehouse 
  of ancient wonders is the reason for her continued fail-
  ures in this region. The Seventh Legion soon formed 
  the city-state of Lookshy from the ruins of Deheleshen. 
  Determined to make their land the last bastion of the 
  Shogunate, the generals of Lookshy had no interest in 
  forming an alliance with a woman they regarded as a brash 
  upstart. Using their advanced weapons, they successfully 
  repulsed the Empress’s many attempts at invasion. By RY 
  302, Lookshy and the Realm had an uneasy truce, but 
  Lookshy remains ever vigilant. Over the next 466 years 
  since that truce was reached, the Empress continued to 
  send various military expeditions and covert missions 
  into the Scavenger Lands, but she avoided making direct 
  threats to Lookshy.
  
  17
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  absences, carrying itself forward on sheer momentum as the 
  mechanisms of government lurched along with business as 
  usual. Certain that she would soon return, none of the Great 
  Houses made a play for the Scarlet Throne. Even the mostly 
  powerful and highly placed Dynasts were wary that this could 
  be some trick of the Empress’s to see which of her offspring 
  were too ambitious for their own good. In the past, she had 
  always returned as if she had never been away, with no word 
  as to where she had been or what she had done.
  THE VACANT THRONE
  Popular songs of the Realm speak of what the Empress 
  did during her disappearances. The more romantic ones claim 
  that, during these times, the Empress took it upon herself 
  to disguise herself as a humble peasant woman and walk to 
  and fro on her lands, and up and down in them, so that she 
  might better understand the suffering of her people. When 
  she had seen enough, the songs went, she would return to 
  the Imperial Palace and use what she had learned to govern 
  the Realm more wisely. Other more ribald (and less widely 
  performed) tunes describe debauched and erotic adventures 
  with everyone from the gods of Yu-Shan to the Lintha pirates 
  of Bluehaven.
  These melodies are, of course, not close to the truth. 
  After centuries of rule, the Scarlet Empress cares for nothing 
  except the Realm, her continued dominance over it and the 
  powerful and potentially deadly mysteries of the Imperial 
  Manse. The Empress’s absences from public life were all spent 
  deep in the depths of the Imperial Manse itself. There, she 
  labored to propitiate the engines and the things dwelling 
  therein that had brought her to power, offering them sacri-
  ﬁ ces of treasure, blood and souls in exchange for continued 
  mastery of the devices and further instruction in their use. 
  Thousands of slaves have been sacriﬁ ced thus over the years, 
  as well as some of the Realm’s most powerful Dragon-Blooded, 
  a handful of unwary spirits, at least one imperial consort and 
  the Empress’s youngest daughter, whose curiosity led her to 
  follow her mother a triﬂ e too far into the palace.
  THE LONG ABSENCE: THE REALM 
  BEGINS TO FRAGMENT
  While everyone pretended it was business as usual when 
  the Empress ﬁ rst vanished in RY 763, every well-connected 
  Dynast was aware that something was seriously amiss by 
  late 764. While the Empress had vanished before, she had 
  never been gone for so long, and the complete absence of any 
  communication had senior members of the Thousand Scales, 
  the Dynasty and the Immaculate Order extremely worried. 
  Several luminaries—most notably the venerable Shenesh of 
  House Iselsi, the ancient and well-respected Minister of the 
  Imperial Gardens, and no fewer than six abbots of the Im-
  maculate Order—convened a meeting to address the question 
  of what to do if she failed to return. After making certain 
  that there was no hint as to her actual fate or any evidence 
  HISTORY AND THE STATUS QUO
  The history of the Scarlet Empress’s Realm has 
  included decades-long (even centuries-long) stretches 
  when nothing of historical importance occurred. Crops 
  were planted and harvested, taxes were levied and 
  collected, and the sun rose and set every day without 
  incident. This stability is a hallmark of the Empress’s 
  success. Having seen the horrors of the Contagion and 
  the social chaos that led up to the end of the Shogunate, 
  both the Scarlet Empress and the Sidereal Exalted of 
  the Bronze Faction desire nothing so much as to leave 
  behind a legacy of peace, prosperity and stability. For 
  the Empress, a decade without the need for another 
  war was both a decade without anything that might 
  upset her reign and a decade when the populace could 
  live without fear.
  Nevertheless, large-scale stability was not the 
  same as stasis. While the incidents of those long 
  decades never shook the pillars of the empire, they 
  were certainly not dull to those living through them. 
  Great Houses rose and fell to intrigue or poor fortune. 
  Local peasant revolts arose and were put down, often 
  brutally. Provinces declared independence and were 
  dragged back into the fold. Pirates hunted Realm ships 
  and were harried across the Inland Sea. Anathema 
  appeared and were slain by the Wyld Hunt, and not 
  a year went by without some prodigy, omen or false 
  heir appearing and causing the gossipmongers of the 
  Imperial City to predict changes, scandals or even the 
  imminent fall of the Realm.
  As dramatic as these brief incidents were, they 
  neither shook nor altered the course of the Realm. 
  Business continued as usual, and citizens and peas-
  ants who were not directly involved in these incidents 
  rarely knew which province was in revolt on a given 
  day and typically forgot this information within a 
  few weeks. The Realm endured. While the elevation 
  of each Great House and the fall of each rebellious 
  satrap were duly recorded by clerks of the Ministry 
  of Scrupulous Observance of History, most of these 
  events were largely forgotten before scribes ﬁ nished 
  chronicling them.
  CURRENT EVENTS: THE DISAPPEARANCE 
  OF THE SCARLET EMPRESS
  Five years ago, in the midst of the inauspicious ﬁ ve-day 
  period of Calibration, the Empress vanished without a trace. 
  Simply disappearing for a few days or even a few months was 
  not necessarily unusual. She had taken brief sabbaticals from 
  the Scarlet Throne before, some lasting as long as half a year. 
  The Realm continued to function smoothly during these 
  
  18
  that she might return, the council began to debate the far 
  trickier question of succession. Presented with what might 
  be their golden opportunity, the most powerful Dynasts were 
  reluctant to seize power. They not only feared that civil war 
  might result but also simultaneously hoped and feared that the 
  Empress might secretly be watching and would return mere 
  hours after they declared their rulership, inﬂ icting decades 
  of torture upon anyone foolish enough to attempt to usurp 
  her throne. Instead, an unlikely alliance of Nellens, Ragara 
  and Cynis nobles put forth the following plan: The heads 
  of the Immaculate Order would announce that the Empress 
  had gone into seclusion to meditate upon the state of the 
  Realm and would return in due time.
  The Deliberative would choose a regent to guide the 
  Realm in her place, doing nothing save occasionally waving 
  to the populace, so that the peasants would not grow restive. 
  Should the Empress not return within seven years, then 
  steps toward a more permanent succession might be taken. 
  In the interim, all were to regard themselves as caretakers 
  of the Realm against the day when the Empress returned. 
  Both satisﬁ ed and relieved, the various representatives to 
  the Council of the Empty Throne departed and immediately 
  began strengthening their positions against the day when 
  competition for the Scarlet Throne would be thrown open. 
  The Deliberative did its part to perfection, selecting a timid 
  and mediocre member of House Tepet to keep the Empress’s 
  seat cushions warm in her absence.
  That selection, however, was the only aspect of the 
  council’s decision that went as planned. Even before the 
  council met, the allied city-state of Thorns was conquered 
  by the Mask of Winters and transformed into a vast new 
  shadowland. Farther north, a minor barbarian upstart known 
  as the Bull of the North was revealed to be a powerful 
  Anathema working with an Anathema sorceress known as 
  Samea. Together, they and their forces defeated the Realm’s 
  Linowan allies and destroyed the Tepet Legions. The activi-
  ties of both the Deathlords and the Anathema terriﬁ ed the 
  populace of the Realm, who began to worry that the Scarlet 
  Empress disappearance might have signaled the dawn of a 
  new and terrible era.
  Emboldened by tales of the Bull of the North’s victo-
  ries over the Realm’s forces, barbarian attacks on legion 
  outposts increased. As the various branches of the Impe-
  rial Service began to strive against each other, the legions 
  found themselves increasingly ill supported. In the satra-
  pies of the northern coast, rainy winters and dry summers 
  wrecked crops, and the taxes levied on tributary states shot 
  upward as the machinery of empire lurched to a halt. As 
  further evidence of weakness inspired increasingly greedy 
  and self-serving thoughts, the least loyal tributaries in the 
  Threshold edged toward revolt and independence. On the 
  Blessed Isle, the families of the Dynasty circled each other 
  warily, waiting for an opening either to ascend or to bring 
  a rival down. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Throne sat empty, 
  for not even Regent Fokuf dared seat himself upon it more 
  than once. In the streets, some peasants sing songs of the 
  Empress’s triumphant return in the hopes that she will 
  be their salvation. In the Immaculate temples, the priests 
  and the faithful nervously discuss whether the Elemental 
  Dragons are displeased. And in the Realm’s halls of power, 
  the possibility of civil war becomes ever more real with 
  every passing day.
  TIMELINE OF THE SCARLET EMPRESS REALM
  Realm Year 
  Event
  Realm Year 
  Event
  1 
  The destruction of the Fair Folk armies. The annihilation of the Seven Tigers. The founding of the 
  Realm.
  3 
  The Imperial City is founded
  12 
  Founding of the All-Seeing Eye.
  38 
  Establishment of the ﬁ rst ministries and magistrates.
  40 
  The legions are reestablished.
  44 
  Araka Jeresh, lover of the Scarlet Empress, assassinated by a lovesick suitor.
  57 
  First assault on the River Province.
  69 
  Imperial forces withdraw from the Scavenger Lands.
  75 
  Second invasion of the Scavenger Lands.
  76 
  Seventh Legion troops use First Age weapons against the legions of the Realm. Imperial forces withdraw 
  from the Scavenger Lands again.
  81 
  Empress decrees the separation of High and Low Realm.
  88 
  Realm’s last full invasion of the Scavenger Lands.
  89 
  Empress’s Guard destroyed at Melevhil.
  103 
  Founding of the Deliberative.
  114 
  Assassination attempt on the Empress; founding of the policy of the Thousand Mazy Paths. Empress 
  marries Rawar of Arjuf.
  
  19
  CHAPTER ONE • HISTORY OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  TIMELINE OF THE SCARLET EMPRESS REALM CONTINUED
  130 
  Birth of Manosque.
  139 
  Birth of Ragara.
  146 
  Bagrash Köl uses the Eye of Autochthon to build a great kingdom in the North, which surpasses the 
  early Realm.
  174 
  Nine Duchies Banner is raised to the northwest across the Inland Sea. Three legions are sent to 
  crush it.
  176 
  Bagrash Köl destroyed by the Eye.
  202 
  The Thousand Scales reaches its current form.
  211 
  Delzahn Horde conquers Chiaroscuro, offers fealty to the Realm.
  223 
  Relationship ﬁ nalized with all states along Inland Sea and many well into the Threshold.
  227 
  Nellens taken as consort.
  231 
  Sesus born.
  235 
  Ledaal born.
  244 
  Manosque Viridian uses the Eye of Autochthon in an attempt to stage a coup. He is destroyed by the 
  defenses of the Realm, and his House is put to the sword.
  261 
  Nellens dies.
  299 
  Trae Leng’s Revolt.
  301 
  House Iselsi sponsors a semi-ofﬁ cial expedition into the Scavenger Lands, which fails spectacularly.
  303 
  House Iselsi attempts a coup after its unsuccessful adventure in the Scavenger Lands. The attempt 
  is crushed out of hand, and the Iselsi are stripped of most of their possessions and made servants of 
  the Scarlet Throne.
  326 
  Vengeful Harvest uprising.
  362 
  Tepet taken as consort.
  364 
  Barbarian incursions along the northern coast of the Inland Sea repulsed by the Gleaming Fang 
  Legion (formerly the 11th).
  369 
  Birth of Mnemon.
  370 
  Rawar dies.
  371 
  Imperial consort Tepet vanishes.
  416 
  The Guild boycotts trade with the Blessed Isle. The Trade War ensues; resolved in RY 418 as each 
  side recognizes how untenable continued hostilities are. Guild trade items bear an extra tariff for the 
  next two centuries as a result.
  422 
  Elevation of House Nellens.
  433 
  Fire seen in the skies over the Imperial Mountain. Mountain People send emissary to the Empress 
  and return with remarkable gifts, though their delegation had been reduced in number.
  465 
  Unbroken Rushes Rebellion.
  550 
  Treaties renegotiated with Chiaroscuro and other major cities to relax tariffs.
  578 
  War against the Anathema Jochim, which ends in 585.
  591 
  Ragara’s Widows Uprising.
  707 
  Bloodied Scythe Uprising.
  748 
  The Empress supports an underdog in the succession of the city of Thorns in exchange for a cat’s-paw 
  to use against the Scavenger Lands.
  752 
  The forces of Thorns are mauled.
  754 
  The Battle of Mishaka. Armies of Thorns devastated.
  763 
  The Empress vanishes.
  764 
  The Council of the Empty Throne. Armies of Mask of Winters attack and sack Thorns. The Battle 
  of Futile Blood, the Bull of the North slaughters the remainder of the Tepet Legions, under the com-
  mand of Tepet Arada, in the Valley of Shards.
  768 
  Current day.
  
  20
  
  21
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  CHAPTER TWO
  CHARACTER
  CREATION
  CHAPTER TWO
  CHAPTER TWO
  LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  This vast island is home to the largest kingdom in 
  Creation, as well as the most populous and the most 
  advanced. When discussing the lives of any of its tens of 
  millions of inhabitants, the ﬁ rst and most important factor 
  to consider is always those inhabitants’ social class. In the 
  rigid hierarchy of the Blessed Isle, the lives of the Dynasts, 
  patricians, citizens, peasants and slaves are all prescribed by 
  their status. Within the limitations of their social classes, 
  the lives of the patricians and citizens can be rich and 
  full, but neither group can ever aspire to the power and 
  inﬂ uence of the Dynasts. The lives of the peasants might 
  be largely free from either famine or the threat of violent 
  death, but they can look forward to only toil and drudgery 
  as their lot. With the exception of a few carefully regulated 
  paths to advancement, everyone is born into a station, 
  and attempting to go beyond that station is not only nigh 
  impossible but a transgression against the will of the Im-
  maculate Dragons.
  THE 11 GREAT HOUSES
  The 11 Great Houses are matrilineal family lines that 
  have a recognized political place in the Realm. They were 
  all created by the Empress to recognize the fact that the 
  hereditary nature of Terrestrial Exaltation meant that certain 
  families were destined to become politically and economi-
  cally important to the Realm. The leaders of Great Houses 
  have special rights of audience with the Empress, each of the 
  Houses may own slaves, and each can also keep small numbers 
  of household troops. In addition, the Dynasts get special tax 
  arrangements, and they ﬁ ll important roles in the Realm by 
  providing generals, satraps, ministers and other important 
  functionaries in the imperial government. In almost all cases, 
  the founders of Great Houses are Dragon-Blooded—House 
  Nellens is the only Great House with a mortal founder. 
  Leaders of Great Houses are usually descendants of the 
  Empress, but three times, the Empress has adopted a worthy 
  as her child in order to use that child as the foundation of 
  
  22
  a Great House. The founder of a Great House uses only her 
  given name, and any offspring she bears or adopts take the 
  founder’s given name as their family name.
  Great Houses do not necessarily endure forever. There 
  have been 23 recognized Great Houses during the Realm’s 
  history, of which only 11 survive today. The other 12 fell 
  to treachery, treason or misfortune. The last House created 
  was House V’neef, founded 60 years ago by the Imperial 
  Cupbearer, probably to counterbalance the Peleps maritime 
  advantage, though that was only apparent several years later. 
  New Great Houses always enjoyed the Empress’s utmost 
  favor; if they did not, their peers would quickly rend them 
  asunder. The Great Houses always dread the creation of a 
  new House, as it means that some or all of the established 
  Houses would lose assets, which are stripped away and given 
  to the new House.
  The members of the 11 Great Houses grow up know-
  ing that they are the true lords of the Realm. They also are 
  taught that even those members unfortunate enough not 
  to Exalt are inherently far superior to the lower classes. To 
  maintain this separation between Dynasts and commoners 
  and this sense of superiority, the lives of all Dynasts—es-
  pecially of the Dragon-Blooded—are designed to 
  physically distance themselves from the other 
  inhabitants of the Realm. Although many 
  members of the 11 Great Houses regu-
  larly socialize with patricians, the 
  vast majority of Dynasts have absolutely no social contact 
  with commoners.
  On many Dynastic estates, the majority of work is per-
  formed by slaves, and the residents interact with almost no 
  commoners. Even when working in the Thousand Scales or 
  in trade, most Dynasts and almost all Dragon-Blooded make 
  an effort to isolate themselves from commoners. Common-
  ers must instead talk to a Dynast’s patrician secretary or her 
  enslaved amanuensis. Both the Scarlet Empress and the 
  tenets of the Immaculate Philosophy strongly encourage this 
  separation on the grounds that familiarity breeds contempt, 
  while isolation increases respect and deference. The Scarlet 
  Empress understood that social isolation combined with the 
  Dragon-Blooded’s inhuman powers would cause commoners 
  to think of them as almost divine beings whose power was 
  nearly limitless because it was so mysterious. More impor-
  tantly, this isolation would also help encourage the people 
  to accept the Immaculate Philosophy’s teaching that the 
  Dragon-Blooded were inherently wiser and more perfect than 
  ordinary mortals. Therefore, most commoners would blame 
  the problems of the Realm upon patricians and other lesser 
  government ofﬁ cials.
  
  23
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  The only places where commoners can freely interact 
  with Dynasts is within the ranks of the Imperial Army 
  or inside the Immaculate Order. In both cases, all such 
  interactions are governed by strict rules, and the mortals 
  have been thoroughly indoctrinated in the proper attitude 
  of deference toward Dragon-Blooded. Dynasts, both mortal 
  and Dragon-Blooded, who have spent time in either organi-
  zation usually develop at least some degree of rapport with 
  their fellows, regardless of whether these individuals are 
  commoners or other Dynasts. The strict rituals and rigid 
  discipline of both organizations, however, keeps Dynasts 
  in either organization from forgetting the division between 
  themselves and ordinary commoners.
  Within the Realm, many peasants assume that all Dy-
  nasts are Exalts, but a large number of the children born to 
  Dynasts never Exalt. These elevated mortals lead privileged 
  and wealthy lives, but few go on to secondary school, and 
  most must be content with less highly elevated positions 
  within the Realm. Many are encouraged to look after their 
  family estates so that the Dragon-Blooded members of the 
  House will be free to spend time in the Immaculate Order 
  or the Thousand Scales, but determined mortal Dynasts can 
  rise quite high in the Realm. Nevertheless, many Dragon-
  Blooded consider the most important feature of any mortal 
  Dynast to be his bloodline, and being the parent of a child 
  who Exalts always earns such a Dynast much acclaim.
  THE PATRICIANS
  Second only to the Dynasts themselves are the patricians. 
  Related distantly by blood to the glorious Dragon-Blooded 
  and occasionally giving birth to Dragon-Blooded children, 
  the patricians make up the wealthiest and most powerful 
  class of mortals in the Realm. They also have greater rights 
  and more power than any commoners. The Dragon-Bloods 
  of the 11 Great Houses hold all of the highest ofﬁ ces on the 
  Blessed Isle, and their un-Exalted kin typically become their 
  aides and immediate underlings, as well as forming the bulk 
  of the mid-level ofﬁ cers of the legions. The bureaucracy of 
  the Realm is far too large, however, for the important ofﬁ ces 
  to be held solely by Dynasts. The highest-ranking patricians 
  are ministers of the Thousand Scales, prefects in the regional 
  government, winglords of the legions and trierarchs of ships 
  in the Imperial Navy. The children of these worthies—in 
  fact, any patrician children who show sufﬁ cient promise—can 
  attend the same primary schools as the children of the 11 
  Great Houses. Here, they learn and play beside individuals 
  who will Exalt and become the lords of the Realm. Such 
  contacts both in school and later in government or the legions 
  permit friendships and a close understanding to grow among 
  the patricians and the Dynasts. As a result, many patricians 
  have Dragon-Blooded mentors, patrons and allies they can 
  ask for both favors and information.
  The close bonds between the patricians and the Dynasts 
  of the 11 Great Houses are also reﬂ ected by the vast social 
  distance between patricians and commoners. With the 
  exception of some social and economic interactions with 
  the wealthiest commoners, most patricians rarely deal with 
  commoners except as their servants or underlings. Like the 
  Dynasts, patricians live on large estates, and when they stay 
  in cities, they stay in lavish townhouses isolated from the 
  lives of most urbanites. With their lavish silks and jewelry 
  and their easy command of High Realm, patricians live 
  vastly different lives than citizens or peasants do, concern-
  ing themselves far more with the lives and troubles of the 
  Dynasts than with the fates of commoners.
  Yet, despite the fact that most patricians prefer to iso-
  late themselves from commoners as much as possible, they 
  are rarely able to do so effectively. While urban Dynasts 
  live in walled palaces and enclosed urban compounds, the 
  lavish townhouses of the patricians are rarely more than a 
  few hundred yards from the more modest dwellings of the 
  well-off citizens. Even patricians who live on their vast ru-
  ral estates must deal with commoners because they almost 
  never have access to slaves. Unlike Dynasts, who can have 
  slaves perform all the work on their estates, patricians must 
  rely upon peasant laborers to work their ﬁ elds and skilled 
  citizens to sew their clothes, cook their meals and craft 
  their jewelry. As a result, most patricians must interact 
  with commoners every day of their lives. While few have 
  any social or informal dealings with any but the wealthiest 
  commoners, patricians are well used to seeing and speaking 
  with commoners, and vice versa.
  Their social position means that patricians often serve 
  as intermediaries between commoners and the Dragon-
  Blooded. Except for soldiers in the legions, priests and monks 
  of the Immaculate Order and servants who work for one 
  of the 11 Great Houses, most commoners rarely see one of 
  the Dragon-Blooded and almost never have any chance to 
  interact with these majestic beings. Most commoners see 
  the Dragon-Blooded only at public ceremonies. The Ter-
  restrial Exalted are distant rulers whose lives and concerns 
  are largely unrelated to the lives of the average citizens of 
  the Realm. Patricians are far less isolated, though. Their 
  larger numbers and their positions in both the Thousand 
  Scales and local government mean that almost every com-
  moner has come before a patrician to seek redress for some 
  injustice, as a defendant or witness in the Imperial Court 
  or simply to register some piece of important paperwork. 
  Also, just as the patricians serve as the underlings of the 
  Dragon-Blooded, the better-educated citizens sometimes 
  serve as the underlings of patrician ministers, prefects and 
  archons. As a result, commoners are often quite familiar 
  with the lives and dispositions of the patricians.
  As so often happens, familiarity indeed breeds contempt. 
  Because the Dragon-Blooded are inhuman Exalts who are 
  gloriﬁ ed by the Immaculate Philosophy, as well as being 
  distant ﬁ gures whose faults and petty squabbles are rarely 
  visible to commoners, many citizens and peasants regard 
  them with deference and awe. Patricians, however, are both 
  merely mortal and far more accessible. Their lives, excesses 
  
  24
  and misfortunes are frequently the subject of public gossip 
  and private speculation among the commoners, and they 
  are often blamed for problems that commoners experience 
  with the government.
  In addition to legitimate complaints about greed, fa-
  voritism or incompetence by patricians, many commoners 
  regard the Dragon-Blooded as semi-divine beings who can 
  do no wrong. Therefore, any problems they have with the 
  local government, the Thousand Scales or any other of-
  ﬁ cial agency must naturally be the fault of stupid or venal 
  patricians who are somehow subverting the righteous will of 
  the Exalts. For obvious reasons, the Dragon-Blooded often 
  attempt to encourage such feelings. As a result, in many of 
  the peasant and citizen revolts that have occurred in the 
  Realm’s history, the commoner’s rise up and vent their anger 
  upon easily accessible bodies of patricians before they are 
  captured or killed by the legions.
  PATRICIANS AND LOCAL POWER
  While their lives are destined never to be as grand or 
  glorious as those of the Exalted, patricians, like the members 
  of the 11 Great Houses, have only a few acceptable career 
  options in life. Many choose to leave their estates and attempt 
  to make a name for themselves in the world. Some go into the 
  Imperial Army or Navy, others join the Immaculate Order, 
  and many ﬁ nd careers in the vast Imperial Bureaucracy. Yet, 
  not all patricians are so ambitious or so willing to travel. Some 
  patricians prefer to live on their great rural estates. Like the 
  Dynasts, all patricians grow up believing that individuals 
  of their station in life are expected, both by their fellows 
  and by the Immaculate Dragons, to serve the Realm and its 
  interests in some important fashion. While a few become 
  noted bons vivants and dissolute rakes, the vast majority of 
  patricians who eschew the Imperial Service go into trade to 
  help increase their families’ wealth. Others manage their farms 
  and estates, while still others gain important appointments 
  within the government of their prefectures. Most prefects 
  and archons of the various prefectures are patricians whose 
  estates lie within the prefecture they rule. These local leaders 
  understand the particular needs of their prefectures and have 
  connections to the various important commoners living there, 
  allowing them to be just and efﬁ cient leaders. Unfortunately, 
  these connections can also allow such local ofﬁ cials to be 
  especially corrupt and unjust—fabricating charges against 
  commoners whose lands or businesses they wish to control 
  and knowing the best ways to extort excessive amounts of 
  wealth from the populace.
  In the past, the unquestioned power of the magistrates 
  kept the most corrupt patrician prefects in line. The disap-
  pearance of the Scarlet Empress, however, has caused some of 
  the more self-serving prefects and their allies to consider their 
  prefectures to be their personal property and the residents to 
  be their subjects. As disharmony increases throughout the 
  Realm, many of the more ambitious patricians are becoming 
  increasingly free in asserting their power. Fortunately, most 
  still understand that they cannot directly oppose the wishes 
  of the Dragon-Blooded. As a result, patricians in prefectures 
  that contain estates owned by one of the 11 Great Houses 
  almost always either remain loyal to the Realm as a whole 
  or to a particular Great House. Many prefectures in the 
  more remote and less fertile portions of the Blessed Isle, 
  however, are of little interest to the Dynasts. The patricians 
  who control these prefectures understand that the Dragon-
  Bloods must now expend far more of their effort in conﬂ icts 
  with other nations and between the Great Houses, leaving 
  the backwater inhabitants to fend for themselves. As the 
  cohesion of the Realm decays, these patricians are becoming 
  increasingly comfortable with the idea of ruling their own 
  lands as they see ﬁ t and ignoring the government’s distant 
  and sporadic demands.
  THE LIVES OF THE COMMONERS
  The mortal citizens of the Realm have lives that are 
  both far less dangerous and considerably less free than those 
  of many of the inhabitants of the Threshold. Widespread 
  famine is an almost nonexistent fear, as even the poorest 
  inhabitant is assured a minimal amount of grain, onions, 
  tubers and other simple foods. None need fear the depreda-
  tions of the Fair Folk or the dead either. The commoners 
  are excluded from all positions of power, however, and they 
  are ruled by thousands of inhumanly powerful Exalted with 
  centuries-long life spans.
  URBAN LIFE AND THE LIVES 
  OF THE CITIZENS
  The vast majority of citizens are skilled workers who 
  earn solid but not lavish rewards for their labors and who 
  are mostly literate and at least somewhat educated. While 
  some live in rural areas as petty landowners or managers 
  employed by patricians or Dynasts to administer the labor 
  of peasants, most citizens work in the cities and towns of 
  the Realm. The Blessed Isle is a highly urbanized land (for 
  the Second Age). Almost a quarter of its population lives 
  in cities. This is possible only because a combination of 
  weather control, good soil and carefully regulated agricul-
  tural practices makes sure that the Blessed Isle’s farmland 
  always produces bountiful amounts of food during its ﬁ ve 
  yearly rice harvests. Also, on the few occasions when food 
  production is inadequate, the Realm demands that its satra-
  pies and protectorates pay their taxes in food, thus making 
  certain that the inhabitants of the Blessed Isle always have 
  enough to eat.
  Every one of the island’s prefectures has a capital city 
  with a population of at least 10,000, however, and most 
  prefectural capitals have populations of between 20,000 
  and 40,000. While none of these cities are as cosmopolitan 
  or diverse as the Realm’s largest cities (which can rise to 
  the hundreds of thousands in population), all cities on the 
  Blessed Isle share an essential similarity. With the excep-
  
  25
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  tion of Arjuf and less than a dozen other cities that date 
  from the First Age, all of the Blessed Isle’s cities were built 
  after the Usurpation, and most were built during the reign 
  of the Scarlet Empress.
  Regardless of when they were built, cities from all eras 
  were carefully planned. Because the Scarlet Empress has 
  complete authority over the Blessed Isle, she was able to 
  decree that all city plans would share the same character-
  istics that have been used since the end of the war with the 
  Primordials. As a result, all cities on the Blessed Isle share 
  one of two exacting city plans.
  PLANNED CITIES
  Cities designed to support trade or to impress visitors, 
  such as Lord’s Crossing, the Imperial City and many of the 
  prefectural capitals, are all built on a radial plan. The streets 
  include both a series of roads that run in concentric circles 
  and wide boulevards that run from the city center to the 
  periphery. The center of the city is always a large open area 
  that may be a market, as is the case in Lord’s Crossing, or 
  a large public building, such as the Imperial Palace, which 
  lies at the heart of the Imperial City.
  Cities with large military garrisons or those that form an 
  important part of the Realm’s defenses are built on a rigidly 
  square grid plan to maximize ease of movement. Chanos 
  and Arjuf (which is located near the House of Bells) are 
  typical examples of such cities. Most ports are also built 
  on a grid plan to help with their defense against invasion. 
  Each block in these cities is between 300 and 500 yards on 
  a side and is walled, with sturdy gates, so that each block 
  can be sealed off from all of the others. In all of the Realm’s 
  ports, foreigners must live in a designated foreigner’s quarter, 
  which consists of one or more of these walled blocks. While 
  foreigners can freely venture out of the foreigner’s quarter 
  in the daytime and early evening, there is a curfew after 
  which they will be escorted back to the foreigner’s quarter 
  and ﬁ ned unless they can provide an excellent reason for 
  being out after curfew.
  Regardless of the plan used in any individual city, any 
  large-scale changes to a city must be approved by the local 
  authorities. Buildings cannot simply be put up where or how 
  the land lessee desires. Roads and alleys must always have 
  a certain minimum width, only certain building materials 
  are allowed, and the requirements for multistory buildings 
  are even stricter. Also, every building must have adequate 
  drainage and plumbing and a minimal number of windows. 
  All of these laws help reduce the spread of both ﬁ res and 
  disease and so allow cities in the Blessed Isle to be far safer 
  and more productive than squalid Threshold cesspits such 
  as Nexus.
  Even the poorest inhabitants of these cities have certain 
  amenities to which few other inhabitants of Creation have 
  access. Streetlights line the roads, while running water 
  and wide stairs for multistory buildings are found in both 
  the wealthiest urban mansions and the poorest apartment 
  buildings. Also, everyone who is in need can go to the lo-
  cal granary and obtain a weekly ration of rice, salt, onions 
  and dried beans. While this meager and limited food is far 
  from appetizing, it is freely available to anyone in need. As 
  a result, starvation (as well as the riots and lesser crimes 
  that it so often produces in the Threshold) is largely absent 
  from the Realm.
  The Empress’s strict utilitarianism has resulted in many 
  similar beneﬁ ts for urban dwellers in the Realm. The Realm 
  has strict building codes that include provisions that mandate 
  the use of materials that will help prevent and slow ﬁ res, as 
  well as the use of thaumaturgical anti-ﬁ re safeguards in all 
  multistory buildings. In addition, use of paid street cleaners 
  and the requirements for indoor plumbing serve to greatly 
  reduce disease, rendering the Realm largely free from the 
  epidemics of various contagious diseases such as typhoid 
  that regularly sweep through cities such as Nexus. In addi-
  tion to reducing civil unrest, these measures also serve to 
  maintain both morale and productivity.
  THE LIVES OF CITIZENS
  The jewelers, scribes, minor bureaucrats, shop own-
  ers, scholars, physicians, thaumaturges and small-scale 
  merchants of the Realm are all citizens. In many ways, the 
  citizenry in the Realm is an exceedingly diverse default cat-
  egory—every ofﬁ cial resident (thus excluding slaves and the 
  disenfranchised) who is not a Dynast, patrician or peasant 
  is a citizen. Their lives are much like the lives of the middle 
  class throughout Creation. They engage in skilled work and 
  earn sufﬁ cient monies to afford at least minor luxuries. The 
  poorest have several suits of clothing and meals somewhat 
  more varied than the peasants, while the wealthiest live 
  in lavish mansions and townhouses that rival those of the 
  patricians. The citizens also make up the only class with 
  signiﬁ cant economic mobility. By deﬁ nition, peasants are 
  always relatively poor, and both patricians and Dynasts are 
  exceptionally wealthy. Citizens span the gamut in between. 
  Shrewd mercantile practices, acquiring a patrician patron 
  or simple luck can transform a citizen with a modest home 
  and worn but serviceable clothes into someone whose wealth 
  earns invitations to patrician balls and parties. Also, while 
  most citizens follow in the profession of one of their parents 
  or some other close family member, citizens are free to choose 
  their occupation. If the daughter of a potter has the talent 
  and the funds to pay for her training, she can become a 
  thaumaturge, a sailor or a playwright. Even the wealthiest 
  and most renowned citizens have no real voice in govern-
  ment, however, and the whims of the Dynasts can raise or 
  topple their fortunes with the stroke of a pen.
  WEALTHY CITIZENS
  While the stereotype is that the citizens of the Realm 
  are the hard-working middle class and that the wealthy 
  and the powerful consist solely of the patricians and the 
  members of the Great Houses, commoners occasionally 
  
  26
  achieve great wealth in the Realm. Most of these wealthy 
  mortals are merchants, but trade is not the only path to 
  riches. Some are skilled artists or artisans who have both 
  Dragon-Blooded patrons and a studio of apprentices and 
  assistants carrying out their wishes and bringing them the 
  bulk of the proﬁ ts. Others are entertainers of various sorts, 
  whose novels, plays or songs have captured the imagina-
  tions and the monies of both commoners and Dynasts alike. 
  Naturally, a few are the children of wealthy parents who 
  were born to riches. Regardless of how they make or made 
  their fortune, all of these individuals live in a unique posi-
  tion. Under the Realm’s laws, they possess no more rights 
  than any other commoner—the Dragon-Blooded rule the 
  Blessed Isle and even the wealthiest commoner will never 
  have a real voice in the government. The wealthiest and 
  most inﬂ uential might potentially gain the false power of 
  a seat in the Lesser Chamber of the Deliberative, but very 
  few who are not at least of patrician birth will ever hold 
  even this ofﬁ ce. Commoners are barred even from positions 
  of moderate ofﬁ cial power such as becoming ministers or 
  prefects. Instead, wealthy mortals are left with two paths 
  to greater inﬂ uence. They can marry a patrician, or they 
  can forgo ofﬁ cial power and concentrate on increasing their 
  wealth and their connections with the Threshold.
  There are always patrician families interested in increas-
  ing their wealth through marriage, especially by marrying a 
  member of a family whose wealth and commercial connections 
  are greater than their own. As a result, the eligible members of 
  the wealthiest commoner families rarely have difﬁ culty secur-
  ing invitations to patrician balls and other social functions. 
  Historically, many wealthy commoner families have merged 
  their fates with slightly less prosperous patrician families to 
  their mutual beneﬁ t. In some cases, especially wealthy mortals 
  can negotiate for their siblings and other close relatives to be 
  adopted into the patrician family they marry into, completely 
  joining the two families and instantly elevating all of their 
  relatives into the patrician class.
  Some commoners choose another option—cultivat-
  ing contacts with the Threshold. Doing so usually means 
  establishing an especially close relationship with one or 
  more Guild factors or with one or more rulers of kingdoms 
  in the Threshold that have favorable relations with the 
  Realm. Regardless of which powerful Threshold-dwellers 
  these wealthy commoners develop close ties to, the results 
  are usually similar. In addition to making occasional visits 
  to lands where mortals have at least some control over their 
  own destinies, these contacts also give wealthy commoners 
  access to wonders forbidden on the Blessed Isle. Many avail 
  themselves of the opportunities to gain access to skilled 
  thaumaturges who can make improved longevity drugs and 
  powerful talismans against ill health. Some go further and 
  gain access to artifacts that allow them to use the power of 
  a hearthstone from a Threshold manse, or even to make 
  bargains with spirits or demons for various powers.
  Using such techniques, these wealthy commoners can 
  gain access to one of the Dragon-Bloods’ greatest advantages, 
  longevity. The oldest of these mortals sometimes live to al-
  most 200, and few ﬁ nd the existence of wealthy commoners 
  who are healthy and active well into their second century 
  of life to be at all surprising. In rare cases, commoners even 
  make deals with spirits to become God-Blooded or outﬁ t 
  themselves with hearthstones and artifacts usable by mortals. 
  Such individuals often fall under suspicion of wishing to 
  usurp power beyond that allotted to them by the Immaculate 
  Dragons as well as having forbidden dealings with gods. 
  Since such heresies can be considered treasonous, wealthy 
  commoners who wish to empower themselves in this fashion 
  usually leave the Blessed Isle to take up residence in a land 
  more hospitable to their desires.
  Most of the Realm’s wealthiest commoners are content 
  to live on the Blessed Isle, though. While their power is 
  circumscribed, they also have far less reason to fear dangers 
  that plague other large cities. (For instance, riots occasionally 
  spill out from the poorer quarters of Nexus or Chiaroscuro, 
  the undead and fae monsters threaten Whitewall or the cit-
  ies of the Haslanti League, and wars can swiftly engulf any 
  of the nations of the Threshold.) All wealthy individuals 
  desire peace, safety and stability around their homes, and 
  many mortals value these ideals far more than freedom, 
  especially if they possess sufﬁ cient wealth to indulge their 
  pleasures and need never fear hunger or want.
  Unfortunately, many of these wealthy commoners 
  believe that their wealth will protect them from the nega-
  tive repercussions of their actions. For those who cultivate 
  close contacts with well-connected patricians, this is usually 
  true. Wealthy commoners who look outside the Realm for 
  most of their allies, however, can ﬁ nd their allies helpless 
  to aid them if they break any of the Realm’s stringent laws 
  or even if they appear to be getting too powerful and too 
  well connected with foreign powers.
  The Dynasts are both jealous of their power and dis-
  trustful of signiﬁ cant international relations that they do 
  not control. Wealthy commoners sometimes ﬁ nd themselves 
  stripped of much of their wealth and power due to trivial 
  or fabricated offenses, and those who complain too loudly 
  can ﬁ nd themselves also losing their citizenship or even 
  their lives. A few foolish or idealist commoners who spend 
  time outside the Realm might consider the idea that the 
  Dragon-Blooded might not have an inborn right to rule. 
  Even the wealthiest of these individuals swiftly discover 
  that their riches cannot protect them if they begin to speak 
  openly, or just too often, about these opinions. As a result, 
  few wealthy commoner families remain wealthy for more 
  than three generations. By that time, most have either 
  married into the patrician class, left the Blessed Isle for less 
  regimented lands or lost their wealth (or lives) because one 
  or more of their members were seen as a potential threat 
  to the Realm.
  
  27
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  RURAL LIFE AND THE PEASANTRY
  Although it boasts the largest cities in Creation and 
  has a larger proportion of its population living in cities and 
  large towns than anyplace in Creation, three quarters of the 
  population of the Blessed Isle still lives in rural areas. Along 
  with the gangs of toiling work slaves, these farmers, foresters 
  and small-scale craftspersons are responsible for much of 
  the Realm’s prosperity. Unlike those slaves, however, the 
  Blessed Isle’s rural inhabitants have all of the rights and 
  responsibilities of mortal inhabitants of the Realm. As is 
  true everywhere in Creation, foresters and peasant farmers 
  have hard lives ﬁ lled with menial work. Yet, unlike similar 
  rural inhabitants elsewhere in Creation, these people live 
  free from fear of monsters devouring them or armies tram-
  pling their ﬁ elds. Most peasants on the Blessed Isle can look 
  forward to nothing except living in a small and rude house, 
  performing physical labor and eating meals largely consisting 
  of food they raise, but they always have good weather and 
  sufﬁ cient food. When they are sick or injured, they can rely 
  upon trained physicians to treat their ailments.
  Despite the inevitable association of peasants and rural 
  areas, peasants on the Blessed Isle are not simply farmers. 
  Some ﬁ sh the streams of the Blessed Isle or work on the 
  ﬁ shing boats that sail out every morning from every port in 
  the Realm. Others work as laborers in the cities. The deﬁ ni-
  tion of a peasant is a laborer with a hereditary occupation 
  and a hereditary home. Unlike citizens, peasants are not 
  only expected to follow their parents’ profession, they are 
  required to do so, just as they are required to live in their 
  parents’ village, town or city. When there are labor short-
  ages or surpluses, ministers in the Honorable and Humble 
  Caretakers of the Common Folk relocate peasants to differ-
  ent portions of the Blessed Isle. Peasants can also petition 
  these ministers to move or even to change profession, and if 
  there is any justiﬁ cation for this request, it is usually granted. 
  Regardless, most peasants live and die in the same city or 
  village and work in their parents’ profession. Farmers farm 
  the land, ﬁ shers sail out to catch ﬁ sh, and urban laborers 
  unload ships, clean streets or perform manual labor for 
  hire. In this last case, urban peasants are not expected to 
  negotiate their own contracts. Instead, they assemble at 
  hiring halls run by the Honorable and Humble Caretakers 
  of the Common Folk, where citizens and patricians in need 
  of laborers come to ask the clerks in charge for a work crew. 
  All arrangements are made between the individuals hiring 
  the laborers and the clerks administering the hiring halls. 
  Peasants are hired for terms ranging anywhere from a day 
  to a year, but regardless of their term of hiring, they are 
  paid once a week by the clerks at their hiring hall. Their 
  pay is a standard rate that all of them know well, so few 
  clerks attempt to short their pay. Doing so can easily result 
  in riots and similar violence.
  ADVANCEMENT AND SOCIAL MOBILITY
  The Scarlet Empress and her advisors who helped craft 
  the Realm’s laws and government cared far more about 
  
  28
  stability and peace than about freedom. As a result, little 
  allowance was made for individuals who wished to improve 
  their station in life, because doing so risked upsetting the 
  social order. The Immaculate Philosophy teaches that it’s 
  wrong to seek a different position in this life. Doing well at 
  one’s assigned role is what leads to advancement in one’s next 
  incarnation. The Scarlet Empress did understand, though, 
  that not everyone could abide such strictures, so the restless 
  yearnings of the few who refuse to be satisﬁ ed with their lot 
  in life were harnessed to the demands of government. In the 
  Realm, two ways to advance in status exist. The individual 
  can “take the coin or take the razor.” In short, the person 
  can join the Imperial Army and ﬁ ght for the Realm at home 
  and abroad, or he can shave his head, join the Immaculate 
  Order and ﬁ ght the enemies and aid the believers of the 
  Immaculate Philosophy at home and abroad.
  A peasant who serves a 15-year term in the legions is 
  automatically elevated to citizenship and can then retire 
  with a modest cash bonus that will hopefully allow him to 
  set himself up well in his new life. Serving an additional 
  ﬁ ve years provides the individual with a modest pension 
  when he retires. Citizens who join the army automatically 
  earn modest pensions after 15 years and somewhat larger 
  ones after 20. In addition, acts of exceptional bravery or 
  especially impressive service in the direct defense of the 
  Realm can result in common-born soldiers being elevated 
  to the status of patricians. Such ennoblements occur very 
  rarely, but they form a major incentive for would-be heroes 
  to give their all for the Blessed Isle. Naturally, most such 
  ennoblements are awarded posthumously. More commonly, 
  signiﬁ cant service to the Realm is rewarded by land grants 
  and other monetary rewards provided when a soldier retires. 
  Even the disenfranchised can regain their place in society 
  through military service. After 15 years, one can choose 
  either citizenship or the stable life of a peasant on a fertile 
  tract of land.
  Service in the Immaculate Order offers no such obvious 
  rewards, but it does allow intelligent young commoners to 
  gain an education that they might otherwise be denied. It 
  also provides everyone seeking such a thing a life of faith, 
  service, contemplation, duty and self-enlightenment. Unlike 
  joining the legions, membership in the Immaculate Order 
  is typically for life, but especially devout and hard-working 
  members can advance far in the Order. When they grow old, 
  these priests and monks can look forward to a comfortable 
  retirement surrounded by younger monks who earn merit 
  by caring for them.
  These two choices are the only options for advance-
  ment in social class for commoners in the Realm, and they 
  are available to everyone from the lowliest disenfranchised 
  peasant to the wealthiest citizen. Even outcaste Dragon-
  Blooded who are born among the ranks of the commoners 
  are expected to choose one of these two options. Neither 
  option is a choice for the lazy or the incompetent, however. 
  Recruits to both the Imperial Army or the Immaculate 
  Order are expected to work unusually hard to prove their 
  worth, and any who refuse to do so are soon asked to depart 
  and never return.
  THE DISENFRANCHISED
  The majority of crimes against the government are 
  considered to be treason and are punishable by death. In the 
  case of serious crimes such as arson, attacking a Dynast or 
  sedition, the punishment is death by torture. Other crimes 
  against mortals or their property are considered less seri-
  ous. While the commoner courts (see p. 66) deal with most 
  problems, more serious crimes such as large-scale vandal-
  ism or riots attract the attention of the magistrates. The 
  typical penalty that the magistrates issue for such crimes is 
  disenfranchisement. Usually only a portion of a village or 
  an urban neighborhood, ranging from a single individual 
  to several families, is disenfranchised. Sometimes, however, 
  entire villages or neighborhoods are disenfranchised, forcing 
  several dozen to several hundred individuals to leave their 
  homes and take to the roads.
  Disenfranchising an entire village or urban block is 
  supposed to be an extreme measure that is applied only in 
  situations where the entire local population is peripherally 
  involved in the crime or where everyone attempted to shield 
  the identity of the perpetrators. In actual practice, the 
  magistrates, prefects and archons use this power far more 
  widely. Sometimes, ofﬁ cials decide to eliminate a village or 
  other concentration of people who have been problematic 
  in the past, or a busy prefect decides to save the trouble of 
  ﬁ nding the actual criminal by disenfranchising everyone 
  who might be guilty. In addition, when a Dynast or other 
  powerful individual wishes to obtain the title to a speciﬁ c 
  piece of rural land or a city block, she might convince the 
  local magistrate or prefect to disenfranchise the locals the 
  next time one of them commits some minor infraction. 
  Because commoners have no recourse, this particular power 
  is exceedingly easy to abuse, and it is difﬁ cult to tell how 
  often such abuses occur, since most disenfranchised mortals 
  aren’t eager to talk about how they were unfairly turned out 
  of their homes.
  The fate of the disenfranchised depends upon their 
  wealth and the feelings of their non-disenfranchised 
  neighbors. Once the magistrates leave, the well-liked 
  disenfranchised are allowed to stay in the houses of their 
  friends or relatives. If an entire village is disenfranchised, 
  the individuals must walk to villages that house their 
  friends or relatives. Once there, they are typically allowed 
  to stay for a few days or weeks, until they can make some 
  plans for what they will do next. For those who are not 
  wealthy enough to pay the four-koku residency pledge fee 
  to move into a new prefect, the best option is to leave the 
  Realm and settle in the Threshold. Those who can afford 
  passage and have a useful skill can often make decent lives 
  for themselves and their families in Chiaroscuro, Nexus 
  or one of the other large cities of the Threshold. While 
  
  29
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  it is perfectly legal to steal such people’s money and then 
  deny them passage, ship captains rightly worry that such 
  activities will diminish the number of disenfranchised 
  customers they will have in the future. Still, the disen-
  franchised regularly pay between half again and twice as 
  much for their passage as do citizens of the Realm.
  Those who lack the money to pay for their own pas-
  sage can ﬁ nd passage-brokers in every port in the Blessed 
  Isle. In return for agreeing to spend the next three to 
  seven years as indentured servants, these individuals are 
  given passage to someplace where their indentures will be 
  purchased. While skilled individuals such as physicians or 
  jewelers can usually sign relatively short indenture contracts 
  and are usually treated well, farmers and unskilled labor-
  ers often ﬁ nd that they have signed up for seven years of 
  clearing poisonous jungles or rowing a war galley or mining 
  gemstones in the Far South. The least fortunate end up 
  being sold as slaves or, occasionally, becoming part of a 
  human tithe to the Fair Folk.
  The lot of those who elect to remain on the Blessed 
  Isle is often no better. Disenfranchised who are wealthy 
  or even members of the middle class are often robbed 
  repeatedly within a few days of their disenfranchisement, 
  reducing them to utter poverty. Also, regardless of their 
  wealth, unless they can afford the high residency fee for 
  another prefecture, they are condemned to wander from 
  place to place. Such individuals typically subsist by doing 
  odd jobs and the most menial forms of labor and often 
  end up the equivalent of privately owned slaves. Others 
  seek out prefectures that have a sufﬁ cient labor shortage 
  that their residency fees will be waived. Once again, any-
  one possessing skills in a trade has a far greater chance 
  of obtaining such a boon. Many disenfranchised end up 
  agreeing to work for an archon or some other minor of-
  ﬁ cial or wealthy local in return for room and board and 
  a promise of becoming a citizen of the prefecture within 
  a month or two. All too often, at the end of this time, 
  these disenfranchised laborers are turned out to wander 
  the roads again with nothing to show for several weeks of 
  backbreaking labor except barely adequate food and poor 
  housing for the duration of their work.
  SLAVERY ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  During both the First Age and the Shogunate, the 
  wonders of the Blessed Isle ultimately came from the power 
  of the Exalted and the magics of their Essence-based tech-
  nologies. In addition to controlling the weather and altering 
  the landscape to better serve the needs of the mortals who 
  worked the land, the Exalts built automata that worked in 
  the factory-cathedrals and others that mined and puriﬁ ed 
  valuable resources. They also produced many other artifacts, 
  including the glorious skyships that once swiftly carried vast 
  numbers people and enormous cargoes to the cities and towns 
  of the Blessed Isle and the far reaches of Creation.
  
  30
  The remnants of these technologies still provide many 
  essential services for both the Dynasts and the mortal 
  citizens of the Realm. Most automata, vehicles and other 
  complex artifacts no longer function, however, and cannot be 
  repaired. As a result, there is a continual demand for work-
  ers to quarry stone, mine metal, repair non-magical roads, 
  reclaim poor land, dredge harbors, haul freight overland and 
  perform a host of similarly backbreaking tasks. To meet this 
  demand internally, the Realm would need to employ tens 
  of thousands of its citizens every year. The Scarlet Empress 
  long ago realized that the Realm could not afford to pay 
  sufﬁ cient numbers of its residents to perform such tasks and 
  that demanding the citizenry of the Realm perform such 
  services for free would both reduce tax revenues and incite 
  signiﬁ cant amounts of civil unrest. Instead, the Blessed Isle 
  now imports many thousands of slaves every year. Most of 
  these slaves work in gangs of up to 10,000 and are given 
  such strenuous work that few survive more than ﬁ ve years. 
  Some are war captives, but most are given to the Realm as 
  tribute from its many allies and foreign satrapies.
  Every citizen of the Realm knows that slaves are a 
  necessary part of the infrastructure that allows them to 
  live in the most prosperous land in all of Creation. As a 
  result, opposition to the brutal treatment of these slaves is 
  minimal, especially since imperial law forbids any resident 
  of the Realm from ever being enslaved.
  To help prevent slave revolts, these gangs of work slaves 
  are kept isolated both from each other and from the citizens 
  of the Realm. Slaves live in rude villages constructed at their 
  work sites. These villages and the areas where the slaves 
  work are well guarded, and commoners are prevented from 
  coming into contact with them. This policy of strict isolation 
  is even maintained when a slave gang must dredge a harbor. 
  The slaves are quartered on vast barges and almost never set 
  foot in the cities whose harbors they are dredging.
  Work slaves can be freed, but only in the most extreme 
  circumstances, such as if one of them undergoes Terrestrial 
  Exaltation, selﬂ essly saves the life of a Dynast or single-
  handedly prevents a large slave revolt.
  The lot of specialty and domestic slaves is far less oner-
  ous, though less than one twentieth of the slaves coming 
  into the Realm end up in either position. When new slaves 
  ﬁ rst arrive in the Blessed Isle, well-trained overseers examine 
  them and separate out the unusual, the highly skilled, the 
  well educated and the most beautiful for use as either skilled 
  workers or personal servants to the Dynasts. The lives of 
  these slaves are typically much longer than (and far superior 
  to) those of the work slaves.
  Most Dragon-Blooded households have at least two 
  or three specialty and domestic slaves, either for pleasure 
  or to handle the particularly distasteful or dangerous jobs. 
  Dragon-Blooded estates sometimes keep small groups of 
  work slaves for dangerous mass labor such as mining, and the 
  Dynastic families lease slave gangs to the Realm or to patri-
  cian interests to perform unskilled and manual labor. Most 
  Dynastic household servants are slaves, but some households, 
  especially among the few Dragon-Blooded who are opposed 
  to slavery, also hire from among the local peasantry and 
  pay wages in food, clothing and staple goods.
  The laws governing slavery are set up to both maximize 
  the work that can be obtained from slaves and to prevent 
  slave revolts. In addition to preventing contact between 
  slaves and commoners, the Dynasts also make certain that 
  commoners lack sympathy for slaves. To this end, the Scarlet 
  Empress established the ﬁ rm rule that citizens of the Realm 
  can never be enslaved. Slaves are always foreigners, who even 
  the peasants are taught to regard as inferior barbarians. To 
  further prevent contact, the laws about freeing slaves are 
  also quite strict, preventing the growth of a large population 
  who might attempt to help aid rebel slaves.
  Dragon-Blooded can free their slaves only with the 
  permission of the Deliberative. Each Dragon-Blood is al-
  lowed to free no more than three slaves per decade. The only 
  exception is freeing slaves after death. A Dragon-Blood with 
  a will registered with the Department of Graceful Passings 
  is permitted to free up to 16 slaves (one for every month of 
  the year, and one for Calibration) upon her passing.
  Some Dragon-Bloods use freedom as a reward for slaves 
  who perform heroically in the service of their masters. Oth-
  ers use the lure of eventual freedom to prod new slaves into 
  ever-more dangerous or degrading acts. A few Dragon-Bloods 
  simply free as many slaves as they can get away with. It is 
  rare for the Deliberative to deny a request to free a slave.
  Yet, while few slaves can hope to be freed, and work 
  slaves are almost never freed, certain regulations govern the 
  treatment of work gangs and the treatment of specialty and 
  domestic slaves. Slaves who are starved, needlessly beaten 
  or mutilated are far less efﬁ cient than healthy, well-fed, un-
  injured slaves. As a result, while mutilating pleasure slaves 
  for the purpose of increasing the range of pleasures she can 
  be used for is considered acceptable, mutilating a slave as 
  punishment is considered both wrong and foolish. Minor 
  infractions are resolved through beatings, and major infrac-
  tions are dealt with by transferring specialty or domestic 
  slaves to work gangs and by executing work slaves.
  CITIZENSHIP ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  Because it is the safest and most prosperous nation 
  in Creation, large numbers of mortals wish to live on the 
  Blessed Isle. Although many nations in the Threshold offer 
  more freedom and chances for advancement, they also of-
  fer the threats of rogue gods, hungry ghosts, predatory Fair 
  Folk and all manner of similar dangers that the inhabitants 
  of the Blessed Isle never face. Many mortals would happily 
  trade the opportunities that they might ﬁ nd elsewhere 
  for the safety of the Realm, especially since living on the 
  Blessed Isle also means that they are far less likely to face 
  crop failures or starvation.
  
  31
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  While the Realm always needs more slaves, the Dy-
  nasts understand that even this huge island cannot accept 
  unlimited numbers of free immigrants. As a result, the 
  process of becoming a citizen of the Blessed Isle is both 
  difﬁ cult and governed by strict rules. Everyone who has 
  at least one parent who is a citizen of the Blessed Isle is 
  automatically of the same social class as their Realm-born 
  parent. Dragon-Blooded from any part of Creation may 
  automatically become citizens of the Realm if they ﬁ rst 
  join either the Imperial Army or the Immaculate Order. 
  For everyone else, the process of becoming a citizen of the 
  Realm is far more arduous.
  Only three ways exist for ordinary mortals from the 
  Threshold to become citizens of the Realm. The wealthy 
  can make a payment equal to Resources 4 (between four 
  and six talents of jade) and instantly gain citizenship for 
  themselves, their spouses and their children. Everyone else 
  can either serve in the legions for a term of 15 years or work 
  for at least a decade in the vast civil service that the Realm 
  maintains in its colonies, protectorates and close allies and 
  gain at least one major or three minor commendations.
  A major commendation is given only to individuals 
  whose actions either directly save the lives of one or more 
  Dynasts or who otherwise perform some service that directly 
  prevents a crisis. Minor commendations are far easier to 
  come by but still demand that the individual perform some 
  important task above and beyond the call of duty. Many 
  of the bureaucrats who manage to perform such services 
  are either employed as spies by the Realm or act as spies 
  and informants in addition to their ordinary bureaucratic 
  duties, in the hope of gaining citizenship. In this fashion, 
  the Dynasts are assured of both excellent intelligence and 
  valuable new citizens.
  The only other way that outsiders can become citizens 
  of the Realm is for one of the Dynasts to recommend them 
  for citizenship. Any Dynast can do this, but doing so too 
  often can earn Dynasts the contempt of their fellows. Dy-
  nasts are expected to provide this service only for relatives 
  or close companions or to reward valued servants for many 
  years of service. As a result of these inducements, foreign 
  soldiers and bureaucrats are always eager to obtain work in 
  the Realm’s legions and civil service, and Dynasts who live 
  in one of the Realm’s satrapies are always assured of having 
  exceptionally dutiful servants.
  THE CONTROL OF KNOWLEDGE
  The Scarlet Empress’s regime, like the Shogunate before 
  it, has a deliberately created ideology as its basis. As a result, 
  the Dynasts are keenly aware of the power of information, 
  and they maintain careful control of any books or other 
  records that contradict the Immaculate Philosophy or that 
  are otherwise potentially dangerous. Over the years, the deﬁ -
  nition of potentially dangerous information has expanded. 
  Naturally, the Dynasts severely limit the availability of any 
  works that conﬂ ict with the approved histories, as well as all 
  records from the early days of the First Age, especially those 
  that portray the Anathema in any sort of positive light. The 
  Dynasts also limit access to any information that could be 
  use to endanger their lives or to disrupt the social order. As 
  a result, books on thaumaturgy, poisons or even detailed 
  medical texts are available to only the Dynasts themselves 
  or to the few mortals whom the Dynasts grant access.
  The result of this system of censorship and control has 
  been the grouping of all books, thought crystals and other 
  types of recording media into three categories. The most 
  stringently controlled are considered too problematic for 
  even the majority of the Dragon-Bloods to access. Although 
  they all are referred to as heretical texts, most have nothing 
  to do with religious heresies. Such books include all uncen-
  sored writings from of the First Age, plans and details of the 
  construction and workings of national secrets such as the 
  war manses and the Imperial Manse, and all information 
  on making magical deals and pacts with the Neverborn or 
  the Yozis. Copies of the infamous Broken-Winged Crane, 
  which allows any Exalted to gain vast amounts of infernal 
  power, are the most closely guarded of these books. Those 
  works that are not kept in the most secure portions of the 
  Heptagram library or the sacred Chamber of Records in 
  the Cloister of Wisdom are stored in the Imperial Manse 
  or in the most restricted portion of the Imperial Library in 
  the Imperial City.
  The only individuals who have free and unrestricted 
  access to these books are the Sidereal Exalted of the Bronze 
  Faction, the highest ofﬁ cials in the Thousand Scales, the 
  Scarlet Empress and her most trusted advisors, and the 
  senior members of both the Immaculate Order and the 
  Heptagram staff. Mortals, including patricians and un-
  Exalted members of the Great Houses, are never allowed 
  access to any of these works. These texts are considered so 
  sensitive that only the Exalted can read them. In addition, 
  Dragon-Bloods who are not members of one of the few 
  groups allowed free access to such works must petition for 
  access to them. Professors and students at the Heptagram 
  must request them from the heads of the Heptagram. Monks 
  and priests of the Immaculate Order must ask permission 
  of their leaders. Everyone else must request them from the 
  special librarians who deal with these works. To gain access 
  to any of these books, petitioners must state an acceptable 
  reason to look at them. Anyone granted access to these 
  works can examine only one book at a time and cannot 
  remove it from the room where it is stored. In addition, 
  manually copying these works or using Charms to do so 
  is forbidden, and all of the rooms where these books are 
  stored are equipped with enchantments that register any 
  use of Essence. Also, the Thousand Scales’ Ofﬁ ce of Literary 
  Control keeps track of everyone who requests such works 
  and alerts the All-Seeing Eye if someone appears to be too 
  interested in dangerous topics of research.
  
  32
  Restricted books are those that are considered ac-
  ceptable for any Dragon-Blooded to read, but that are not 
  considered suitable for the majority of mortals. Restricted 
  books include works on thaumaturgy; military strategy and 
  tactics; speciﬁ c information on gods, demons, elementals or 
  other supernatural beings; uncensored histories of the First 
  Age or the Shogunate; uncensored accounts about any faith 
  other than the Immaculate Philosophy; martial-arts manu-
  als; treatises on poisons; medical texts that include more 
  than basic ﬁ rst aid and the treatment of simple diseases; and 
  any books that give detailed information about the Charms 
  of the Dragon-Blooded or the powers or construction of 
  artifacts or other enchantments. In addition, ﬁ ction that 
  is considered too disrespectful of appropriate standards of 
  ethics or morality is also restricted. In general, only plays 
  or novels that have the protagonists or other sympathetic 
  characters speaking out against the Dynasts, practicing 
  heresy or praising the Anathema earn a place on this list. 
  Beyond prohibiting plays and novels that are openly sedi-
  tious or heretical, the Dynasts rarely concern themselves 
  with the entertainments of the commoners.
  Dragon-Bloods may freely own a copy of any restricted 
  book, but they are forbidden from copying these books or 
  allowing mortals access to these works. Mortals must be 
  individually approved to read any of these texts, and their 
  names are recorded. Patricians and the mortal members 
  of the Great Houses can easily get approval to read any of 
  these texts. Other mortals must apply to the Honorable 
  and Humble Caretakers of the Common Folk to gain ac-
  cess to such works. In addition to presenting a signed and 
  witnessed permission for access to a speciﬁ c work and a 
  statement of why they wish to read the work, commoners 
  must also present appropriate credentials. Only licensed 
  physicians can gain access to restricted medical texts, and 
  only licensed thaumaturges can gain access to restricted 
  works on thaumaturgy.
  Finally, general texts are books that are freely available 
  to all mortals. Such books include approved histories com-
  piled by skilled scholars, treatises on various non-restricted 
  trades, books on geography, travelers’ tales, novels, plays and 
  similar entertainments, guides to etiquette and morality and 
  the religious texts of the Immaculate Philosophy. Mortals 
  with the means to do so can freely purchase such works, 
  and other mortals can read them in one of the Realm’s 
  many libraries. In addition to the fact that they contain no 
  potentially dangerous or troubling knowledge that might 
  upset commoners, these works are also mostly written so 
  that they help inculcate appropriate standards of ethics and 
  behavior in the readers. As a result, most novels and plays 
  tend to feature heroic Dynasts and evil heretics, and in the 
  end, the heroes usually either triumph or die heroically, while 
  the villains receive some sort of justice or retribution.
  After any book in the Realm is written or when printer 
  or book dealer attempts to import a book from the Thresh-
  old, the work must be submitted for approval and editing to 
  the scribes of the Honorable and Humble Caretakers of the 
  Common Folk. Books not immediately deemed heretical and 
  conﬁ scated are classiﬁ ed as either restricted texts or general 
  texts. This classiﬁ cation must be made before any books can 
  be printed or sold in the Realm. All such books are given a 
  special stamp indicating both their classiﬁ cation as well as 
  the date it was made and the name of the sub-minister who 
  approved it. Duplicates of these stamps are printed on the 
  back cover of every book printed by the Realm, along with 
  the name of the printer, the address and license number of 
  the printing press and the date it was printed.
  MEDICAL CARE
  While the Dragon-Blooded are largely immune to the 
  frailties of mortal ﬂ esh, the un-Exalted members of the Great 
  Houses and the patricians are all treated by well-paid on-staff 
  LIBRARIES ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  The vast Imperial Library, located in the Imperial 
  City, contains at least one copy of every work written 
  since the Contagion. In addition, it contains several 
  hundred works written during the Shogunate, as well 
  as a few dozen books and other more exotic recordings 
  dating from the First Age. (The latter works include 
  everything from lurid First Age novels to scholarly 
  works on complex Essence-powered devices that have 
  not existed since the Great Uprising.)
  While most inhabitants of the Blessed Isle think 
  of this vast repository of knowledge when someone 
  mentions a library, there are three other types of li-
  braries in common use. Dynasts and a few patricians 
  maintain large private libraries, institutions such as 
  the Dynastic secondary schools maintain large librar-
  ies of works devoted to topics related to the subjects 
  they teach, and the Realm maintains a series of public 
  libraries. Every small city and large town has at least 
  one such library, and large cities might contain as 
  many as half a dozen. Here, copies of the general 
  texts that are freely accessible to all commoners are 
  freely available for everyone to read. Books may not 
  be removed from the library, but any resident of the 
  Realm is free to come in and read any of the works. 
  These public libraries exist to both encourage the 
  populace to read the wisdom contained in the general 
  texts and to indirectly discourage anyone from seeking 
  out restricted or heretical texts.
  In all of the Realm’s libraries, the books are not 
  openly available. Instead, there are large catalogs list-
  ing the titles, authors and brief descriptions of every 
  work contained in the library. Patrons must request 
  a text from a librarian, sign for it, read the book in 
  the library and return it before they depart.
  
  33
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  loophole because few Exalts consider these inferior mortal 
  magics as being worth their trouble to learn. While mortals 
  are permitted to learn the secrets of thaumaturgy, however, 
  those who do are carefully monitored. Learning such skills 
  requires the individual to look beyond the narrow range of 
  general texts that are approved for unrestricted use. Books on 
  thaumaturgy are all restricted texts. Gaining access to such 
  books requires special petitions and appropriate qualiﬁ ca-
  tions, as well as regular payments to the Imperial Treasury 
  for the appropriate license from the Thousand Scales.
  Once obtained, this license allows mortals to work as 
  astrologers, alchemists and enchanters, making medicines 
  and other wares for wealthy mortals and the few Dragon-
  Bloods who desire such services. Alternatively, talented 
  thaumaturges can always ﬁ nd employment with the Bureau 
  of Climatic Deliberations, which is in charge of weather 
  control for the Blessed Isle. Within the Realm, however, 
  the practice of thaumaturgy is strictly limited. In addition 
  to being forbidden from passing on their knowledge to 
  anyone who lacks the appropriate training and licenses, 
  there are strict limits on the types of magics that licensed 
  thaumaturges can perform.
  Astrology is one of the more popular and widely used 
  services they offer. Astrologers make predictions about 
  trade, marriage, money and a host of other topics, but 
  they are forbidden from making readings about the lives 
  of the Terrestrial Exalted. According to the Immaculate 
  Philosophy, reading the fate of the mighty Exalted is an act 
  of hubris that fosters the ofﬁ cially heretical belief that the 
  Dynasts are bound by fate in the same manner as mortals. 
  Similarly, making predictions about political upheavals or 
  the outcome of imperial battles (or attempting to predict 
  any similar actions involving the government or the Great 
  Houses) is also forbidden. Not only that, but doing so is 
  almost treasonous because it calls into question the fact 
  that the power and success of the government and the 
  Dynasts who rule it are divinely ordained by the Elemental 
  Dragons themselves.
  Alchemy is almost as popular as astrology. There is 
  always a demand for medicines, exotic recreational drugs 
  and potent draughts that enhance the prowess of soldiers, 
  athletes and other mortals. Most such drugs are perfectly 
  legal, and the Honorable and Humble Caretakers of the 
  Common Folk regard providing these substances as an 
  important addition to their own efforts. There are, how-
  ever, strict limits on the sorts of drugs that alchemists can 
  provide to mortals. Drugs that lengthen mortal life spans 
  by more than 25 percent are forbidden, as are any drugs 
  that allow mortals to perceive or interact with spirits or 
  ghosts. In addition, all poisons are strictly regulated, as are 
  all recreational drugs more potent than opium, marijuana 
  or qat. Finally, drugs that allow mortals to ape the abilities 
  or physical prowess of the Exalted, even for a short time, are 
  strictly forbidden, and the use of any such drugs is considered 
  an offense against the power of the Exalted.
  physicians. Most commoners must pay private physicians to 
  treat their ailments. All physicians in the Realm are licensed 
  because the Empress was unwilling to allow mortals free 
  access to treatises on disease, injury or poisons. Mortals 
  who wish to learn more than the simple ﬁ rst aid and basic 
  remedies found in the general medical texts must apply for 
  a license to study medicine and apprentice themselves to a 
  licensed physician for a period of at least four years.
  In addition to bringing in revenue and limiting access to 
  potentially dangerous knowledge, licensing physicians also 
  allows the Thousand Scales to keep track of them. Because 
  the Empress and most of her Sidereal allies still remember 
  the dark days of the Contagion, the Realm’s commitment 
  to public health is quite strong. Every licensed physician 
  must spend one month every year treating the urban poor 
  or the rural peasantry. Elderly or inﬁ rm physicians may 
  be excused, as may any physician who can instead send a 
  licensed apprentice capable of passing a test indicating that 
  she possesses at least Lore 1, Medicine 2 and Occult 1. In 
  return for obtaining free but modest room and board at a 
  government medical station administered by the Thousand 
  Scales, for this month, these physicians freely treat everyone 
  in need of their services. This practice is useful because a 
  healthy populace increases productivity and morale. It also 
  helps reduce the severity of epidemics.
  MEDICAL STATIONS
  Every city has one government medical station for every 
  10,000 inhabitants, and most of the large farming towns 
  also have one. Even the most isolated rural peasants must 
  travel no more than ﬁ ve miles to reach a medical station. Yet, 
  while the bureaucrats of the Thousand Scales wish to make 
  certain that cuts and broken legs do not become crippling 
  injuries and that most peasants will recover from fevers and 
  infections, they are not interested in giving the peasantry 
  unlimited medical care. As a result, while performing their 
  public service, physicians are speciﬁ cally instructed to treat 
  only contagious diseases and relatively simple problems such 
  as fevers, infections or broken bones. While all responsible 
  physicians provide drugs and palliative treatments for more 
  serious or difﬁ cult problems, they are forbidden from taking 
  time away from their ofﬁ cial duties to treat serious conditions 
  such as cancer or the various age-related ailments. Despite 
  this limitation, the poor and the peasants are all grateful 
  for the medical stations, in part because free treatment of 
  simple illnesses allows those who are slightly better off than 
  their neighbors to save up monies to help pay for private 
  physicians to treat more serious conditions.
  THAUMATURGES AND MORTAL MAGIC ON 
  THE BLESSED ISLE
  Mortal thaumaturges are exceptions to the accepted 
  social order because mortals are normally supposed to leave 
  magic to the Dragon-Blooded. Thaumaturgy offers a useful 
  
  34
  OFFICIAL THAUMATURGES
  Thaumaturges who wish to delve deeper into the se-
  crets of magic or to manufacture the most potent potions or 
  enchantments can do so only while working for one of the 
  Great Houses or the Thousand Scales. The government em-
  ploys thaumaturges skilled in alchemy to create and stockpile 
  medicines, and many dozens of thaumaturges who are adept 
  at weather working are employed by the Bureau of Climatic 
  Deliberations. In addition, the Heptagram teaches limited 
  amounts of thaumaturgy to its students, largely to help them 
  better understand the theory of magic. While mere mortals can 
  never become instructors at the Heptagram, the most skilled 
  thaumaturges can gain lucrative and prestigious positions as 
  adjunct teachers of the classes on thaumaturgy.
  The majority of the thaumaturges employed by the 
  Dragon-Blooded, however, work directly for one of the 
  Great Houses. In addition to providing medicines and 
  recreational drugs for their Dragon-Blooded patrons, these 
  thaumaturges are occasionally asked to create deadly and 
  untraceable poisons, as well as complex enchanted traps. 
  They also create minor enchantments and talismans for their 
  employers, ward their dwellings and perform all manner of 
  similarly useful services that many Dynasts consider to be 
  vitally important but far too time-consuming for them to 
  spare the time or effort to perform.
  MAGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
  Except for licensed thaumaturges, Immaculate monks 
  and a few God-Bloods, none of the mortals in the Realm can 
  wield Essence, but all of them greatly beneﬁ t from various 
  Essence-based technologies. While the Blessed Isle suffered 
  greatly during the Contagion, the Fair Folk invasion and the 
  minor earthquakes caused by the Scarlet Empress’s use of the 
  full power of the Realm Defense Grid, portions of the First 
  Age infrastructure remained intact after the Scarlet Empress 
  took power. In addition, hundreds of skilled Dragon-Blooded 
  survived the Contagion, and some of them were able to 
  rebuild a few of the ruined artifacts. Most of the complex or 
  delicate Essence-technologies that survived the Contagion 
  failed during the ﬁ rst century of the Scarlet Dynasty, but 
  many of the more robust and simple portions of the Realm’s 
  infrastructure are still in use and continue to be maintained. 
  While there are many unique First Age wonders to be found 
  throughout the Blessed Isle, the only ones that are univer-
  sally available are the Essence-based power systems and the 
  weather control system.
  ESSENCE POWER
  Drawing on the power of several dozen small (mostly 
  one-dot) manses scattered throughout the Blessed Isle, the 
  Dynasts maintain a system of Essence distribution with an 
  infrastructure that, in its earliest form, dates from before the 
  war against the Primordials. Jade pillars placed throughout 
  the Blessed Isle channel and direct this power for various 
  uses. During the First Age and the Shogunate, a larger 
  and far more extensive version of this system powered vast 
  numbers of vehicles that hovered above the imperial roads 
  and automata that worked in mines and factories throughout 
  the Blessed Isle. Today, the imperial power system is far less 
  extensive, but it still powers streetlights and provides both 
  light and heat to public buildings and to the mansions of the 
  Dynasts and the patricians. These Essence-derived energies 
  also pump water to the Realm’s cities and farms.
  Essence lights are globes of glass infused with powdered 
  blue jade. These lights are all slightly less than a foot in di-
  ameter and glow with the light of a half dozen torches. They 
  are placed atop tall iron poles along many city streets in the 
  Realm and in ornamented ﬁ xtures inside important buildings. 
  Flat panels of a glass infused with red jade provide heat in 
  these same buildings, and Essence-powered pumps are found 
  in both rural canals and urban plumbing systems. All of these 
  devices can still be manufactured, but doing so requires either a 
  highly trained thaumaturge or Exalts working for several days. 
  Therefore, they are mostly reserved for use by the government 
  or by the powerful families of the Realm. A few such devices 
  are sold to wealthy merchant families, but only the wealthiest 
  can afford more than one or two of these minor wonders.
  WEATHER CONTROL
  Although the weather in the Threshold is subject to 
  both chance and the whims of the gods and elementals, the 
  weather is carefully regulated in the Realm. One branch of 
  the Home Ofﬁ ce is the Bureau of Climatic Deliberations, 
  popularly known as the weather workers. Employing dozens 
  of Dragon-Bloods and a sizeable minority of the Realm’s 
  licensed thaumaturges, this bureau is charged with control-
  ling the weather over the entire Blessed Isle.
  The weather workers mostly operate through a combi-
  nation of sorcery, Charms, mortal thaumaturgy, advanced 
  weather-working devices such as the powerful sky mantis 
  towers (see Wonders of the First Age
  Wonders of the First Age, p. 65) and a host of 
  larger and more powerful artifacts such as the huge weather 
  monoliths created during the Shogunate. Placed a maximum 
  of 100 miles from one another, these weather monoliths 
  help make certain that no place on the Blessed Isle is out 
  of reach of the weather-control network that the rulers of 
  the Shogunate used to replace the awesome power of the 
  fallen Anathema.
  Although the Bureau of Climatic Deliberations is orga-
  nized by prefecture, the director of the weather workers has the 
  authority and the ability to alter the weather over the entire 
  Blessed Isle. Making large-scale unplanned changes in the 
  overall weather can produce serious side effects that can take as 
  long as a week to gain control of. As a result, rapid, unplanned 
  changes are made only by the direct order of the Empress or 
  a general of the Imperial Army. Such a change is usually only 
  needed to help thwart a major attack on the Blessed Isle. Such 
  an attack has not occurred since the second century of the 
  
  35
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  Empress’s reign, so the current director of the weather workers 
  is ill prepared to deal with such an emergency.
  This bureau, however, has regular duties that extend far 
  beyond simply making sure that the weather remains ideal 
  for farming. Members of the Great Houses regularly peti-
  tion for speciﬁ c types of weather during various important 
  parties or festivals. As long as these weather conditions last 
  no more than a day or two and are not sufﬁ ciently drastic 
  that they might seriously impact local farming, such requests 
  are almost always granted, in return for a sufﬁ cient bribe. In 
  addition, the weather workers form an essential part of the 
  mechanisms of social control in the Blessed Isle.
  The rising urban tensions that often occur in especially 
  hot summers are regularly defused with sudden summer rain-
  storms or breaks in heat waves. On a more immediate scale, 
  if a riot, public protest or other large disturbance occurs or 
  even looks likely to break out, rain, hail or some similarly 
  inclement weather swiftly appears over the troubled area and 
  helps to drive all but the most dedicated rioters or dissidents 
  off the street. Once the less dedicated have sought shelter, the 
  local Guardians of the Realm have far fewer people to deal 
  with and generally assume that anyone who is still outside is 
  a serious trouble-maker worth arresting. The weather workers 
  also form an important part of the Realm’s emergency services. 
  Fires in cities or ﬁ elds can be rapidly quenched by heavy rains, 
  and ships trapped near the coast during a dangerous storm 
  can expect a local decrease in both rain and wind once the 
  local weather workers become aware of their plight.
  TRAVEL AND COMMUNICATIONS
  Many Exalts can travel across the Realm in a few hours 
  using Essence-powered vehicles or sorcery spells such as 
  Stormwind Rider, and most Dragon-Bloods know Charms or 
  spells that allow them to instantly communicate with people 
  miles distant. All of the imperial bureaus and each of the 11 
  Great Houses employ Exalts who can send messages anywhere 
  on the Blessed Isle in an instant, as well as a few sorcerers 
  who can carry passengers and small cargoes at high speeds. 
  In addition, many well-connected patricians can ask a Dynast 
  they know to instantly send a message for them, especially if 
  the patrician offers to perform some favor in return.
  The lives of the mortal residents of the Blessed Isle 
  are very different, though. In some Threshold cities such 
  as Nexus, wealthy mortals can pay Dragon-Bloods to send 
  messages or carry packages, but on the Blessed Isle, mak-
  ing such an offer could easily result in the Dragon-Blood 
  killing the mortal for her impudence. Instead, ordinary 
  mortals must rely upon mundane means of communication 
  and transport.
  COMMUNICATIONS
  Despite ordinary mortals’ lack of access to magic, com-
  munication in the Realm is far superior to what’s available 
  in most of the Threshold. The Blessed Isle is covered with 
  a network of heliograph towers that can ﬂ ash messages 
  from one side of the Blessed Isle to another in less than 
  
  36
  four hours. These towers are in operation 24 hours a day 
  and are relatively inexpensive to put to use. At night, they 
  use bright Essence-powered light globes instead of mirrors 
  that reﬂ ect the sunlight.
  In addition to the heliograph, ofﬁ cial couriers of the 
  Infallible Conveyers of Ofﬁ cial Messages and Heartfelt 
  Expressions—more commonly referred to as the Imperial 
  Post—are authorized to take private packages if they do not 
  have ofﬁ cial items to carry. Imperial couriers change horses 
  every few hours and can travel as many as 120 miles a day. 
  Because private packages have far less priority than ofﬁ cial 
  imperial documents or messages, however, the couriers rarely 
  go more than 100 miles a day. The Realm is also home to 
  half a dozen private courier systems using simple horse relays 
  (see Exalted
  Exalted, p. 265). 
  TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT
  For the vast majority of mortals, transport on the 
  Blessed Isle involves feet, horses, carriages or boats. 
  Important mortal ofﬁ cials, personal assistants to the 
  Dragon-Blooded and well-connected patricians can some-
  times persuade Dragon-Bloods to take them along when 
  the Exalts are using spells or artifacts to travel inhumanly 
  fast. Similarly, the most well-trained mortal soldiers in the 
  Imperial Army or Navy—especially those trained in the 
  use of artifacts such as ashigaru armor—are sometimes 
  ordered to accompany Exalts on important missions, during 
  which they are carried in such swift artifacts as chariots 
  of the inﬁ nite heavens. (See Wonders of the First Age
  Wonders of the First Age, p. 
  79 for ashigaru armor, and p. 37 for chariots of the inﬁ nite 
  heavens.) In all such cases, however, the mortals either 
  travel under orders from the Exalts or on their sufferance. 
  Also, only a tiny fraction of the tens of millions of the 
  inhabitants of the Blessed Isle has ever traveled by any of 
  these means. Instead, the greatest boon that the Realm 
  provides to mortal travelers is the military might that keeps 
  bandits and other threats to travelers at a level far less than 
  is found in the vast majority of the Threshold.
  For most mortals, the fastest transport is that provided by 
  the various carriage services that travel throughout the Blessed 
  Isle. The best travel almost exclusively on the well-maintained-
  imperial roads and have special stations for changing horses in 
  ever city and town in which they stop. As a result, they travel 
  at the speed of a simple horse relay (see Exalted
  Exalted, p. 264). A 
  character must have at least two dots of Resources to be able 
  to afford a journey of up to 100 miles courtesy of a carriage 
  service. A trip across a large portion of the Blessed Isle is an 
  epic journey for which a character would need at least three 
  dots of Resources. In both cases, travelers must supply their 
  own food and lodgings, unless they wish to book travel with 
  one of the luxury carriage services that exist to serve wealthy 
  merchants and other rich notables. These services add one dot 
  to the minimum requirement of all travel but allow a traveler 
  to carry large amounts of baggage, and they make sure that she 
  has excellent food and lodgings on the entirety of her journey. 
  Similar costs apply to sea voyages around the coast of the 
  Blessed Isle. Since the coast-hugging vessels that make such 
  journeys never travel out of sight of the Isle, the risks of these 
  journeys are little greater than travel by carriage. Mortals who 
  absolutely must travel more rapidly can rent the use of the horses 
  used by the few private elaborate horse relays on the Blessed 
  Isle. Individuals who attempt this, however, must have at least 
  Ride 3, and their players must make successful daily (Stamina 
  + Resistance) rolls for the characters with a difﬁ culty equal to 
  half the number of days (round up) they have been traveling 
  in this fashion. Failure means that the rider must rest for at 
  least two full days before resuming his journey.
  MAGICAL COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT
  Even for mortals, the fastest forms of both communi-
  cation and transport involve magic. Mortal thaumaturges 
  regularly summon up air elementals that can travel rapidly 
  and carry messages on the wind. With sufﬁ cient payment, 
  these beings are sometimes even willing to carry passen-
  gers. Although only the most desperate mortals risk being 
  hauled about by an elemental, thaumaturgy provides the 
  most rapid form of mortal transport and communication 
  on the Blessed Isle. It is also the most expensive form of 
  transport or communication by far, since summoned el-
  ementals often ask for rare and expensive payment, and no 
  thaumaturge is willing to risk summoning any elemental 
  without substantial payment. A character must have at 
  least three dots of Resources to be able to afford to send 
  a message or a small package this way, and carrying a 
  large package or a person increases that minimum by one 
  dot. Skilled bargainers can sometimes obtain a promise 
  of a round trip journey for the same price (which requires 
  at least three successes in an opposed [Manipulation + 
  Bureaucracy] roll against the thaumaturge).
  INTERNAL TRADE
  With the Guild barred from involvement in the Blessed 
  Isle’s internal trade, patricians, Dynasts and their agents 
  handle all of the trade in weapons, armor, jade and rice. 
  These strategic commodities are kept out of the control of 
  the commoners. Yet, the Blessed Isle is a prosperous land 
  inhabited by tens of millions of mortals who also require 
  cloth, spices, jewelry, medicines, intoxicants and a host 
  of other luxuries and necessities. Given their many other 
  duties, the patricians and Dynasts cannot handle this mas-
  sive volume of trade, and most have little interest in doing 
  so. Instead, mortal citizens are responsible for the bulk of 
  trade on the Blessed Isle. Such mortals range from itiner-
  ant peddlers carrying their wares on their back between 
  villages to skilled caravan masters hauling only the ﬁ nest 
  rare merchandise between the Blessed Isle’s largest cities. 
  The largest merchant companies come close to rivaling 
  the scale of the Guild’s operations in any of Creation’s four 
  quarters and are headed by individuals whose wealth and 
  power almost outweighs their status as commoners.
  
  37
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  Although all caravans must be licensed by the Thou-
  sand Scales, experienced caravaners have little difﬁ culty 
  in obtaining licenses, as the Realm’s bureaucracy has little 
  interest in preventing necessary trade. Many of the ofﬁ cial 
  regulations governing caravans exist only to make certain 
  that all caravans are property outﬁ tted so that they will 
  both be able to complete their journeys and avoid making 
  themselves too tempting a target to bandits. In return for 
  dealing with the regulations and the required payments, 
  caravaners on the Blessed Isle need have no fear of attack 
  by predatory monsters or extortion by greedy gods. Even 
  the risk of attack by mortal bandits is considerably lower. 
  As a result, caravan trafﬁ c is high, and so are proﬁ ts. Even 
  the Realm’s taxes do not offset the fact that considerably 
  fewer caravans are lost on the Blessed Isle than anywhere 
  else in Creation.
  FAITH AND HERESY
  The Immaculate Philosophy is the ofﬁ cial faith of the 
  Realm, and anyone who worships in any other manner is 
  a treasonous heretic. The great majority of the populace, 
  including almost the entirety of the peasantry, accepts 
  the Immaculate Philosophy as the revealed truth of the 
  Immaculate Dragons, rarely questioning any of the teach-
  ings of the Immaculate priests and monks. The degree of 
  religious feeling differs from one person to another, though, 
  and both innate cynicism and exposure to foreign ideas 
  lead some away from this faith. As a result, Immaculate 
  priests accept that individuals in the Realm are free to 
  believe whatever they wish, as long as they take part in the 
  appropriate rituals and avoid worshiping in any proscribed 
  manner. Worshiping in a manner deemed inappropriate for 
  mortals results in punishments ranging from heavy ﬁ nes to 
  disenfranchisement or even death. Proselytizing or otherwise 
  encouraging others to worship in an inappropriate manner 
  seriously compounds this offense. Worshiping the Fair Folk, 
  demons, the Deathlords or the Anathema are all treason. 
  The worshiper is directly aiding the deadliest enemies of 
  the Realm with his prayers and sacriﬁ ces.
  MAJOR HERESIES
  Before the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, 
  these four varieties of heretical worship were largely 
  unknown on the Blessed Isle. Almost all mortals there 
  had enough sense to realize the dangers of worshiping 
  inhuman monsters such as the Fair Folk or the Deathlords. 
  Only a handful of the most dissolute or power-hungry 
  thaumaturges engaged in any form of demon worship, and 
  the Anathema were little more than a distant myth of 
  far-off monsters that the Wyld Hunt swiftly dispatched.
  As the Realm becomes increasingly chaotic, how-
  ever, and news of the reappearance of the Anathema 
  continues to be heard, even the most extreme forms 
  of heresy are becoming increasingly common. Daring 
  and twisted thaumaturges are more willing to worship 
  
  38
  demons, and while the Fair Folk are still no more than a 
  distant, unknown menace, the fall of the city of Thorns to 
  the Deathlords gave birth to a small number of death cults 
  on the Blessed Isle.
  The most common major heresy now, however, is the 
  worship of the Anathema. Most mortals in the Realm still 
  trust the teaching of the Immaculate Philosophy and con-
  sider the Anathema to be insane and predatory monsters, 
  but small groups of mortals have seized on the idea that 
  the return of the Anathema will somehow save them from 
  all of their troubles. The Bull of the North’s destruction of 
  the Tepet Legions shook the Realm, and even sincere and 
  pious commoners sometimes worry that the newly returned 
  Anathema will soon overwhelm the mighty Dragon-Blooded. 
  Although its efforts here are still quite furtive and subtle, 
  these beliefs are aided by the mysterious Cult of the Il-
  luminated. Its temple on the outskirts of the city of Lord’s 
  Crossing continues to attract more followers, and for the 
  moment, its existence is completely unknown to the Dynasts 
  and the Immaculate Order.
  Anyone found practicing any of these four major heresies 
  is condemned to death. Their only hope of avoiding torture is to 
  freely confess the names of the leaders of their cults. Any who 
  refuse are tortured and interrogated with powerful Charms 
  until they confess the names of all of their confederates. After 
  their ordeals, these heretics are paraded through the streets 
  of their city or town and publicly executed after Immaculate 
  priests describe in detail the nature of their offense and use the 
  occasion to explain the necessity of combating such horriﬁ c 
  heresies by any means necessary. One of the major reasons 
  for the complete lack of tolerance of such worship is the fact 
  that mortal prayers and sacriﬁ ces provide these beings with 
  additional power and wealth.
  To further combat heresy, the Immaculate Order 
  offers a substantial reward for any non-heretic who acts 
  as an informer and reveals the names of individuals who 
  turn out to be practicing any major heresy. The standard 
  reward amounts to a shekel’s worth of jade, but it can be as 
  much as a whole talent of jade if the informer reveals the 
  existence of a large cult.
  MINOR HERESIES
  Although worshiping the enemies of the Realm is quite 
  rare and has only recently begun to gain in popularity, lesser 
  religious offenses are considerably more widespread. Two such 
  heresies are particularly common: direct worship of gods or 
  elementals and ancestor worship. The ﬁ rst is less common 
  than the second, both because of the greater appeal of ancestor 
  worship and because many of the local gods and elementals on 
  the Blessed Isle are fearful of the consequences of being caught 
  accepting illicit worship. Exalted Immaculate monks readily 
  punish rogue deities found guilty of receiving illicit prayers 
  and occasionally make deals with some of the high-ranking 
  gods so that these gods will police their underlings and reveal 
  the identities of any gods or elementals caught accepting 
  unauthorized prayers.
  Once discovered, rogue spirits are then interrogated 
  by their superiors or the Immaculate monks until they 
  reveal the identities of their worshipers. There is a great 
  deal of gossip and speculation among the local gods of the 
  Blessed Isle as to the desirability of accepting private wor-
  ship from mortals, but only the most daring or foolish gods 
  are willing to accept it. Occasionally, when a particularly 
  timid or law-abiding god is offered worship, it comes to the 
  Immaculates on its own and denounces the mortals offer-
  ing sacriﬁ ces to it.
  Now that the Realm is increasingly in disarray, far more 
  gods are willing to defy the precepts of the Immaculate 
  Philosophy and accept worship. A few have even taken 
  to materializing and setting themselves up as the rulers of 
  isolated villages. So far, these offenses have been relatively 
  isolated, and the gods involved have been willing to assert 
  their authority over only the most remote portions of the 
  island. The longer the current problems persist, however, 
  the bolder some of the gods become. A few members of the 
  Immaculate Order now fear that, unless order is restored to 
  the Blessed Isle, it could end up as infested with greedy and 
  venal gods as many portions of the Threshold.
  While illicit worship of gods is growing, ancestor wor-
  ship has been a small but endemic problem on the Blessed 
  Isle since the end of the Contagion. Every mortal on the 
  Blessed Isle knows she will die someday. While most correctly 
  assume that they will swiftly be reborn, a few worry about 
  the possibility that they or their loved ones will become 
  ghostly vagabonds, wandering the Underworld in heedless 
  and miserable poverty. In addition, a few mortals prefer the 
  possibility of continued existence as a ghost to losing their 
  memories in the process of rebirth.
  The Dynasts are well aware that allowing unsanctioned 
  funeral rites risks disrupting the cycle of rebirth and creating 
  a multitude of ghosts. In addition to not wanting the living to 
  be troubled by their ancestors materializing and demanding 
  offerings, the Dynasts also fear that too many ghosts might 
  lead to the creation of one or more shadowlands. When she 
  ﬁ rst unleashed the power of the Imperial Manse, the Scarlet 
  Empress destroyed almost all of the shadowlands that had ap-
  peared on the Blessed Isle in the aftermath of the Contagion, 
  and Immaculate monks and Sidereal sorcerers then worked 
  together to seal the remainder. The Dynasts are resolute in 
  their determination not to allow new shadowlands to form 
  in the Blessed Isle, especially not now that the Deathlords 
  are served by the terrible deathknights.
  Magistrates and lesser ofﬁ cials cannot police every 
  funeral that occurs in the Blessed Isle, though. Occasion-
  ally, illicit funerals occur. Most happen in small towns and 
  rural villages, far from the scrutiny of the local authorities. 
  Sometimes, entire villages fall into heresy and begin burying 
  their dead in unsanctioned ways, with grave goods. This oc-
  
  39
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  curs most often on the coast, where individuals periodically 
  have contact with foreigners with heretical ideas.
  Few such villages persist in their illicit ways for long, 
  however. The Realm’s thaumaturges soon register the presence 
  of signiﬁ cant numbers of ghosts in a speciﬁ c region, and the 
  local magistrate visits the village—typically accompanied 
  by a small company of Exalted Immaculate monks and a 
  sorcerer or two. If the magistrate reveals the existence of 
  widespread illicit burial practices, the priest in charge of the 
  funerals is executed for treason in front of the villagers, and 
  the remainder are then executed or disenfranchised.
  While open heresy is relatively rare, occasionally some 
  error is made in the funeral service or the deceased is in some 
  manner unsuitable for rebirth, and the individual becomes a 
  ghost. This happens most frequently in poor funerals, where 
  the family might not be able to afford all of the necessary 
  trappings, in the hasty funerals of slaves or in the funerals 
  of thaumaturges who have tainted their Essence in some 
  manner and so are denied rebirth. The ghosts produced by 
  these botched funerals are typically pathetic wretches who 
  wander the Underworld as paupers and whose families have 
  no idea that they have not been reborn.
  The fear of becoming an impoverished and forgotten 
  ghost troubles some residents of the Blessed Isle. Thauma-
  turges and con artists regularly sell various amulets and 
  talismans of dubious effectiveness that are supposed to either 
  keep someone who dies from becoming a ghost or to make 
  certain that a funeral goes well and that the deceased is 
  swiftly reborn. These talismans are bought by both rich and 
  poor, and they serve as useful sources of additional income 
  for both wanderers and licensed thaumaturges.
  In addition, wanderers, covert ancestor cultists, thau-
  maturges of dubious morals and outright con artists all 
  sometimes offer to use real or fake thaumaturgical practices to 
  inform people if any of their recently departed relatives have 
  become ghosts. Some elderly individuals pay for this service 
  in advance, so that their surviving relatives will know if they 
  become ghosts. The person performing this service generally 
  offers either to sacriﬁ ce grave goods or to accept payment for 
  high-quality grave goods that he will then sacriﬁ ce.
  These services are offered equally often by sincere death 
  cultists who are deeply troubled by the existence of home-
  less and impoverished ghosts and by con artists who have 
  no interest in anything beyond the monies they can extort 
  from the gullible and bereaved. The most skilled of these 
  con artists are thaumaturges who make deals with ghosts or, 
  more commonly, with minor elementals who pretend to be 
  the departed relative when they are summoned. Afterward, 
  the ghost or elemental and the thaumaturge split the proﬁ ts. 
  While magistrates and the Guardians of the Realm certainly 
  do not approve of con artists bilking money from villagers 
  and townspeople, they consider such illicit enterprises to 
  be far less illegal than actual ancestor worship. As a result, 
  a moderate bribe is often sufﬁ cient to allow a mountebank 
  to avoid punishment. In contrast, actual death cultists are 
  always either executed or disenfranchised.
  THE REALM’S DEMIWORLD
  Despite living in a rigidly controlled society, some 
  people fall through the cracks, and others deliberately 
  avoid attention. In rural areas, wanderers travel without 
  regard for prefecture boundaries, and bandits hide in wasted 
  places. In the cities, criminals, rogue thaumaturges and 
  even some God-Bloods make their livings outside of the 
  established social order.
  THE WANDERERS
  As a result of the many difﬁ culties involved in being 
  disenfranchised, some who do not leave the Realm become 
  professional wanderers, while others turn to banditry. Both 
  options have becoming increasingly common since the dis-
  appearance of the Scarlet Empress. Professional wanderers 
  are mortals who have forsaken the comforts of home and 
  hearth to travel from village to village on foot or in simple 
  carts and carriages. They have existed since the days of the 
  Contagion, when bands of mortals took to the roads and 
  ﬂ ed the dying cities. While most later chose to settle and 
  accept the beneﬁ ts of rural or urban life once the Scarlet 
  Empress restored order, a few decided to remain on the 
  roads. Some wanderers are disenfranchised, but most were 
  either born to this life or voluntarily left their previous lives 
  as citizens or peasants behind and took to the roads. The 
  more prosperous and organized wanderers travel in small 
  groups for mutual protection, but a few, mostly the newer 
  wanderers who have not yet been accepted into a wanderer 
  clan, walk the roads alone.
  Regardless of whether they are lone travelers or small 
  clans riding in a handful of wagons, wanderers all perform 
  similar functions. They travel from one town or village to 
  another, providing entertainment such as music, storytelling 
  or simply the latest news. In addition, they sell simple crafts 
  and goods from distant towns and perform various services 
  such as helping to bring in unusually large harvests, repairing 
  pots, sharpening knives or applying tattoos. Many wanderers 
  have a reputation for being minor thaumaturges and so are 
  often called upon to cast horoscopes or sell minor talismans. 
  While some wanderers are indeed skilled mortal magicians, 
  many more make their living telling gullible villagers what 
  they want to hear and selling worthless trinkets. For all that 
  they provide useful or entertaining services, their reputation 
  is relatively mixed, since they are also known for being con 
  artists and petty thieves.
  Because they exist on the fringes of society and have 
  little to offer jaded urbanites, wanderers almost never visit 
  large cities. They mostly travel from one rural farming vil-
  lage or small market town to another. Avoiding cities and 
  patrician- or Dynast-owned estates also helps them avoid 
  the attentions of the government and the Great Houses. 
  
  40
  As a result, most wanderers are ignored unless they draw 
  attention to themselves in some fashion.
  When they travel through one of the Realm’s smaller 
  ports, wanderers often purchase unusual musical instru-
  ments and exotic trained animals or recruit skilled foreign 
  entertainers, artists or thaumaturges who cannot otherwise 
  ﬁ nd a way to live in the Realm. As a result, some of the more 
  well-known troupes of wanderers put on Haltan beast shows 
  or exhibitions of Chiaroscuran ﬁ re dancing. These talented 
  wanderers are always welcome, and the most popular troupes 
  contain as many as a dozen wagons and 40 or 50 people. 
  Such a troupe arriving in a town creates a local sensation, 
  and their presence is cause for a festival that lasts for the 
  few days they remain in town. For every large wandering 
  troupe of skilled performers and talented thaumaturges, 
  however, there are a dozen that are little more than grifters, 
  semi-talented storytellers and hackneyed musicians. They 
  scrape by only because many villagers have enough food to 
  share with strangers and are eager for any entertainment 
  that breaks the dull routine of their lives.
  While entire troupes of the disenfranchised are almost 
  unknown, disenfranchised individuals who have useful talents 
  can sometimes ﬁ nd a home among troupes of wanderers. As a 
  result, most troupes contain several disenfranchised members, 
  and the majority of wanderers have at least one disenfranchised 
  ancestor. Regardless of this fact, ofﬁ cials generally ignore the 
  wanderers because they are relatively rare and seldom cause 
  any trouble beyond conning a farmer out of a chicken or sack 
  of yams. Even wanderers who are not disenfranchised are not 
  eligible for any aid from the government unless they agree to 
  settle down in some village, city or town. As a result, they cost 
  the imperial government nothing, they help keep the rural 
  population entertained, and they occasionally give villagers 
  something to complain about other than the government 
  or their taxes. The only exception to this policy of passive 
  neglect occurs when a troupe of wanderers actively incites 
  heresy or its members become bandits.
  A few troupes of wanderers make illicit deals with minor 
  gods and attempt to get villagers to give these gods offerings 
  or prayers in return for minor boons. Such cults are typically 
  short-lived because they are usually found out when either 
  a villager or the god reports the heresy to a representative 
  of the Immaculate Order. A more serious and long-term 
  problem is that some wanderers, especially those with several 
  foreign members, are ancestor cultists who bury their dead 
  in hidden graves with signiﬁ cant grave goods. In addition, 
  these wanderers sometimes act as brokers of offerings for 
  villagers they can convince to take advantage of their ser-
  vices. Several groups of wanderers have been responsible 
  for the rise of ancestor cults in the villages through which 
  they pass. Today, the number of wanderers is increasing as 
  more villagers are disenfranchised. Also, greater numbers 
  of them are turning to banditry.
  Since the departure of the Scarlet Empress, many prefec-
  tures have become somewhat more insular and are less eager 
  to cooperate with their neighbors to ﬁ ght bandits. As a result, 
  gangs of bandits can more easily ﬁ nd refuge in the wilds of one 
  prefecture, as long as they conﬁ ne the vast majority of their 
  raids to the inhabitants of neighboring prefectures and leave 
  the inhabitants of their home prefecture alone. In some cases, 
  bandits purchase their safety by giving a cut of their ill-gotten 
  proﬁ ts to local ofﬁ cials in return for an assurance that their 
  presence will be ignored. While this type of corruption has 
  always occurred, it is now more common, and fewer ofﬁ cials are 
  caught and punished. Some of the most skilled and politically 
  adept bandit gangs now operate free from interference by the 
  legions or the private armies of the Dynasts. To do so, they 
  must remain relatively small, never attack the estates of patri-
  cians or Dynasts and avoid any hint that they are attempting 
  to set themselves up as warlords or otherwise openly defying 
  the power of the local authorities.
  CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD
  Although the Dynasts regularly boast about how 
  orderly and well run the Realm is, its inhabitants are still 
  largely ordinary mortals with the same desire for power, 
  easy money and illicit entertainment as every other resi-
  dent of Creation.
  Criminals thrive in the Realm, and any citizen who 
  wishes to purchase illegal drugs or other smuggled goods, 
  to hire assassins or thieves, or to ﬁ nd a buyer for blackmail 
  information or stolen goods can almost always manage 
  any of these feats in any city in the Realm. Every criminal 
  within the Realm knows that both his success in his chosen 
  profession and his very survival depends upon remaining 
  unnoticed by the magistrates and the Black Helms, though. 
  To do so, all criminals know that they must stringently 
  avoid all of the following practices:
  • Organizing criminal gangs that encompass more 
  than one city or town or that contain more than a few 
  hundred members.
  • Committing any crimes against the Dynasts, the 
  patricians, the Immaculate Order or the government.
  • Interfering with large-scale commerce or threatening 
  the uneasy peace between the Dynasts and the Guild.
  • Inciting riots, committing large-scale property de-
  struction (including arson) or encouraging open opposition 
  to the Dynasts or the government.
  • Committing or inciting others to commit major or 
  minor heresies.
  All of these acts are considered to be direct affronts to 
  the Empress’s rule, as well as serious threats to the existing 
  social and political order. As a result, they are considered 
  to be treasonous and are therefore capital crimes.
  Conversely, criminal acts that do not involve any of 
  the aforementioned crimes are considered relatively minor 
  disturbances. Criminals who are careful to avoid leaving 
  witnesses or obvious evidence of minor crimes such as small-
  scale theft frequently avoid discovery. The magistrates just 
  take no interest in their crimes, and the Guardians of the 
  
  41
  CHAPTER TWO • LIFE ON THE BLESSED ISLE
  Realm rarely have the time to spend many days tracking down 
  someone who stole a pig or a scribe’s prized cloak clasp. In 
  addition, criminals can sometimes bribe their way out of arrest 
  for minor crimes unless several commoners or at least one 
  wealthy and powerful individual complains to the magistrate. 
  The Guardians of the Realm mostly assume that a certain 
  minimal amount of crime is unavoidable, and as long as a 
  crime does not interfere with the Dynasts’ rule or impinge too 
  heavily on their tax revenues, the guardians are often willing 
  to ignore it, in return for suitable recompense.
  RECREATIONAL DRUGS
  Like almost everywhere else in Creation, alcohol, 
  marijuana and qat are all legal and widely available on the 
  Blessed Isle. While public overuse is frowned upon and be-
  ing high to the point that it interferes with an individual’s 
  expected duties results in various ﬁ nancial, legal and social 
  penalties, the Realm does not legislate the use of these drugs. 
  Because the Empress was unwilling to allow large number 
  of her citizens to become worthless addicts, however, most 
  of the harder drugs are illegal. The only exceptions are 
  drugs that allow tired or overworked individuals to either 
  increase their productivity or reduce the degree to which 
  fatigue impairs them. Opium is available only to licensed 
  physicians, while heroin is completely illegal, and coca 
  leaves are legal, while cocaine is illegal. (The penalties for 
  sale and possession are relatively minor, though.)
  In addition to preventing social disruption, the fact 
  that many drugs are illegal is also used as a way both to 
  control the populace and to enrich the coffers of guardians 
  and bureaucrats. The laws forbidding any drugs that allow 
  mortals to perform feats reserved for the Dragon-Blooded are 
  exceedingly strict and are broken only by career criminals and 
  would-be rebels. There is, however, a high demand for many 
  other illegal drugs by people in all levels of society. Wealthy 
  mortals can evade the law fairly easily, and small amounts 
  of all manner of illegal intoxicants are a feature at many of 
  the wilder parties held by the Dynasts, the patricians and the 
  wealthiest commoners. (Patricians and wealthy commoners 
  often pay the local Black Helms to ignore their excesses.)
  The poor and middle classes have considerably more 
  difﬁ culty obtaining illegal intoxicants. The many small 
  criminal syndicates smuggle in various illegal drugs and sell 
  them to anyone who can meet their high prices. These drug 
  syndicates make substantial proﬁ ts, but the majority of the 
  Realm’s citizens cannot afford the drugs they are selling. 
  Ofﬁ cials in the Thousand Scales know a great deal about 
  these syndicates and carefully monitor their activities using 
  Charms, spies and paid informants. As long as these syn-
  dicates remain small and antagonistic, they cannot import 
  sufﬁ cient amounts of drugs or reduce prices low enough to 
  cause signiﬁ cant social problems.
  As a result, the Black Helms put a stop to any at-
  tempts at mergers or long-term alliances between criminal 
  syndicates by arresting and enslaving everyone involved 
  in these efforts. Nonetheless, the Dynasts have no desire 
  to completely wipe out these syndicates. The leaders of all 
  of the local drug syndicates regularly pay large bribes to 
  both the Guardians of the Realm and bureaucrats in the 
  Thousand Scales, providing a signiﬁ cant source of income to 
  the coffers of those who help police the Realm’s drug trade. 
  Also, these syndicates offer a relatively harmless place for 
  highly ambitious and amoral mortals to go. The Dynasts 
  would far rather have these people peddling intoxicants to 
  shopkeepers than engaged in activities that might actually 
  threaten the safety and stability of the Realm.
  THE LIVES OF THE GOD-BLOODED
  The Dynasts attempt to maintain a precise social or-
  der: Ordinary humans serve, and the Dragon-Blooded rule. 
  In addition, the Dragon-Blooded and carefully licensed 
  thaumaturges are the only individuals who are supposed to 
  manipulate the powers of Essence. Unfortunately, reality is 
  far more complex that this simple vision. Two groups disturb 
  this rigidly ordered view of the Blessed Isle: Dragon-Blooded 
  Half-Castes and the God-Blooded. The ﬁ rst is the easiest 
  for the Dynasts to deal with. Among the Great Houses and 
  the patricians, Half-Caste children occupy a place halfway 
  between mortal children and the Dragon-Blooded. Many 
  who are born to patrician families are usually fostered into 
  one of the 11 Great Houses, and both they and the Half-
  Caste children of the Dynasts often go to secondary school. 
  Once they graduate, some become minor functionaries in 
  the Realm’s vast bureaucracy, while others gain positions of 
  minor distinction within the Imperial Army, the Imperial 
  Navy or the Immaculate Order. Patrician Half-Castes who 
  stay with their families typically gain positions of importance 
  in their family. In fact, their longevity and other advantages 
  typically mean that they become the heads of their families. 
  In contrast, Dynastic Half-Castes who do not go to secondary 
  school remain forever in the shadow of their Dragon-Blooded 
  relatives, and the best they can expect is to earn distinguished 
  but minor positions in their households.
  Dragon-Blooded men frequently dally with commoner 
  women, however, and the result is occasionally a Half-Caste 
  child born into a commoner family. Like any commoner, they 
  have the option of attempting to gain wealth and distinction 
  by joining either the legions or the Immaculate Order. Most 
  do so because their natural abilities allow them to rise in rank 
  until they are just below the Dynasts. Few are willing to pass 
  up the chance to number among the wealthiest and most 
  powerful mortals in the Realm. Some, however, choose to 
  remain outside of the imperial power structure. Some of these 
  Half-Castes become famous traders, renowned entertainers 
  or exceptionally powerful thaumaturges.
  The lot of God-Blooded born in the Realm is even more 
  complex. By their vary nature, God-Bloods are evidence of 
  improper relations with gods, elementals or demons. Their 
  disreputable parentage is considered nothing more than a 
  minor fault if they are born into one of the Great Houses. 
  
  42
  Since the Dragon-Blooded are the rightful intermediaries 
  between humanity and the spirits, the children of an Exalt 
  and one of these inhuman beings gains a certain degree 
  of legitimacy. Depending upon their particular gifts, these 
  children are strongly encouraged to join the legions or the 
  Immaculate Order. Because they often possess unusual 
  Charms allowing them to interact with gods or demons 
  with great ease, most are urged to join the Immaculate 
  Order, and a few have distinguished themselves as having 
  special talents at hunting down and punishing rogue gods. 
  God-Blooded Dynasts who do not choose one of these 
  two paths are frequently encouraged toward scholarly 
  pursuits or others lines of work that will keep them out of 
  the public eye. Some attend the Heptagram, while most 
  others ﬁ nd unobtrusive jobs such as joining the staff of 
  the Imperial Library.
  Under the laws and customs of the Immaculate Phi-
  losophy, God-Bloods with one parent who is a commoner 
  or a patrician are living proof of a serious religious offense. 
  Depending upon the exact circumstances of their concep-
  tion, their mortal parents are often ﬁ ned and occasionally 
  disenfranchised. The Dynasts are rarely wasteful, though. 
  They strongly encourage all such God-Bloods to join the 
  legions or the Immaculate Order, where their special talents 
  can be put to the service of the Blessed Isle. The Dynasts 
  foster young God-Bloods with disenfranchised or dead mortal 
  parents into the Immaculate Order, and they send ofﬁ cial 
  recruiters to other God-Bloods when they reach their teens. 
  A few God-Bloods refuse these generous offers and must live 
  in a society where most mortals fear them and the Dynasts 
  either distrust or ignore them. Like Half-Castes who refuse 
  Dynastic employment, most become traders, entertainers 
  or thaumaturges. Some become wanderers, assassins or 
  other sorts of criminals. (The ability to dematerialize allows 
  them to execute crimes impossible for ordinary mortals to 
  perform.) Today, an increasing number of such God-Bloods 
  are working for or with one of the increasingly daring rogue 
  gods who have begun to plague the Blessed Isle.
  
  43
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  
  44
  CHAPTER THREE
  TRAITS
  CHAPTER THREE
  CHAPTER THREE
  THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  For centuries, the Scarlet Empress has cared for this 
  government she’s created. She has nurtured it and pruned 
  it like a decorative bonsai tree, gradually shaping it into a 
  symbol of extraordinary patience and craftsmanship—meant 
  more to appease and distract than for functionality. And 
  like a bonsai, the Realm’s government grew, ﬂ ourished and 
  ultimately survived at the whim of its caretaker.
  Savants who have mediated on the nature and structure 
  of the Realm’s government have come to realize this fact, 
  which has caused them to wonder exactly why the Empress 
  would go to such trouble for such a result. They speculate that 
  perhaps the Empress was not as competent as she seemed or 
  that she designed her government with nothing but cynical 
  disdain for the very notion of government and created this… 
  mess as a grand joke. In fact, though, the Empress was neither 
  an idiot nor a satirist. She designed the best of all possible 
  governments based on the circumstances she dictated.
  By her design, all the true power of the government 
  rested in her hands, though the day-to-day work of ruling and 
  managing the Realm was the responsibility of layer upon layer 
  of bureaucracy. The Deliberative Senate did the legwork of 
  proposing and ratifying new legislation. The ministries of the 
  Imperial Service (also known as the Thousand Scales) brushed 
  and stamped and rolled and ﬁ led every piece of important 
  documentation that was the lifeblood of the empire. Spies 
  maintained strict scrutiny over the bureaucracy, rooting out 
  corruption or dissidence. Powerful wandering ofﬁ cers enforced 
  the laws in the farthest reaches of the empire. Each of these 
  branches fed back into their central core, always upholding 
  the power and glory of the Scarlet Empire.
  Yet for all her founding efforts, the Scarlet Empress never 
  actually divided up any real power. The real power in her 
  government rested solely in her own hands, and the system she 
  created is rife with overlapping authority, redundant levels of 
  bureaucracy, inherent internal conﬂ ict and built-in divisive-
  ness. Rather than rendering her government a monument to 
  inefﬁ ciency and plunging her civilization into ruin, however, 
  the Scarlet Empress pulled off a masterwork of sleight of hand. 
  
  45
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  She created the illusion of a division of power and provided 
  a vast playground for her most treacherous and ambitious 
  underlings to test each other and waste their energy. While 
  her underlings fought for advantage, she retained the only 
  true power worth having. And with it, she made sure that 
  her government appeared to function efﬁ ciently.
  Now, the Scarlet Empress is gone, and this government of 
  contradiction and confusion must exert its seeming authority 
  without its true guiding spirit. While it still retains its ideal 
  purposes—making the laws, maintaining the empire and 
  protecting its people—the government is in for a trial by ﬁ re 
  the likes of which it was never truly prepared to face.
  MAKING THE LAWS
  Ideally, the Empress would drive every lawmaking 
  initiative. In her absence, this responsibility falls on her 
  Regent, Tepet Fokuf. All things being equal, however, the 
  true responsibility falls on the one body the Empress never 
  intended to have it—the Deliberative Senate of Exceedingly 
  Judicious Nobles.
  THE EMPRESS
  At every point on any diagram of authority in her 
  government, the Empress was the one actually in control. 
  She could propose legislation to the Deliberative at any 
  time, and she had a resounding veto on any legislation that 
  cleared both chambers of that body. The spies who watched 
  over the various ministries all reported back to the Empress 
  and did her dirty work at her command. The wandering law 
  ofﬁ cers, the magistrates, were appointed by the Empress and 
  undyingly loyal to her. Nothing of any importance happened 
  in the government that was not done at the behest or under 
  the direction of the Empress herself.
  And although corruption will eventually pervade any 
  authoritarian bureaucracy, the Empress allowed much of that 
  corruption to proliferate by design. Rooting out that corrup-
  tion kept various competing government agencies busy and 
  distracted, and no single corrupt ofﬁ cial could do much serious 
  harm to the entire system. The system was designed with so 
  much superﬂ uous redundancy that corruption would have 
  had to have been not just pervasive, but total to effect any 
  lasting deleterious change. That also ignores the existence 
  of the Empress’s secret police and the capacity in the average 
  sniveling bureaucrat to expose corruption and betray it to the 
  Empress for his own personal advancement. As clunky and 
  worm-eaten as the Scarlet Empress’s government might seem, 
  it was designed to be just the way it is so she could focus on 
  the real problems of ruling Creation from the center.
  AND YET…
  The only real problem in such a system is what to do 
  once the designer’s hand weakens or lifts, which is the prob-
  lem facing the Realm today. With the Empress gone, all the 
  redundancy and internal conﬂ ict built into the government 
  is beginning to bog everything down. Ideally, the Empress 
  would be the one who breaks through the bureaucratic log-
  jams and resolves disputes (whose only real purpose was to 
  
  46
  enhance the Empress’s perspective on a given matter anyway). 
  Now, she’s gone, and she’s apparently not coming back, so 
  her government that wasn’t technically designed to work is 
  functioning true to form.
  Only three things could possibly break this destructive 
  pattern of bureaucratic entropy. The best thing would be for 
  the Empress to return. If she came back, perhaps this Time of 
  Tumult would ﬁ zzle out and things would get back to normal 
  after some bloody housecleaning among the Dynasts. What’s 
  more likely is that someone else will take the Scarlet Throne 
  and inherit the mantle of the Empress’s powers. Two serious 
  contenders are in the running right now, but neither one is 
  in a strong enough position to make a move. What’s least 
  likely—though gaining some popular support—is that the 
  government could learn to get along without the Empress. 
  The reforms that would make such a radical thing possible 
  would need to be sweeping and vast, and a civil war would 
  almost certainly break out, but history tends to look back 
  on such upheavals as mere growing pains if their outcome 
  is worth the effort.
  FOR NOW, THOUGH…
  In the meantime, a weak old man casts furtive glances at 
  the Scarlet Throne, appearing bafﬂ ed by how he was chosen 
  to sit in it. His name is Tepet Fokuf, and he is the August 
  Lord Regent of the Scarlet Throne. Fokuf is the epitome of 
  the ﬁ gurehead ruler, chosen by the squabbling Dynasts of the 
  Great Houses as the man least offensive to them all. None 
  of them would dare sit on the Scarlet Throne as its regent, 
  but they all agreed that somebody had to.
  That somebody turned out to be a harmless old 
  nobody who is the antithesis of the Empress. He doesn’t 
  understand how “his” government works, he’s never 
  demonstrated a will to power, and he allows himself to 
  be swayed by whatever charismatic argument is most 
  recent. Senators, noble scions, ministers and officious 
  satraps all do their best to win over the malleable Regent 
  and have him sign and seal official documents that give 
  them whatever they want. His only redeeming quality is 
  that he endures all this with a placid smile and doesn’t 
  begrudge anyone their abuse of him. He merely bides his 
  time in the throne room every day until he can retire to 
  his personal chambers to “exhaustively study” the racier 
  passages of the Immaculate Texts. Then, maybe he’ll have 
  a nice supper and take a nap.
  What’s troubling about Regent Fokuf is the possibility 
  that he isn’t as oblivious as he seems. He’s lived all his life 
  immersed in the political games played by the Great Houses. 
  It is possible—though hopefully unlikely—that he has been 
  playing every one of the Great Houses for fools, lulling them 
  into a false sense of patronizing disregard of him. After all, in 
  the Regent’s hands now lies every power the Scarlet Empress 
  ever claimed for herself. Such power is too dangerous for any 
  truly ambitious Dynast to try to grab right now, but the Regent 
  was chosen precisely for his lack of ambition. Did he cultivate 
  his vapid mien precisely for that reason? Worse, did he and 
  the Scarlet Empress actually work out this whole elaborate 
  charade decades ago in order to stress test her Dynasts’ true 
  loyalty to the Empress?
  These possibilities are remote, to be sure, but the fact that 
  no one can ultimately disprove them is cause for unease.
  THE DELIBERATIVE
  The Empress established the Deliberative one century 
  after she came to power. She had no intention to share 
  power with squabbling lawmakers, of course, and she had 
  no wish to honor the ancient structure of the First Age by 
  emulating it. Instead, she created the Deliberative both to 
  quell a burgeoning rebellion of several tributary states and 
  to insulate her divine authority while seeming to divide 
  it among her most honored subjects. In fact, while the 
  tributary states still seceded, she still ended up relegating 
  the tedious work of lawmaking to a bunch of bickering 
  bureaucrats (who thanked her for it), while simultaneously 
  making sure that real power over the creation of laws rested 
  ﬁ rmly in her hands.
  THE DESIGN OF THE DELIBERATIVE
  When she founded the Deliberative, the Scarlet Empress 
  devised strict rules for all of that august body’s behaviors. 
  The rules describe everything from how new Senators should 
  be appointed to the rules of debate. In time, the latter rules 
  of order have acquired unquestionable authority, and the 
  process of initiating debate on the Deliberative’s ﬂ oor has 
  become ritualized to the nth degree. Such was the Empress’s 
  self-congratulation over the mess she had wrought that she 
  even visited the Greater and Lesser Chambers in disguise to 
  hear the debates and enjoy the show. Those Senators who 
  were aware of this open secret presumed that the Empress 
  visited to check up on their behavior, so they advocated for 
  even stricter adherence to the Empress’s rules of order.
  Regent Fokuf never visits the Deliberative. He trusts 
  that the Senators of the Greater Chamber know what 
  they’re doing. If they didn’t, he reasons, they wouldn’t have 
  deserved the Empress’s appointment in the ﬁ rst place. Such 
  deductions are only yet further evidence of why Fokuf is the 
  right man for his job.
  THE CHAMBERS
  The Deliberative consists of two chambers, the Greater 
  Chamber and the Lesser Chamber. Members of both cham-
  bers are called Senators or Deliberators. In the Greater 
  Chamber, Senators sponsor petitions that, if approved, 
  then move to the Lesser Chamber. In the Lesser Chamber, 
  a motion can either pass or be overturned by a two-thirds 
  vote. If the petition passes both Chambers, it becomes an 
  imperial decree and law of the land, unless vetoed by the 
  Empress (now the Regent).
  The Senators of the Greater Chamber are all Dragon-
  Blooded members of the Scarlet Dynasty, each having 
  
  47
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  SUCCESSION
  Another false concession of power made at the Deliber-
  ative’s founding is the fact that the Empress bestowed upon it 
  the power to approve the succession to the Scarlet Throne. 
  All that both chambers have to do to approve a new ruler is 
  support him or her by a two-thirds majority vote. Yet, even 
  now, the chambers can muster only a thin majority to back 
  a weak regent. The political situation is just too precarious 
  for any serious contender to even whisper aloud her ambition 
  for the Scarlet Throne.
  If some candidate were to make a political play for the 
  Scarlet Throne, achieving the necessary majority in either 
  Chamber is merely wishful thinking. The Empress chose her 
  Greater Chamber Senators with an eye toward fractious divi-
  siveness, and an imperial succession vote would be the most 
  important piece of legislation ever to arise in the Deliberative. 
  What might begin as heated debate on the Senate ﬂ oor will 
  almost certainly end in civil war if advocates on every side 
  of the issue are not extremely wise and reasonable. The best 
  many Senators can hope for, should any of the theoretical 
  contenders act on their potential, is that some loophole can 
  be found (or implanted) in the law to allow for a cunning 
  compromise. The Regency can’t go on like this forever. Time 
  is running out on the Deliberative’s stopgap measure.
  BECOMING A SENATOR
  The Dragon-Blooded members of the Greater Chamber 
  come only from the Great Houses. It is an honor to have a 
  House member selected, and it keeps the family’s interests 
  from being trampled in debate. Deliberative appointments 
  are generally celebrated with banquets or even auspicious 
  marriages. Naturally, these social events are designed to 
  ingratiate future political allies, snub expected rivals and 
  secure formative alliances between Senators.
  Once selected, a Senator of the Greater Chamber must 
  journey to the Imperial City for her formal investiture, which 
  takes place at the opening of a meeting of the Deliberative. 
  A Senator who arrives late for her investiture is already 
  behind in the great political game of the Deliberative. As 
  a result, the amount of effort current Senators put toward 
  summoning their new appointees can reveal how important 
  that appointee’s voice will be in deliberations to come. A 
  highly valued appointee might have a scale of troops from his 
  House’s pet legion dispatched to hustle him to the Imperial 
  City for his investiture. A Senator whose appointment came 
  as a grudging compromise between die-hard rivals might 
  ﬁ nd his boat harried by privateers, his luggage “mistakenly” 
  held up for inspection at port and his palanquin overturned 
  by hooligans in the street. It’s unheard of for Senators to 
  condone or arrange the actual assassination of prospective 
  colleagues en route to their investiture, but those outside the 
  Senate who rely on crucial upcoming votes going a certain 
  way might not be above it. It is, therefore, wise for members 
  of the appointee’s family to take steps to ensure the safety 
  and prompt arrival of their selected Senators.
  been appointed by members of their Great Houses and 
  approved by the Scarlet Empress. The Senators of the 
  Lesser Chamber are appointed by the Greater Chamber 
  and approved by the Empress. That chamber’s membership 
  consists of representatives drawn from the ranks of the 
  merchant and patrician classes, as well as tributary lords. 
  There are only a few Dragon-Blooded members of the 
  Lesser Chamber, and those few wield considerable power 
  among their peers. Their hope is to become powerful 
  enough and influential enough to warrant an appointment 
  to the Greater Chamber someday, though this ambition 
  is just the sort of thing that helps keep a Lesser Chamber 
  Dragon-Blood right where he is.
  In fact, picking members of either chamber is often 
  no more than a tool to neutralize political threats. History 
  shows that the best way to deal with ﬁ rebrand upstarts is to 
  subvert them into the establishment in the futile hope of 
  making things better from the inside. By the same token, 
  putting representatives from each of the 11 Great Houses in 
  the Deliberative keeps the Dynasts happily convinced that 
  they have a guiding hand on the tiller of imperial policy. The 
  Empress always encouraged these idealistic beliefs among 
  Senators of both chambers with wry bemusement.
  It was within the Empress’s power to propose any petition 
  in the Greater Chamber, and her sponsorship was critical to 
  the passage of controversial ones. The idea that the Empress 
  might not approve of one’s proposed legislation was usually 
  more than enough motivation to sway the fence-sitters. The 
  Empress also reserved a veto of any passed piece of legislation, 
  which could be overturned only by a subsequent unanimous 
  vote in both chambers. Rather, the overturn vote needed 
  be nearly unanimous, thanks to the “Obstructive Naysayer” 
  rule. In a rare concession to the Deliberative’s wheedling, the 
  Empress long ago updated her rules of order such that if only 
  one Senator votes in a way opposite the rest of his fellows, 
  the vote is still considered unanimous. Of course, there is no 
  “Obstructive Naysaying Duo” rule, which makes the conces-
  sion practically meaningless. Should the Deliberative ever 
  dare try to overturn an imperial veto, the Empress usually 
  had no trouble swaying at least two Senators to her way of 
  thinking. (The only time the Deliberative ever stood up for 
  itself and deﬁ ed the Empress by overturning her veto—three 
  times, no less—she had the willful legislators slaughtered and 
  replaced with more dutiful successors.)
  The Empress also built in a subtler check on Senatorial 
  power: the fact that there’s no ﬁ xed number of Senators. 
  Since one of the primary functions of the body is to placate 
  upstarts, she wanted the ﬂ exibility to make room for lots of 
  appointments if a volatile political situation demanded. As 
  a result, the Deliberative stays relatively small in prosperous 
  times and swells in bad times. The reason this ﬂ exibility 
  remains a check on the Deliberative is that new Senators 
  favorably disposed to support the Empress could be pumped 
  into the Chambers in tough times to alter the balance of 
  power in the Empress’s favor.
  
  48
  Lesser Chamber Senators are not selected directly by the 
  Great Houses, but by the members of the Greater Chamber. 
  That distinction is a ﬁ ne one in the grand scheme of things, 
  of course. Though she did not appoint Lesser Chamber De-
  liberators directly, the Empress also exerted pressure on the 
  Senators of the Greater Chamber to choose Lesser Chamber 
  Senators. As a result, the Senators of the Lesser Chamber 
  are picked from the wealthiest patricians, merchants and 
  tributary nobles for their pliability, their wealth and their 
  potential to be useful to their betters. The Lesser Chamber 
  is also one of the best places to stick loud-mouthed politi-
  cal dissidents in order to either pacify them or keep a close 
  watch over them.
  As far as leaving the Deliberative and divesting one-
  self of rank goes, three ways exist to do so. The ﬁ rst is to 
  be summarily removed by the Empress herself, a tactic she 
  frequently employed when her Senators showed too much 
  initiative or resistance to her. The second is exile, and the 
  third is death. The Empress reserved the power to reinstate 
  any disgraced Senator, but in her long rein, she did so only 
  half a dozen times (and only when it was politically effective 
  to show such magnanimity).
  The Empress also reserved the power to dissolve the 
  Deliberative completely. She never felt it necessary to have 
  this power expressed in ofﬁ cial records, or to warn the 
  Deliberative of its existence, but she did have occasion to 
  use it a little more than a century ago when the Delibera-
  tive made a point of overturning three successive imperial 
  vetoes. In response, she stationed a legion outside the Palace 
  of the Deliberative and ordered her soldiers to disperse the 
  Senators once their session got under way. Every member of 
  the Lesser Chamber was killed that day, as were a majority 
  of Greater Chamber Senators. (The rest were exiled.) The 
  Empress had a new roster of Greater Chamber Senators ap-
  pointed after that, and they appointed new Senators to the 
  Lesser Chamber. While the Empress did not need to use 
  this unspoken authority again, the threat of it has loomed 
  ever since. The notion that Regent Fokuf might exercise 
  it someday is laughable. The thought that the Roseblack, 
  Tepet Ejava, will do so if she becomes Empress (or in order 
  to become Empress) is not nearly so funny.
  THE OFFICES
  The most powerful ofﬁ ce in the Deliberative is that of 
  the Master of the Deliberative, who oversees the Greater 
  Chamber’s debates. Also attached to the Greater Chamber is 
  the Incorruptible Secretary, who tallies all votes. These two 
  roles have Lesser Chamber reﬂ ections in the Master of the 
  Lesser Chamber and the Scrupulous Monitor of the Will of 
  the People. The Greater Chamber also has the Guardian of 
  the Enlightened Discourse, who commands that chamber’s 
  Guardians of the Deliberative, an elite security force charged 
  with protecting the Senators from all threats—including one 
  another. Similarly, the Protector of the Debate commands 
  
  49
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  those guardians responsible for safeguarding the Lesser 
  Chamber. Beyond that, all Senators are purported to be equal. 
  There is no doubt, though, that a Senator of the Greater 
  Chamber outranks one of the Lesser. Within each chamber 
  also exists a largely invisible hierarchy of alliances, allegiances 
  and blackmail that ensures a rigid pecking order.
  All ofﬁ ces are voted on at the ﬁ rst session of the new 
  year, though a no-conﬁ dence vote can be called at any time. 
  If such a vote succeeds, all ofﬁ cers are removed from their 
  posts, and no new business can be brought to the attention 
  of the Deliberative until a new Master of the Deliberative 
  is in place. New ofﬁ cers are elected by a two-thirds major-
  ity in the Greater Chamber and a simple majority in the 
  Lesser. In both chambers, no-conﬁ dence votes require a 
  two-thirds majority.
  THE GREATER CHAMBER
  Any power the Deliberative actually has rests in the 
  Greater Chamber. An appointment to the Greater Chamber 
  carries with it more prestige and, indeed, more authority than 
  one to the Lesser. Greater Chamber Senators have right of 
  way in processions, are served ﬁ rst at formal occasions and 
  have the right to displace a Lesser Chamber Senator from 
  her seat at any state function. And that’s on top of the power 
  Greater Chamber Senators have to appoint Lesser Chamber 
  Senators in the ﬁ rst place.
  When the Deliberative is in session—from the ﬁ rst day 
  of Ascending Air to the last day of Descending Earth—only 
  these Senators can introduce a motion into debate. Each mo-
  tion needs a sponsor and a pair of seconds, who compose what’s 
  called a Declaration of Harmonious Intent. The Declaration 
  is a scroll consisting of the proposed motion and testimonies 
  from its sponsor and seconds that it will blend harmoniously 
  with the existing laws of the Realm upon approval.
  As each Declaration is received, it is read in its entirety 
  to the Greater Chamber as the Senators’ scribes furiously 
  write it down. The Master of the Deliberative then calls for 
  a formal vote to determine whether the Chamber is willing 
  to debate the Declaration. If the majority accedes, the Dec-
  laration is burned in a brazier kept to the left of the Master’s 
  chair—and woe be unto the scribe who didn’t get the whole 
  thing transcribed. If debate is refused, the Declaration is 
  returned to the sponsor as a badge of shame. Some petulant 
  Senators (especially Fire-aspected ones) burn their returned 
  Declarations themselves, but most just have a slave throw 
  them away instead. Enterprising historians, dejected Senators, 
  collectors and political malcontents all vie for possession of 
  these rejected Declarations. It has become a popular pastime 
  in recent decades to compare yesterday’s failed Declarations to 
  today’s passing legislation in hopes of ﬁ nding ironic similari-
  ties. Certain collectors of eclectic esoterica pay unreasonable 
  sums of money for rejected historical Declarations of Har-
  monious Intent that closely match modern laws.
  Once the day’s Declarations have been dealt with, the 
  Master of the Deliberative then formally opens the debates, 
  starting with any petitions left over from the previous day’s 
  discussion or tabled in previous sessions. When controver-
  sial proposals generate extensive debate, days and days of 
  un-debated Declarations can pile up. The Master of the 
  Deliberative decides the order in which the proposals reach 
  the ﬂ oor, granting him one of the only real powers associated 
  with his position.
  When debate opens on a particular petition, the spon-
  soring Senator is given the chance to orate in favor of it 
  ﬁ rst. Once the sponsor is ﬁ nished, the rest of the Delibera-
  tive may join the debate. The Master of the Deliberative 
  chooses the order of the debate, which grants the ofﬁ ce yet 
  more power. Rare is the Master who will put off an eloquent 
  speaker indeﬁ nitely or simply refuse to allow him to make 
  his case. Instead, a Master might allow several subsequent 
  dunderheads to speak out in favor of a proposal he ﬁ nds 
  distasteful, then have a brilliant orator who agrees with him 
  stand and mop the ﬂ oor with them. If the Master is feeling 
  especially ruthless, he can then allow a stammering junior 
  appointee fresh from his investiture to speak up next in the 
  proposal’s defense.
  When debate on a petition ﬁ nally dies down, a vote 
  is called for and tallied by the Incorruptible Secretary. If 
  a simple majority approves, the motion goes to the Lesser 
  Chamber to dare its disapproval. If a majority disapproves, 
  then the petition is considered denied and debate moves on 
  to the next Declaration.
  THE PETITIONER’S LINE
  Every Declaration of Harmonious Intent must 
  be hand delivered by its sponsor to the Master of the 
  Deliberative at the beginning of a day’s session, and 
  the line to do so forms early every day. Jockeying for 
  position within the line of petitioners has become yet 
  another self-important political ritual in the Greater 
  Chamber, and allowing a Senator to advance past one 
  in the line is the sort of favor that can actually reap 
  political dividends down the line. Of course, the most 
  effective way to make friends in the petitioners’ line is 
  to invite someone relatively close in power, experience 
  or inﬂ uence to cut ahead of you. Allowing someone too 
  far beneath himself to cut ahead can make a Senator 
  seem foolish or disingenuous. Reaching too high above 
  oneself to let a senior Senator cut ahead is not always 
  effective either. The most senior Senators expect to 
  be allowed to cut in front of their least experienced 
  peers, so a junior Senator is really only likely to at-
  tract a distinguished senior’s notice if he fails to allow 
  him to cut in line. Snubbing a senior Senator might 
  earn a newbie the temporary respect of the victim’s 
  rivals, but it’s certain to earn him the victim’s cold, 
  lingering wrath.
  
  50
  Should a debate on the Greater Chamber ﬂ oor degenerate 
  into frustrating deadlock, the motion described in the Decla-
  ration can simply be tabled until a prescribed later date when 
  everyone has had a chance to meditate on it (or meet privately 
  to discuss it, more likely). If the vote to table the motion suc-
  ceeds, the petition is removed from the ﬂ oor and discussion of 
  the next begins. A canny Master of the Deliberative can then 
  capitalize on the lingering frustration of the deadlocked debate 
  by following it up with an even more controversial Declaration 
  for the fractious Senators to ﬁ ght over. In so doing, he can stall 
  upcoming Declarations that he ﬁ nds objectionable or indirectly 
  push back critical Declarations on which he wants certain absent 
  Senators to vote when they are next available.
  THE LESSER CHAMBER
  The Lesser Chamber of the Deliberative can vote only 
  on those pieces of legislation passed down from the Greater 
  Chamber. The Master of the Lesser Chamber solemnly 
  reads each motion that the Greater Chamber has passed, 
  then debate is opened. In theory, the Master of the Lesser 
  Chamber calls the order of the debate just as the Master of 
  the Greater Chamber does, but in practice, debates in the 
  Lesser Chamber immediately erupt into shouting matches 
  and unbroken streams of interruptions that the uninitiated 
  ﬁ nd intimidating. Making things that much more chaotic, 
  any member of the Lesser Chamber can call for a vote at any 
  time during the debate. That motion must be approved by 
  the Master of the Lesser Chamber and then voted on by the 
  entire body. If two thirds of the Senators agree to the vote, 
  the actual vote proceeds. Otherwise, debate rages on.
  When a vote has been called, the Scrupulous Monitor 
  records each Senator’s vote and tallies the results. As in the 
  Greater Chamber, all votes are public. If a two-thirds majority 
  votes aye, the motion passes. It becomes a decree and goes to 
  the Empress (the Regent these days) for consideration. If more 
  than two thirds of the voting Senators vote in the negative, 
  the motion is defeated. In such instances, a scroll bearing the 
  text of the motion is returned to the Greater Chamber, bound 
  in twined black and red ribbons. (Unlike failed Declarations 
  of Harmonious Intent, these defeated motions are not rare 
  enough to be so highly prized by collectors.)
  It is easy to conceive of the Lesser Chamber as an au-
  tomatic approving machine for the decrees of the Greater 
  Chamber, but such is not entirely the case. First of all, many 
  Senators of the Lesser Chamber are so desperate to justify 
  their existence that they comment on every piece of legisla-
  tion proposed, regardless of the signal-to-noise ratio of their 
  contributions. When such long-winded Senators are lucky, 
  tenacious erosion of their audience’s will to argue (or live) 
  earns them grudging capitulation in exchange for blessed 
  silence. When they’re unlucky, they’re declared Obstructive 
  Naysayers and frog-marched outside—often to the sound of 
  thunderous applause.
  Second, many of the current stock of Lesser Chamber 
  Senators envy and hate the Senators of the Greater Chamber, 
  and nothing gives them greater pleasure than to stymie their 
  betters. Bribes or implied threats from above can help get 
  the Lesser Chamber in line—some rare junior Senators have 
  even been swayed by appeals to their sense of duty to the 
  Realm—but mostly, the Lesser Chamber Senators derive too 
  much satisfaction from disrupting the plans of the Greater 
  Chamber. The fact that all of the current Lesser Chamber 
  Senators owe their political careers to appointments descend-
  ing from the Greater Chamber only makes this obstinacy all 
  the more bafﬂ ing.
  A third reason for friction between the Chambers is 
  the growing inﬂ ux of Lesser Chamber Senators who actually 
  believe they can make a difference in the Realm. Guided by 
  nothing more than conscience or some rare sense of ethics, 
  they have taken it into their minds to strike down laws they 
  consider unjust or bad for the Scarlet Empire. While such 
  idealistic grandstanding is not uncommon among new patri-
  cian appointees or elevated ofﬁ cials from backwater satrapies 
  in the Threshold, such upstarts usually learn their hard, cold 
  lessons about the way things work and settle down in time. 
  A timely crisis of conscience has recently rallied one of the 
  Lesser Chamber’s most inﬂ uential Dragon-Blooded Sena-
  tors to this unlikely banner, however, giving its proponents 
  unexpected traction in Lesser Chamber debates. His sudden, 
  unexpected adoption of patriotic idealism has even inspired 
  some younger Senators in the Greater Chamber to do the 
  same, earning him the everlasting enmity of the Deliberative’s 
  most cruel and jaded elder statesmen.
  MAINTAINING THE EMPIRE
  The bureaucracy that maintains the Scarlet Empire—
  known ofﬁ cially as the Imperial Service and colloquially 
  as the Thousand Scales—consists of all the brush-wavers, 
  judges and accountants who execute the decrees of the 
  Deliberative. Each level of government is supposed to be 
  responsible for the one below it, and everyone is supposed 
  to look out for corruption on the levels below them. This 
  responsibility is but an idealistic veneer lacquered over an 
  uglier reality. The true design of this web of ministries, 
  departments, councils and committees is not as much to 
  perpetuate the functions of empire but to obscure said 
  functions from the empire’s citizens.
  Until recently, the Imperial Army, the Magistracy (and 
  the innumerable ministries overseen by its magistrates) and 
  the All-Seeing Eye all worked in harmony, with the hand of 
  the Empress balancing their rivalries. Her absence, however, 
  has propelled the ministries of the Imperial Bureaucracy into 
  a position of greater authority at the expense of the other 
  two. What’s more, the ministers of the bureaucracy have 
  even waged a revolution (in miniature) against their nominal 
  overseers, the magistrates.
  These ministers are appointed ofﬁ cials who serve in the 
  actual Imperial Bureaucracy itself. Drawn from the ranks of 
  mortals as well as the occasional Dragon-Blood, the minis-
  
  51
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  ters ofﬁ cially have their powers severely limited by law. Yet, 
  just as the number of tasks the maintenance of the Realm 
  requires is huge, so also is the ministers’ number legion. Us-
  ing the laws and regulations of the Realm as a noose, they 
  have slowly drawn their powers tight around the once-proud 
  magistrates and seem intent on either harnessing them or 
  grinding them into dust.
  ENTERING IMPERIAL SERVICE
  The life of a bureaucratic minister is something that 
  many Realm civilians desire, if not for themselves, then for 
  their children. The obvious advantages inherent to such a 
  position include safety, security and respect. Merchant ﬂ eets 
  can be set upon by pirates, and the Guild makes ever more 
  headway squeezing Realm merchants out of the Threshold 
  every day. The soldiers of the legions are pawns in the Great 
  Houses’ power games, when they aren’t trying desperately to 
  put down rebellions or snuff out the zealotry that surrounds the 
  rampant Anathema. The Order of the Immaculate Dragons 
  offers some of the same beneﬁ ts as the bureaucracy, but with 
  many fewer openings per year and no hope of a pension or 
  a lavish retirement fund.
  Indeed, the life of an imperial bureaucrat involves lifting 
  nothing heavier than paper and brush all day, while dressed 
  in ﬁ nery that would bankrupt the average citizen. If one 
  cannot hope to be Exalted by the Elemental Dragons, one 
  could do worse than to “settle” for the opulent life among 
  their Thousand Scales. And to dwell in the Scarlet Empire’s 
  thriving Imperial City—or the Imperial Palace itself, for those 
  truly blessed—why, that’s a dream beyond imagining.
  To say that the truth is somewhat different beggars the con-
  cept of understatement, but it is in the Imperial Bureaucracy’s 
  interest to maintain the illusion. If the masses clamor and 
  compete for positions in the Bureaucracy, the ministries can 
  pick and choose at their leisure. They thereby assure themselves 
  a constant supply of talented, eager potential recruits.
  But how does one start out in the Imperial Bureaucracy, 
  making his dreams of sinecure and avarice (or duty and 
  devotion to the atavistic romantic) into reality? The best 
  method is to be born into it. Just as the Great Houses adorn 
  the heights of Realm society, so too do the ﬁ rst families of the 
  ministers run its government. Of course, the Imperial Service 
  is a meritocracy—or so claim the jaded, the cynical and the 
  naïve—but entrenched families with long service records take 
  every precaution to make sure that their offspring are the 
  ones acknowledged to have the most merit. Many of them 
  even command private armies, and they recruit the best and 
  brightest offspring of the Great Houses as their servants.
  The second best way to get involved in the Imperial 
  Bureaucracy is to be born into one of the Great Houses. 
  Granted, the patricians govern the Realm while the Dragon-
  OFF THE FLOOR
  Considering how it was designed, it is no surprise 
  that little of true importance is resolved within the 
  bounds of the Deliberative’s normal operating procedure. 
  Yet, it can still be effective at what it does, thanks in 
  large part to the work that is done off the debate ﬂ oor. 
  The cloakrooms, meditative gardens and shadowed 
  corridors that surround the Deliberative’s meeting halls 
  provide perfect places to cut secret deals.
  Outside cooperation between Chambers is not un-
  heard of either, though it is less common these days. The 
  Dynasts of the Greater Chamber are not above promising 
  social or political favors to Senators or children of Sena-
  tors in the Lesser Chamber in exchange for votes from 
  the Lesser Chamber that support the Dynasts’ positions. 
  Technically, the strict letter of the rules of conduct that 
  govern the Deliberative forbids this trade, as does the 
  spirit in which the entire body was created.
  Of course, many things are technically forbidden…
  
  52
  Blooded rule it, but the Houses exert plenty of control over 
  the Bureaucracy. The Dragon-Blooded make every effort to 
  marry their mortal children into prominent patrician fami-
  lies, which gives them inﬂ uence over (and agents among) 
  the patricians. Serious corruption and collusion is supposed 
  to be kept to a minimum by the ministers’ internal auditing 
  process, and the Empress’s power is even supposed to allow 
  the patrician ministers to deal with the Dragon-Blooded as 
  equals. Yet, the Empress is gone, and only the most powerful, 
  connected, corrupt or foolish patricians in the Bureaucracy 
  stand in the Great Houses’ way if they don’t have to.
  Finally, perhaps the worst way to ascend into the Impe-
  rial Service is to work hard, study one’s material and apply 
  oneself with due diligence to being the best worker one can 
  be. Granted, some anecdotal evidence suggests that working 
  hard and being good at one’s job will garner one the notice 
  of entrenched ministers and bureaucrats, thus earning one a 
  well-deserved position of respect and acclaim in the Bureau-
  cracy. Such evidence is almost certainly fabricated, however, 
  circulated by propagandists and hereditary bureaucrats to 
  encourage hard, diligent work in naïve souls who lack the 
  guile and initiative to exert their own will to power. This is 
  not to say that no one in the entire history of the Realm has 
  ever been awarded a juicy government post as a direct reward 
  for hard work and good faith… it’s just never happened to any 
  person that any given bureaucrat can actually name.
  THE MINISTERS
  In the churning bureaucracy of the Imperial Service, 
  there exist well over 100 bureaus, departments, ministries 
  and ofﬁ ces, each assigned speciﬁ c areas of oversight and 
  responsibilities. They range from the miniscule (the Ofﬁ ce 
  of the Imperial Overseer of Civilian Airships, consisting of 
  one minister and one clerk) to the mundane (the Righteous 
  and Accountable Ministry of Weights and Measures) to the 
  massive (the Humble and Honest Assessors of the Imperial 
  Tax). The responsibilities of each ministry have been set down 
  in a massive tome known as the Imperial Registry, which is 
  the ﬁ nal authority on all disputes between ministries.
  THE IMPERIAL REGISTRY
  The Imperial Registry runs for more than 3,000 pages 
  of lists dating back to the earliest days of the Scarlet Empire. 
  This document changes constantly, such that each new im-
  perial decree alters the description of the imperial service. 
  When such a change is called for by a new decree, a skilled 
  calligrapher must modify the original Registry, and (ideally) 
  runners head out for each of the Realm’s provincial seats of 
  government to update those copies as well. Short of being 
  consulted by one of the gods before making a move in the 
  Games of Divinity, being called upon to make a change to 
  the original Imperial Registry is one of the highest honors a 
  mortal calligrapher could ever receive.
  The Imperial Registry’s covers are plates of beaten brass, 
  inlaid with gold and silver characters. The cover has one orna-
  mental lock, to which the Respected and Impartial Keeper of 
  the Registry keeps the single key, and the book rests on a bare 
  lectern in a bare room inside the Imperial Palace. In the next 
  room over, dozens of calligraphers toil eternally to transcribe 
  copies of the book, which are to be distributed to the Realm’s 
  provincial seats of government. Every ofﬁ ce and ministry keeps 
  a copy of the Registry, and any employee worth her ofﬁ ce spends 
  many hours each week examining the changes in regulations 
  to make sure her power remains secure. It is also a good idea 
  for the Realm’s magistrates to be well versed in the Registry’s 
  laws so that they can make sure ambitious ministers in the 
  protectorates aren’t overstepping their authority.
  Subordinate to the Keeper of the Registry is a team of 
  legal scholars who do nothing more than travel the Realm 
  resolving disputes over authority between ministers. To 
  qualify for the post, these roving arbitrators must memorize 
  the entire book and be unﬂ inchingly incorruptible. To help 
  safeguard that incorruptibility, every decision these scholars 
  make in matters of bureaucratic authority is taken down 
  and delivered to the Imperial City, where it is reviewed by 
  auditors to make sure it is the correct decision. If it is, the 
  decision is logged as a legal precedent. If it’s wrong—that 
  is, if it directly contradicts a previous imperial decree re-
  corded elsewhere in the Registry—the mistake is noted in 
  the arbitrator’s permanent record and he has to answer for 
  it when he reports for a periodic performance review. (The 
  ruling stands in the matter on which he ruled, however, until 
  the aggrieved party appeals the ruling and a new arbitrator 
  is dispatched to hear the case.)
  Should his services be called for, an arbitrator is sent as 
  soon as possible to hear arguments from everyone involved. 
  He then deliberates for a period of between three days and two 
  weeks, privately calling additional witnesses and otherwise 
  considering the evidence. When he makes his pronounce-
  ment, it is ﬁ nal, and he continues on his way. By tradition, 
  an arbitrator must leave the city by sundown on the day 
  he makes his decision, so that the winning side will not be 
  tempted to reward him. (The quick departure also makes it 
  harder for the losing side to “reward” the arbitrator.)
  Of course, both rules are little more than nominal 
  good-faith concessions to a suspicious populace. The means 
  of bribing interpreters of the Registry could ﬁ ll a book larger 
  than the Registry itself. It usually starts before a minister actu-
  ally calls for an arbitrator, with the minister sending runners 
  to butter up every arbitrator in the area with gifts. It doesn’t 
  stop when the arbitrator gets to the city either. Arbitrators 
  are gifted with everything from fancy clothes to exquisite 
  concubines—all provided not by the interested parties (of 
  course), but by anyone seeking to curry favor second-hand. 
  If a merchant prince of the Guild realizes that an unfavor-
  able ruling by an arbitrator will allow an imperial bureaucrat 
  to cut in on his business, he will suggest to the arbitrator 
  that some courses of action are more prudent than others. 
  If a clever malcontent wants to sow divisiveness between a 
  litigant and the Imperial Bureaucracy, he can approach an 
  
  53
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  incorruptible arbitrator with a clumsy bribery attempt on the 
  litigant’s (unwitting) behalf.
  The penalty on an arbitrator who abuses his position, 
  however, is a terrible one. The most common punishment 
  involves removing the tongue and hands of the offender. The 
  offender then has a tablet detailing his crime afﬁ xed to his 
  neck, and he’s set loose to wander the roads of the Realm as 
  a warning to all and sundry. Those who conspire to bribe an 
  arbiter are punished as well, with such penalties as exorbitant 
  ﬁ nes, removal from ofﬁ ce, exile or even execution.
  THE MINISTRIES
  Despite its antagonistic design and its in-built dependence 
  on the Scarlet Empress, the machine of her empire has not 
  completely seized up yet without her. The largest ministries 
  of the Imperial Bureaucracy enjoy widespread recognition, 
  authority and wealth. This is not to suggest that they won’t 
  self-destruct in time if nothing is done to reform them, just 
  that they will be the last to fall if things keep going as they 
  are. Some of the largest include:
  THE HUMBLE AND HONEST ASSESSORS OF THE IMPERIAL TAX
  This heavily policed ministry not only assesses the 
  imperial tax but collects it as well. The threat of corruption 
  at the ministry’s various levels was once mitigated (where 
  not completely expunged) by the strict scrutiny of the All-
  Seeing Eye and the oversight of the magistrates, but the Eye 
  has ﬁ lmed over since the disappearance of the Empress, and 
  the magistrates are hunted men. As a result, the local tax 
  collectors have become very cozy with the Great Houses 
  (largely to the common man’s detriment). In reaction, some 
  of the most notorious bandits and highwaymen have been 
  granted an unusual boon in the farthest imperial provinces. 
  They can take greater risks stealing larger chunks of those 
  governments’ tax money, because the regional governors 
  are too afraid of exposing their own corruption to call for 
  help from the imperial government. The only thing such 
  robbers have to worry about is the intervention of a wan-
  dering magistrate—or the fury of a righteous Anathema 
  who means well—and most are more than willing to take 
  their chances.
  THE IMPERIAL TREASURY
  The one main check on the tax-assessors’ power is that 
  they have no authority to spend the money they collect. Every 
  jade bit of revenue must be handed over to the Treasury, which 
  then authorizes the tax collectors’ expenditures. In her day, 
  the Scarlet Empress derived most of her income from these 
  revenues, doling most of it back out to pay for the upkeep 
  of the Realm. (Not all of it, though. She didn’t become the 
  most fabulously wealthy being in Creation leading trade 
  caravans.) The ministers who minded her fortune for her 
  were her most loyal and trusted servants, not to mention her 
  best paid. Her nigh-impregnable treasure manses were (and 
  remain) guarded by demons she summoned personally, as well 
  as some of the Realm’s most elite Black Helm troops. The 
  Realm’s income might be drying up now that the Empress 
  is gone, but the current fortune will abide—perhaps beyond 
  the outbreak of civil war.
  THE WISE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ADVISORS 
  OF FOREIGN TRIBUTARIES
  The Realm’s satraps—all Great House Dynasts—and 
  their personal staff compose the leadership of the Realm’s 
  Foreign Ofﬁ ce. These Dynasts oversee the gathering and 
  paying out of a subject kingdom’s tribute to the Realm. In 
  theory, this job is a simple one involving nothing more 
  than clicking the beads on an abacus and making marks 
  on a tally sheet, but in reality, it’s a challenging interplay 
  of power politics and managerial skills. Making a country 
  wealthy enough to generate constant revenue streams for 
  the Realm is good. Making it wealthy enough to afford to 
  improve its army so it can revolt against the divinely or-
  dained leadership of the Realm is bad. The Foreign Ofﬁ ce 
  works closely with the legions and has been in danger ever 
  since the army was gutted and restructured to best suit the 
  Great Houses.
  THE ETHICAL AND DILIGENT INTERPRETERS AND 
  MAINTAINERS OF THE IMPERIAL CODE OF LAW
  The extensive bureaucratic work of seeing to the re-
  cording and disseminating of changes in the law falls to 
  this ministry, which employs a veritable legion of scribes, 
  arbiters, essayists and legal thinkers. Their duties include 
  not only the maintenance of the physical Code of Law itself, 
  but the production of copies of the Code and all educational 
  materials used in the Realm for the teaching of the law and 
  the philosophy of the law. They poll experts when changes 
  are made and craft essays on the thinking that went into a 
  change and the systemic ramiﬁ cations of such change. What 
  this means, in practice, is that they are legal librarians who 
  are able to ﬁ nd and research material from the Code to keep 
  the more active agencies of order from being bogged down 
  with that tedious duty. Still, it is a large ministry, and its 
  long-term utility for conspiratorial forces is very large. The 
  Great Houses know this and have seeded it liberally with 
  ministers loyal to them for centuries.
  THE HONORABLE AND HUMBLE CARETAKERS 
  OF THE COMMON FOLK
  Satraps oversee and collect the people’s tribute from 
  satrapies; prefects oversee and collect taxes from the Empress’s 
  people on the Blessed Isle. She owned all the land and property 
  on the Blessed Isle (and only rented it out to the Great Houses 
  and citizens), and the prefectural taxes formed the bedrock 
  of the Empress’s budget. Now, the prefectural establishments 
  are the tools of the Great Houses, many of which are trying 
  to secure for themselves ownership of the property for which 
  the Empress has made them pay for so long.
  
  54
  THE ALL-SEEING EYE
  Working in the shadows to maintain the Empress’s rule 
  is the All-Seeing Eye, the imperial secret police. Its existence 
  is widely feared throughout the Realm, though its agents and 
  methods are not fully known. It is seen as both a heartless 
  conspiracy of bloody-minded killers—symptomatic of the 
  abiding treachery, paranoia and mistrust in its founder’s 
  heart—and an ugly necessity in this Age of Sorrows—staffed 
  by morbid patriots who at least have the decency to conduct 
  their dirty work in secret. A collection of spies, assassins, 
  observers and informants, it is the invisible blade the Empress 
  held to her closest subjects’ throats. Fear of the Eye’s attention 
  has been an effective check against nascent conspirators, 
  rebels and other riffraff for centuries, as a simple indication 
  that the Eye might already be onto some illicit activity is 
  enough to sap the life out of that illicit activity. After all, 
  it’s better to give up a risky, politically dangerous illicit idea 
  for fear that the Eye has caught on and be wrong, than it is 
  to do the reverse.
  The Scarlet Empress established the All-Seeing Eye 
  a mere decade after her rise to power, chartering it as her 
  means of observing and controlling the rest of the Realm. It 
  is primarily populated by members of the publicly disgraced 
  House Iselsi, whose membership in the Eye is something of 
  an open secret among the knowledgeable elite. When House 
  Iselsi’s coup attempt of several centuries ago failed, the Scarlet 
  Empress took steps to appropriate the House’s resources rather 
  than destroy it outright. Part of appropriating said resources 
  involved pressuring talented Iselsi family members into doing 
  the dirty work that keeps the Realm functioning smoothly. 
  Whether she had to provide new identities and relocate 
  her new pawns as an alternative to execution or she had to 
  kidnap a reluctant agent’s beloved family members to ensure 
  cooperation, the Empress always did what needed to be done. 
  Some new agents even thanked her for the opportunity. 
  These erstwhile traitors have since risen through the ranks 
  of the All-Seeing Eye and become its masters, trainers and 
  most pervasive Dragon-Blooded agents.
  Technically, the hierarchy of the Eye reports to the 
  Esteemed Minister of the Treasury, Bal Keraz—a ruthless, 180-
  year-old Dynast who oversees much of the Thousand Scales 
  bureaucracy. The Scarlet Empress also made sure that the 
  Eye reported directly to her. With her disappearance, though, 
  the Eye’s members report to no one, and the Eye has suffered 
  hard times. The organization is not only the secret police of 
  the Realm, but its most important last line of defense, and 
  it is coming undone. The mere thought that the All-Seeing 
  Eye might be watching them still terriﬁ es the leaders of the 
  Great Houses and the ministers in the Thousand Scales, but 
  the agency is losing more actual range and inﬂ uence by the 
  day. Were its reputation not already so fearsome, it would 
  certainly have collapsed by now.
  Yet, without the Empress’s patronage, the enemies of 
  the All-Seeing Eye are tentatively taking revenge on the 
  agency in small ways. Known Eye agents are being discredited, 
  exposed, and even killed, which has forced many spies deep 
  underground and left vulnerable those agents stuck in the 
  ﬁ eld. The security forces of the Great Houses have grown so 
  bold as to subvert (or outright assassinate) those spies within 
  their own ranks whom they’ve exposed. The lucky spies 
  who’ve managed to keep their afﬁ liation secret long enough 
  to realize the danger they are in must now hide behind false 
  identities in lands far from their homes. There they wait, 
  growing ever more bitter that their service to the Realm is 
  being undone by petty, bickering would-be tyrants.
  Making matters worse, Bal Keraz has used his inﬂ uence 
  to allow the agency’s slush funds to be depleted, and he’s cut 
  its budget on more than one occasion. He does so not to gut 
  the agency or make it less effective, but in order to conﬁ rm his 
  position of authority over it. Since he’s technically supposed 
  to be in charge and he controls the purse strings, he sees no 
  conﬂ ict of interest in throwing his weight around.
  Today, operations of the All-Seeing Eye in the Thresh-
  old are being spread ever thinner by uprisings and growing 
  discontent, especially with the number of Anathema ﬁ re-
  brands on the rise. Even the operation of the Wyld Hunt has 
  decreased in efﬁ ciency, as the Eye’s Sidereal astrologers must 
  turn their attention to the doings of the Great Houses, rather 
  than the emergence of the Anathema. The Eye was once 
  able to count on the malleability (some would say “faithful 
  gullibility”) of the Immaculate Order to see that the Wyld 
  Hunt ran smoothly on the Eye’s terms, but as the Time of 
  Tumult grows more chaotic, more Realm citizens have sought 
  refuge in religion. This new blush of panicked reliance on 
  the church has increased the inﬂ uence of the Immaculate 
  Order, which now uses that inﬂ uence to direct the Wyld 
  Hunt more as it sees ﬁ t. It has grown ever more difﬁ cult for 
  the All-Seeing Eye to steer the Wyld Hunt and make sure 
  that it is being used and deployed properly.
  Naturally, the real powers behind the All-Seeing Eye—the 
  assassins and spymasters whom even the most knowledgeable 
  of the Scarlet Dynasty believe to be nothing more than Iselsi 
  Dragon-Bloods—are gravely concerned with what is happening 
  to their bureau. To safeguard themselves and their organiza-
  tion, therefore, they have been releasing key pieces of tracer 
  information to the Esteemed Minister of the Imperial Treasury 
  (as well as those he inﬂ uences and is inﬂ uenced by in turn) 
  watching to see where that information surfaces. Doing so 
  SECRET MASTERS
  A better-kept secret about the hierarchy of the 
  All-Seeing Eye is the fact that the utmost ranks are 
  rife with Sidereal Exalted of great age and power, all 
  afﬁ liated with the Bronze Faction. These Sidereals are 
  not only the true guiding hand on the All-Seeing Eye, 
  but its most talented and subtle assassin agents.
  
  55
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  gives the Eye a keen insight into how information circulates 
  among its enemies, as well as who is snapping at the bait it 
  drops. Such information-gathering exercises often result in the 
  sacriﬁ ce of agents in the ﬁ eld, but no truly highly placed spy 
  or informant will be hung out to dry like that without a solid 
  expectation of a concomitant reward. The Eye has even used 
  these tactics to perform a little internal housecleaning, get-
  ting rid of agents with no abiding value and forging borderline 
  agents into cannier, more capable survivors. That these latter 
  survivors will appreciate the Eye’s gambling with their lives is 
  not always a given, though, and there is no more dangerous 
  threat than a trained spy and assassin who has been abused 
  by his callous handlers.
  RECRUITMENT
  Unlike the other two branches of the Thousand Scales, 
  the All-Seeing Eye actively recruits its own members. Some 
  prospective members are soldiers or ofﬁ cers in the Imperial 
  Army. Others are talented clerks in important ministries with 
  no hopes of advancement. Still others are well-connected 
  patricians or even minor nobles in the Scarlet Dynasty. The 
  recruiters of the All-Seeing Eye do not hesitate to consider 
  peasants, slaves or even Immaculate monks should circum-
  stances necessitate. If a prospective agent has skills that 
  will serve the Eye well, is in a social position that regularly 
  makes her privy to important information or simply has the 
  right combination of patriotic zeal and keen wit, the Eye’s 
  recruiters will draw her in no matter who she is.
  The All-Seeing Eye is probably the most equal-opportunity 
  organization in the Realm. Sidereal Exalted astrologer-assassins 
  regularly work with streetwise fences and otherwise-ignored 
  slaves, all chosen, placed and paid according to their skill and 
  usefulness. Despite the veneer, though, most of the Eye’s best 
  and most trusted agents are Dragon-Blooded—mostly talented 
  outcastes and Iselsi fugitives. The reason the Eye relies on such 
  “undesirables” is that their loyalties are the least likely to 
  be divided by Great House power-mongering, and they are 
  the easiest citizens for whom to provide false cover identi-
  ties. It’s much easier to insert an outcaste Dragon-Blood 
  from the Threshold into the society of the Blessed Isle in 
  the guise of a far-ﬂ ung provincial governor promoted to 
  a position in the big city than it is to take a Dynast from the 
  big city and falsify a new identity for him. It’s also easier to rely 
  on such an outcaste because he knows how it feels to be an 
  outsider observing the polite society that has heretofore wanted 
  nothing to do with him. The only real danger in doing so is if 
  the implanted agent becomes too comfortable in his cover role 
  within a Great House and begins to feel like a true member 
  of the unwitting family that has welcomed him.
  Regardless, those whom the Eye deems worthy of 
  recruitment—due to valuable skills, or because they 
  managed to uncover an Eye operation with no formal train-
  ing—are secretly given a sign marked with a single lidless 
  eye. Those who are clever enough to recognize the symbol 
  for what it represents, and to hold their silence, are openly 
  
  56
  approached and taken into the fold eventually. Desperately 
  unfortunate are those who cannot refrain from spreading the 
  word of what they’ve received, though. Should the confused 
  prospect take the strange symbol to a mentor, or should he 
  let some unsuspecting family member stumble across it, his 
  life is forfeit.
  WHAT THE ALL-SEEING EYE SURVEYS
  The All-Seeing Eye has one main function, with multiple 
  other individual duties arrayed beneath it. That main func-
  tion is to ensure the continued existence of the Realm by any 
  means and at any cost. There is no single way to uphold that 
  function, though, so the Eye’s missions are many. They include 
  monitoring the tributary states of the Threshold for signs of 
  willfulness and insurrection, spying on the Great Houses of 
  the Realm for the same, maintaining and subtly directing 
  the Wyld Hunt and standing at the gates of the Realm’s vast 
  inﬂ uence and watching for trouble from without.
  Many of the All-Seeing Eye’s actual missions complement 
  those responsibilities the magistrates take upon themselves, 
  and ﬁ erce rivalries spring up between members of those 
  organizations over the interference each perceives in the ac-
  tions of the other. The Scarlet Empress used the magistrates 
  to stymie the ambitions of the Eye while simultaneously us-
  ing the Eye to do the same against the magistrates. Luckily, 
  despite their other problems resulting from the Empress’s 
  disappearance, the Eye’s agents are far more numerous than 
  the magistrates, and they operate far more subtly. The Eye’s 
  power is much more strictly regulated, however, and much 
  of its day-to-day resources go toward auditing the mundane 
  operations of the Thousand Scales.
  FINANCES
  Thanks again to the inﬂ uence of Bal Keraz, monitor-
  ing the Thousand Scales’ revenues and receipts is the most 
  important (if least exciting) of the All-Seeing Eye’s duties. If 
  no one were keeping tabs on the tax revenues collected from 
  the tributaries and the prefectures, the Realm would hemor-
  rhage more jade than a wounded god of pecuniary excess. 
  Therefore, the Eye has long had access to, if not actually 
  placed agents in, every customs ofﬁ ce and counting house. 
  Many of those observers have been exposed and subsequently 
  bribed, threatened or otherwise forced to turn a blind eye 
  to burgeoning embezzlement schemes and corruption. With 
  the Eye blinded to such indiscretions, crooked nobles and 
  merchants are in much better positions to ﬁ ddle with the 
  tax revenues they surrender to the Realm. While money 
  still ﬁ nds its way to the Imperial Treasury, the amount of 
  it decreases every year. (Some tributary governments have 
  even taken to secretly hiring privateer bandits to raid tribute 
  shipments and turn a portion of the spoils back over to the 
  criminals who hired them—anything to keep the resources 
  out of the Realm’s hands.)
  Of course, when an Eye asset uncovers concrete proof 
  of embezzlement or other willful corruption, the Eye is still 
  plenty willing and able to take action to deal with it. Depend-
  ing on the nature and severity of the guilty party’s scheme, 
  the Eye passes and executes sentences, which are carried 
  out in the Eye’s own subtle idiom. Such sentences include 
  privately warning the offender to return the illicit funds, 
  stealing the missing funds back directly from the offender’s 
  coffers, spreading slanderous lies to publicly humiliate the 
  offender and cost him his position, and even getting word to 
  an overzealous local magistrate. Corrupt agents of the Eye 
  have been known to employ that latter tactic in hopes of the 
  resulting confusion being distracting enough to cover their 
  own tracks when they are up to no good.
  THE WYLD HUNT
  Among its most dangerous and fearsome agents, the 
  All-Seeing Eye also employs a surprisingly large number 
  of astronomers and diviners who are dedicated to locating 
  the reborn Anathema. Working closely with the diviners of 
  the Immaculate Order (though usually on the sly or acting 
  as a double-blind backup to those diviners), these agents of 
  the Eye are the ones who call down the Wyld Hunt when 
  signs indicate that an Anathema has reemerged into the 
  world. Once the Eye is convinced that a new Anathema is 
  destined to rise, the diviners work hard to provide their best 
  estimate as to where the threat will do so. Agents, observers 
  and informants are all then dispatched to the area that their 
  results suggest, all of whom scour the local area at the Eye’s 
  behest for the slightest hint of where the presaged Anathema 
  will turn up.
  Once agents of the Eye have ﬁ nally located the Anath-
  ema, they get word back as quickly as they can to a scout, 
  an Immaculate or a magistrate who will call the Wyld Hunt 
  forth. Ofﬁ cially, calling and coordinating a Wyld Hunt is the 
  Immaculate Order’s job, which is just as the All-Seeing Eye 
  prefers, but at least one agent of the Eye usually rides with the 
  Hunt during the chase. This agent makes sure the hunters do 
  as they are bid and that they do it well—and that they actu-
  ally hunt down the right person. Granted, one’s Anathema 
  nature makes itself very plain once an attack by the Wyld 
  Hunt has begun, but if the Hunt comes down on an innocent 
  mortal or God-Blood (likely as a result of Anathema trickery), 
  a Hunt might not realize as much until it’s too late. Such has 
  happened in the past—the most recent incidents occurring 
  in the Threshold cities of Gem and Chiaroscuro, as well as 
  in far-ﬂ ung Greyfalls. The former two incidents involved 
  Hunts for canny Anathema assassins, one of whom has ties 
  to a Southern cult of worshippers of the demon Sondok. The 
  latter focused on a masked Anathema insurgent attempting 
  to stir up dissent among the Nuri support staff of Greyfalls’ 
  government. In each of those cases, however, the All-Seeing 
  Eye minders of the Hunt allowed the mistakes to be carried 
  forward, as the falsely identiﬁ ed targets the Hunt rolled up 
  on were corrupt ministers already under investigation by the 
  Eye. While the Anathema in each case did manage to escape, 
  and the leaders of each Hunt were publicly humiliated, the 
  
  57
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  Eye still counts each Hunt as a partial success.
  With fewer agents in the All-Seeing Eye’s employ these 
  days, however, more Anathema are slipping away from even 
  the best-trained Wyld Hunts. Even when the signs of the 
  arrival of a new Anathema are noted, there is simply not 
  enough manpower available for the Eye to see the abomination 
  hunted down and slaughtered. Likewise, the sheer number 
  of newly reborn Solar Exalted has shocked the overwhelmed 
  Wyld Hunt. The Eye’s youngest and most zealous agents ﬁ nd 
  this situation intolerable and have taken steps to establish a 
  Wyld Hunt manned entirely by members of the All-Seeing 
  Eye. Unlike the unmistakable, blazing display of power that 
  a normal Wyld Hunt puts on, however, this nascent cult of 
  Anathema-killers relies on the Eye’s favored techniques of 
  stealth, cunning, ambush and assassination. As a result, it 
  can ﬁ eld fewer agents per Hunt with the same expectations 
  of success and expose them to less outright danger than a 
  normal Wyld Hunt would face. In fact, the biggest challenge 
  these assassins face in carrying out their work is beating the 
  ofﬁ cial Wyld Hunt to a target once a diviner warns of another 
  Anathema’s imminent rise.
  PRESERVING THE PEACE
  The common perception is that agents of the Eye are 
  everywhere, and anybody could be one, so no word spoken 
  out against the government goes unheard. The perception 
  is a far cry from the truth, especially these days, but it aids 
  the Eye in its duties nonetheless. This perception has even 
  worked to help ward off some of the Eye’s actual enemies. 
  High-ranking agents in the organization have begun to 
  circulate a rumor that the All-Seeing Eye is well aware of 
  where the Scarlet Empress is, why she has been absent and 
  when she plans to return. Fortunately, none have yet dared 
  to call these agents’ bluff (if they are blufﬁ ng), and no one 
  has made any overt, sweeping moves against the Empress’s 
  pet intelligence organization.
  Regardless, the Eye does funnel considerable resources 
  toward forestalling potential conspiracies. Frankly, it’s 
  easier to deal with a few burgeoning conspirators skulking 
  in the shadows than it is to hold back a revolutionary army 
  on the battlefield. When evidence of treason arises—as it 
  regularly does in this Time of Tumult—careful delibera-
  tion precedes any actual overt action. The general rule is 
  that the more power and influence the guilty party can 
  wield, the more subtle and circumspect the All-Seeing Eye 
  must be in its actions. A loud, drunken mortal braggart 
  who mouths off in a whorehouse about wanting to kill 
  his tributary government’s satrap and free his people from 
  Realm control might turn up the next morning in an alley 
  with his throat slit. House Iselsi, on the other hand, tried 
  to carry off an assassination and a bloody coup against 
  the Scarlet Empress herself after spectacularly failing to 
  pacify the River Province…
  In most cases, a hint that the Eye is indeed watching 
  the traitors is enough to send everyone scurrying back into 
  safety and social nicety. In a small percentage of cases, each 
  of the conspirators might be stolen from their beds at night, 
  rushed to a hidden Eye installation, locked in an otherwise 
  empty room together and left there for hours—and all the 
  while, none of their abductors reveal their identities or say a 
  single word. Upon their eventual release, most such conspira-
  tors have learned their lessons. Sometimes, however, death is 
  the only solution. An assassin might quietly execute a minor 
  conspirator to warn the remaining traitors, for instance. The 
  Eye has also been known to convince the local magistrate to 
  put on a public execution, complete with a denouncement of 
  the involved dissidents and a recitation of the traitors’ crimes. 
  A magistrate’s showing up out of the blue and unraveling a 
  complicated conspiracy with no visible effort is undeniable 
  evidence to even the most ignorant layman that the Realm’s 
  spies truly are everywhere.
  Of course, it gets that same message across regard-
  less of whether the alleged dissidents are involved in a 
  real conspiracy.
  WATCHING THE FRINGE
  For all the effort it puts into safeguarding the Realm, 
  the All-Seeing Eye does not focus exclusively inward. One 
  last, though not inconsequential, aspect of its labors is 
  to gather valuable intelligence beyond the sphere of the 
  Realm’s inﬂ uence. Every major city of the Threshold, and 
  several well beyond, have agents in place whose duties are to 
  observe, to recruit and, on rare occasions, to act to defend 
  the Realm. If an up-and-coming Sijanese criminal cartel is 
  using the trafﬁ c of ghost ﬂ owers as cover for smuggling body 
  parts out of the crypts of revered Dynasts, the All-Seeing 
  Eye will put a stop to it. If the armies of the Fair Folk are 
  about to overrun the far-ﬂ ung city of Greyfalls, the All-
  Seeing Eye will make sure that the garrison commander 
  there is prepared. If the Lunar Leviathan has found some 
  way to raise the sunken city of Luthe, the All-Seeing Eye 
  will make sure that the agents of the Bodhisattva Anointed 
  by Dark Waters are too distracted to take advantage of the 
  situation ﬁ rst.
  PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
  In this troubling, dangerous time—potentially the worst 
  Creation has seen since the Usurpation—the responsibility to 
  protect its people is the most serious one the Realm’s govern-
  ment has. Threats come from within (in the form of corruption, 
  rebellion and lawlessness) and from without (in the form of 
  Anathema, divine unruliness and foreign aggression). While 
  the All-Seeing Eye shares in the responsibility for watching 
  out for such threats, different branches and appointees of 
  the government must actually do the work of protecting the 
  Realm’s citizens. The task of upholding the laws within the 
  Realm and in its external provinces falls on the magistrates and 
  the Guardians of the Realm, as well as on the Realm’s courts. 
  Defending the Realm from external threats is the purview of 
  the Imperial Army and the Wyld Hunt.
  
  58
  MAGISTRATES
  Magistrates are those lone appointed heroes who roam the 
  satrapies and prefectures of the Realm to dispense justice on 
  evildoers and protect the citizenry in the name of the Scarlet 
  Empress. They investigate potential uprisings among the 
  Realm’s tributary kingdoms, they catch tax-dodgers, and they 
  root out dangerous threats that tributary lords can’t handle. 
  Magistrates also act as independent investigators in complex 
  trials and help manage crisis situations in times of disaster 
  (be it pulling people out of the rubble when starmetal falls 
  onto an inhabited city or walking into a burning building 
  and collapsing it from within to keep the ﬁ re from spread-
  ing). Each task the magistrate performs is for the good of the 
  Scarlet Empire and its tributary states—either enforcing its 
  laws, protecting its citizens or punishing its worst criminals 
  and terrorists.
  Magistrates wander the land either looking for trouble 
  or forcing it to come to them. Normally, if anything going 
  on in a given region demands a magistrate’s attention, the 
  overburdened or frustrated local government will send run-
  ners to ﬁ nd her immediately. This is assuming, of course, that 
  the local authorities want to incur the magistrate’s attention. 
  When they don’t, it’s up to lesser government functionaries or 
  even dutiful citizens to seek out the magistrate independently 
  and plead for her help. The most proactive magistrates also 
  employ networks of spies and informants in the lands they 
  travel, so as not to have to wait for honest, honorable people 
  to step forward. Sometimes even the best and most honorable 
  people won’t stand up against injustice unless they already 
  know they can count on the immediate support of a powerful 
  magistrate. To do otherwise shows either remarkable faith or 
  a thundering lack of foresight.
  Magistrates most often work more or less alone. The 
  average magistrate employs a single scribe and perhaps a 
  warrior or two as a bodyguard. The former records all of 
  the magistrate’s deeds for inclusion in the Realm’s ofﬁ cial 
  histories, the Realm’s Code of Law, and whatever piece 
  of popular propagandist literature the scribe has accepted 
  a sideline commission to write. (Magistrates are also ac-
  countable for their actions, though only to the Empress, so 
  it behooves them to maintain fastidious records of what they 
  are doing.) The bodyguards magistrates employ are usually 
  not necessary per se, as every magistrate is a powerful Ter-
  restrial Exalt in his own right, but the bodyguards provide 
  invaluable distractions in ambushes or other situations when 
  a magistrates is indisposed.
  Different magistrates rely on different forms of support 
  staff to get their work done. Some walk a predetermined 
  route through the lands they consider their protectorate, 
  paying off a vast network of snitches, gossips and undercover 
  agents to keep them informed of the protectorate’s general 
  disposition. Others cultivate relationships with auditors 
  working within the Imperial Bureaucracy in order to keep 
  tabs on the health of the area. Still others rely on members 
  of the All-Seeing Eye whom they’ve unmasked, extorting 
  carefully gleaned information in return for the magistrates 
  not blowing the agents’ cover. Some rare few even work 
  directly with the satraps, prefects or provincial governors to 
  help maintain order.
  ARCHONS
  Aside from their normal support staff, magistrates also 
  have the power to recruit subordinates called archons. These 
  individuals can be Dragon-Blooded or otherwise, but they 
  are typically criminals, young revolutionaries or outcastes a 
  magistrate has saved from execution or exile. Should they 
  accept the magistrate’s offer to serve the Realm, they are 
  bound to obey that magistrate’s orders. They can be called 
  upon to ﬁ nd evidence, locate witnesses, spy and defend the 
  magistrate with their own lives—whatever best suits the skills 
  for which the magistrate called upon them.
  THE LAW
  The Imperial Code of Law, like the Imperial Regis-
  try that is technically an offshoot of the Code, is a living 
  document lengthy enough to warrant an entire ministry 
  to oversee it. It contains every law and precedent-setting 
  judgment or interpretation made since the earliest days 
  of the Empress’s reign—and sections of it date back to 
  the Shogunate. Though it has spawned several schools 
  of thought and dozens of ministerial ofﬁ ces, it is not a 
  literal accounting of proscribed activities as one might 
  expect. It is, instead, a collection of ideas about the na-
  ture of law, accompanied by annotations of every major 
  decision and thinking based on that collection.
  Imperial law is a ﬂ uid system with regular changes 
  being introduced around a stable, central ethical core. 
  The Immaculate Philosophy provides this core with its 
  ideas of a celestially ordained order and the importance 
  of knowing one’s place in it. This is not an ofﬁ cial 
  stance on the part of the government or the Immaculate 
  Order, it is simply a result of generations of Immaculate 
  thinking throughout the Realm. The Immaculate faith 
  is the religion of the Realm, and the Realm’s Code of 
  Law is a clear reﬂ ection of that.
  As such, the Code is not a strictly explicit list of 
  commandments or set of clear deﬁ nitions of what is 
  criminal. There is no need for such a list. Every citizen 
  of the Realm knows the ethics of the Immaculate Order. 
  It permeates their culture and society. Everyone knows 
  what is right and wrong when it comes to matters of 
  theft, negligence, murder, rape and violation in all its 
  forms. The Code, then, is a procedural and interpretive 
  document. It serves as a foundational ethical document 
  that details the imperial understanding of order, from 
  which every agent of the law can then be assumed to 
  draw correct judgments.
  
  59
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  These individuals owe their survival and freedom to 
  their magistrate’s inﬂ uence, and their fortunes are tied to 
  the magistrate’s. Each archon’s life is bound up with the life 
  of the magistrate he serves, as well, for if the magistrate’s 
  life should end, so too must that of the archon. For such a 
  penalty to be invoked, however, another magistrate ﬁ rst must 
  know that one of his own has fallen and, second, must ﬁ nd 
  the fallen magistrate’s surviving archons. Considering how 
  difﬁ cult and time-consuming such a search can be, some 
  older magistrates have taken it upon themselves to devote 
  their entire careers to tracking down renegade archons of 
  fallen magistrates.
  The only real hope a surviving archon of a slain magistrate 
  once had for the future was the possibility of being appointed 
  a magistrate himself and taking up the slain one’s protectorate. 
  Such has happened in the past, though not often, but only 
  the Scarlet Empress ever had the power to make someone a 
  magistrate. With her gone, surviving archons have no hope, 
  and that makes them desperate, hunted creatures.
  BECOMING A MAGISTRATE
  The only way to become a magistrate is to be appointed 
  by the Scarlet Empress. She needs no approval or ratiﬁ cation, 
  so her word on the subject is ﬁ nal. In Her Imperial Majesty 
  also lies the sole authority to strip a magistrate of his position. 
  Considering the Empress’s care and discretion in appointing 
  magistrates, though, she very rarely had to divest a magistrate 
  of his powers. (The last time she did so was almost two cen-
  turies ago when she summarily stripped every magistrate she 
  had elevated from House Iselsi of honor and rank.)
  In her mercy, the Empress plucked many magistrates 
  from prison or worse, so that they might choose between 
  death and service to the Realm. Having been spared thus, the 
  magistrates pledged their considerable skills to the service of 
  the Realm. Almost uniform among them is a deep personal 
  loyalty to the Empress herself, which is almost unheard of 
  in the Imperial Service. Those who are not loyal—or worse, 
  are corrupt—face a hard road ahead, as not only their better 
  devoted compatriots spare nothing to hunt them down, but 
  angry locals, spirits of justice and honor-bound Lawgivers 
  do so as well.
  Once appointed, there is no formal training for magis-
  trates. They are simply given their badges of ofﬁ ce, instructed 
  in their duties, informed of the limits of their new power and 
  told to familiarize themselves with the laws of the Realm as 
  best they are able. In some cases (especially if the magistrate 
  in question has been far removed from society for a long 
  time), a newly appointed magistrate is assigned a scribe and 
  historian who also happens to be ﬂ uent in current Realm laws. 
  Older magistrates also shadow the younger ones to keep tabs 
  on their performance and provide assistance when doing so 
  doesn’t interfere too much with their own duties.
  
  60
  RESPONSIBILITIES AND BENEFITS
  When they are in the ﬁ eld, magistrates can perform a 
  wide variety of tasks, and they enjoy some signiﬁ cant perks 
  for performing them. Magistrates can conﬁ scate any property, 
  execute any sentence and exercise their will and powers any 
  other way they want. They serve as the visible manifesta-
  tion of the Empress’s will, so anything they do in her name 
  must be just and unquestionable. In theory, this power has 
  no limit save the Empress’s direct opposition to one of their 
  decrees, and such opposition was only likely to arise well 
  after the decree is issued if some offended party had the 
  courage and the clout to appeal the magistrate’s sentence to 
  the Empress herself.
  Magistrates have no set routes to patrol or territory 
  for which they are responsible. Any place in Creation 
  over which the Realm claims dominion is considered the 
  purview of a magistrate. The average magistrate will make 
  his home in a single town, often a provincial capital, and 
  establish a far-ranging patrol route. This route (and the 
  Realm territory it encompasses) is known as the magistrate’s 
  protectorate. No magistrate is required to establish a 
  protectorate, but all magistrates are expected to respect 
  each other’s protectorates. By tradition, no magistrate can 
  overrule another in that other’s own protectorate unless 
  the other is demonstrably corrupt, incompetent or act-
  ing counter to the Realm’s best interest. Putting down a 
  magistrate in his own protectorate is a risky proposition, 
  however, as the evidence that he deserves it must be over-
  whelming enough to forestall all suspicious questioning. 
  Plus, the damage done by usurping him—not only to the 
  protectorate, but to the Realm’s image in that protector-
  ate—must be considerably less severe than that of leaving 
  the corrupt or incompetent magistrate in power. For this 
  reason, most magistrates mind the business of their own 
  protectorates and leave their neighbors to deal with their 
  own affairs. When honor, law or their conscience requires 
  they do otherwise, though, it is best to rope in at least one 
  other magistrate to lend the effort an air of legitimacy and 
  the strength of numbers.
  Once every ﬁ ve years, a magistrate must report to the 
  Imperial City with his associated scribe (if he’s got one) to 
  detail his deeds and judgments. At that time, the Empress 
  reviews the work the magistrate has done (comparing it to 
  the reports made on the same magistrate by the All-Seeing 
  Eye). With the disappearance of the Empress, though, magis-
  trates have become notably reluctant to answer the ﬁ ve-year 
  summons. They don’t know if the Regent can (or will) strip 
  their power from them when they do, and they don’t want 
  to expose themselves to the enemies they might have made 
  in the ﬁ eld besides. Some have grown corrupt without this 
  oversight, accepting or extorting bribes from the ofﬁ cials in 
  their protectorates or the bandits who plague them. Others 
  continue to function in the far reaches of the Realm as best 
  they can, calling on favors from those who have valued 
  their judgments in the past when times grow harsh. Some 
  even relish the opportunity the disappearance has provided 
  them to carry on about their work undisturbed. After all, a 
  magistrate can range much farther aﬁ eld if he doesn’t have 
  to make the long, regular treks back to the Imperial City 
  every so often.
  As for what magistrates are actually called upon to do, a 
  number of responsibilities fall upon their shoulders. The follow-
  ing are just a random sampling of the most common ones:
  ACTING AS JUDGES
  Magistrates often hear suits or are petitioned to serve 
  as judges in cases of murder and other heinous crimes that 
  occur in their protectorates. They have the power to render 
  judgment and levy sentences. A magistrate can also observe 
  an ofﬁ cial court proceeding without acting as judge himself 
  if the local judge has the situation well in hand. His doing so 
  can help maintain order if the trial in question is especially 
  emotionally charged (such as if a hapless Ghost-Blooded 
  asylum-seeker from a neighboring shadowland has been 
  accused of opening the city’s gates to an invading army of 
  the dead), or it can lend legitimacy to the proceedings (if, 
  for instance the populace is unjustly suspicious of its judge). 
  Some magistrates do nothing but act as wandering judges 
  in their protectorates, maintaining a staff of agents in each 
  city whose sole job it is to round up, question and protect 
  witnesses in various cases.
  HUNTING BEASTS
  The simplest expression of this responsibility is the 
  idea of magistrate as shepherd. With stout staff in hand 
  (representing the righteous authority vested in him), he 
  watches over his docile flock and chases away the wolves 
  who seek to steal his sheep. In popular heroic fiction 
  commissioned by the Scarlet Empress, magistrates are 
  the ones who rescue hapless maidens from evil monsters, 
  storming the monsters’ lairs and slaying them where 
  they stand. In the past, beasts were generally regarded 
  as just that—animals or monsters that preyed upon the 
  Empress’s subjects. In the modern day, however, magis-
  trates are expected to hunt any and every sort of “beast” 
  that troubles decent people, including lawless fugitives, 
  troublesome ghosts, ambitious Fair Folk and even those 
  Anathema who escape the notice of the Wyld Hunt. The 
  most recent instance of a magistrate seeking to purge a 
  young Anathema on his own ended in tragedy, however, 
  when the Water-aspected Peleps Gerik fell in battle with 
  a Solar Exalt named Swan from the Coral Archipelago. 
  Initial reports from survivors of that incident claim that 
  the Anathema also died in that battle, but such reports 
  have been greatly exaggerated before.
  DEALING WITH UNQUIET SPIRITS
  If a spirit or ghost is refusing to behave—an increas-
  ingly common occurrence these days—a magistrate is 
  generally called for. The expectation is that the magistrate 
  
  61
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  will demonstrate to the spirit or ghost the folly of its ways. 
  Out of respect for not only its own low place in Creation, 
  but for the Dragon-Blooded magistrate’s high one, the spirit 
  is then expected to amend its behavior so that life gets back 
  to normal. It behooves the magistrate in this situation to 
  show the spirit its due respect so as not to rile the other 
  spirits of its court. Some spirits will not see reason, though, 
  so sometimes a magistrate has to smite the offending entity. 
  When that regrettable necessity arises, the magistrate is best 
  served to call upon local members of the Immaculate Order. 
  The Immaculates are expected to defer to the magistrate for 
  the duration of their cooperation. (Such arrangements also 
  hastily arise on those rare occasions when a foolish magis-
  trate-sorcerer summons a demonic servant that proves too 
  powerful for him to control.)
  ROOTING OUT CORRUPTION
  When suspicion grows that a satrap, prefect or min-
  ister is corrupt, it is the magistrates who are called in to 
  investigate the matter. This duty is perhaps the magistrates’ 
  most important one, though perhaps for different reasons 
  today than might have existed before. In the past, evidence 
  of corruption in a Realm ofﬁ cial was considered a slap in 
  the Empress’s face, an unpardonable insult. It was through 
  her magistrates that the Empress expressed her displeasure 
  with her willful, crooked ministers and other ofﬁ cials and 
  kept the rest of them in line. Today, though, the Empress is 
  gone, and her will is entirely the purview of precedent and 
  guesswork. Therefore, some magistrates have taken it upon 
  themselves to crack down on this rampant criminality as 
  the only means of keeping the Realm from disintegrating 
  entirely into chaos. As a result, it is these magistrates who 
  garner the most enemies and have had the most to lose since 
  the Empress’s disappearance.
  LIMITATIONS ON MAGISTRATES
  Although the magistrates enjoyed tremendous power 
  and not inconsiderable inﬂ uence, this is not to say that 
  their power went unchecked. One of the most important 
  precautions the Empress took when she created the position 
  was to forbid her magistrates from acquiring wealth. Thus 
  would they be the poorest inhabitants of the Realm and 
  consequently its humblest. Yet, since all citizens are duty-
  bound to accede to any and every request a magistrate makes, 
  to say that a magistrate is poor is an overstatement of the 
  lifestyle. (No man who can “requisition” a penthouse apart-
  ment in any provincial capital within his protectorate and 
  demand three square meals of expensive delicacies without 
  being expected to pay for it can hardly be considered poor.) 
  What’s best about this imperial stricture on the position is 
  that it makes magistrates hard to bribe. After all, what could 
  a magistrate possibly be offered that would compare to what 
  he is already entitled to?
  Granted, the stricture against wealth is not much of 
  a true limitation, but this Time of Tumult is probably the 
  worst time in the Second Age to be a magistrate. For one 
  thing, no one has any authority to appoint new magistrates 
  to replace those who fall in the line of duty. It is conceivable 
  that Regent Fokuf could exercise this aspect of the Empress’s 
  power himself, but he lacks the drive or the will to do so 
  unprompted. Any one of the “supplicants” who has the 
  Regent’s ear (from the eldest Senators of the Deliberative to 
  the scions of the Great Houses) could recommend certain 
  Dragon-Blooded heroes for the Regent’s consideration, but 
  doing so would be inherently dangerous for them. Those 
  trusted advisors wouldn’t have to worry about potential 
  refusal, of course, as the Regent would willingly go along 
  with their recommendations without question. Using the 
  malleable pawn to exercise such direct inﬂ uence on the 
  Realm, however, could break the inﬂ uence armistice that 
  the Regent’s appointment represents. It’s one thing to 
  convince Fokuf not to veto a piece of legislation that has 
  been forged in the ﬁ res of the Deliberative’s debate ﬂ oors. 
  It’s quite another to use the Regent to place someone from 
  your House above the law for your personal beneﬁ t.
  What’s more, as the magistrates’ numbers dwindle, those 
  they have hunted or ruled against in the past are now look-
  ing for revenge. From corrupt ministers to escaped bandit 
  kings to disgraced Dragon-Blooded whose villainy gives the 
  Realm a bad name, everyone with an axe to grind with a 
  magistrate knows that now is the time to act. Magistrates 
  are powerful and canny warriors, to be sure, but when their 
  enemies have sufﬁ cient power to threaten them, embattled 
  magistrates now have nowhere to turn for ofﬁ cial support. 
  Even the ministers of the Thousand Scales are reluctant 
  to support their erstwhile overseers, as a reduction in the 
  presence and power of said overseers only makes a corrupt 
  minister’s life that much easier.
  To make matters worse, many surviving magistrates 
  were once criminals or outcastes themselves before their 
  appointments. Most have powerful enemies who resent 
  their undeserved elevation, and those enemies are making 
  their presence felt. Villains with plans to snatch up the 
  Scarlet Throne and those who feel they have been wronged 
  by magistrates are making their moves with little interfer-
  ence. At the same time, members of the All-Seeing Eye are 
  taking this unexpected opportunity to carve out some of 
  the magistrates’ power. Since the Empress’s disappearance, 
  many magistrates—from the most heinous and corrupt 
  to the weakest and most naïve—have been assassinated. 
  Others have been arrested, brought to trial, and executed 
  for perceived treason. Only political inﬂ uence, espionage, 
  and raw physical power can protect the magistrates who are 
  left from being eliminated altogether. The situation is so 
  desperate that some hunted magistrates have fallen under 
  the sway of enterprising, opportunistic Solar Exalted who 
  promise either righteous justice for or sweet revenge against 
  those who have turned a noble profession in the Empress’s 
  service into a magistracy of hares.
  
  62
  THE GUARDIANS OF THE REALM
  While the magistrates are the most famous and inﬂ uential 
  individual agents of the Empress’s law, the fearsomely clad 
  Guardians of the Realm (a.k.a. the Black Helms) are the 
  face of imperial law and police power to most of the peasants 
  and patricians of the Realm. This fact, of course, subjects 
  the Black Helms to every imaginable variety of underclass 
  griping, and makes them out to be the villains of most of the 
  peasantry’s tales of oppression. The common perception is 
  that the Guardians of the Realm represent everything that’s 
  scary and wrong about law enforcement by the government, 
  while magistrates are lone heroes driven by nothing more 
  than a noble understanding of justice. The sudden appearance 
  of the Black Helms is a sure way to empty a marketplace or 
  focus the attention of everyone in a farm ﬁ eld on the ground 
  beneath their feet. Even citizens who’ve done nothing wrong 
  ﬁ nd the presence and authority of the Black Helms intimi-
  dating. This vicious reputation the guardians have earned 
  is not entirely inaccurate, as the Black Helms count more 
  than a few bullies among their number. They also have the 
  power and right to judge a peasant or dispossessed person on 
  the spot without turning to the courts, which makes them 
  even more fearsome to the lower classes. That being said, 
  Guardians of the Realm are just men and women doing a 
  hard, thankless job, and there are as many different ways to 
  do that job as there are guardians to do it. For every bully 
  with a shield and truncheon, there’s a local woman who’s a 
  Black Helm simply because she felt called to make maintain-
  ing peace and order her occupation.
  Patricians detained by the guardians are brought before 
  the judges of the imperial courts, as long as there is a rea-
  sonable case to be made against them. The guardians have 
  a fair amount of latitude in deciding whom to prosecute. 
  Guardians may hold patricians or citizens for up to a week 
  without prosecuting them, although if a prisoner is particularly 
  inﬂ uential this can cause problems, and the Black Helms hurry 
  the process along. Peasants and the disenfranchised may be 
  held for up to a month, but holding peasants for extended 
  periods of time without a good reason is considered evidence 
  of inefﬁ ciency and laziness among the guardians. As noted, 
  guardians may settle minor charges against citizens or peasants 
  without recourse to courts. Punishments for citizens include 
  ﬁ nes or simply spending up to a week imprisoned. More serious 
  crimes, whose punishment can be death, disenfranchisement 
  or exile must be taken before the courts, as must any accused 
  who is a patrician or a Dynast.
  Upon ofﬁ cially entering the fold, all Guardians of the 
  Realm take an oath to uphold the stability and order of the 
  Realm and to preserve the well-being of its people and mate-
  rial assets. The underlying thought behind using so simple 
  an oath is that it’s easier to indoctrinate all guardians with 
  one basic core idea than it is to bewilder individual Black 
  Helms with the vastness of the ever-evolving Code of Laws. 
  As a result, most guardians who have not achieved ofﬁ cer 
  
  63
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  rank usually deal with criminals and other ne’er-do-wells in 
  the most timely and decisive fashion they can think of, rather 
  than complicating their lives studying intricate procedural 
  matters. They simply move in, remove the problem, and move 
  on. Doing so can include anything from putting a rowdy 
  drunk’s arm up his back and marching him home to sleep 
  it off, to raiding the warehouses frequented by a smuggling 
  ring and rounding up the perpetrators for trial. This is not 
  to imply that the Black Helms are necessarily discourteous 
  or violent in all cases. They are just trained to be efﬁ cient 
  and orderly before they are diplomatic or crafty. It’s the job 
  of their ofﬁ cers to worry about the minutia of the law and 
  tell the rank-and-ﬁ le what to do.
  It is a prefect’s job (or that of her staff) to make ap-
  pointments to the Guardians of the Realm. Although the 
  Deliberative is technically supposed to approve any appoint-
  ments or promotions to the rank of dragonlord, doing so is 
  largely an ink-stamped formality. Even the malcontents of 
  the Lesser Chamber seldom rally against the appointment 
  of prominent guardians to that rank. In this manner do the 
  interests of the prefect and the Great House that supports 
  her become what decides how many guardians any given 
  town or area has and how they are distributed. Ofﬁ cials 
  who rely heavily on these police forces for legitimate (or 
  other) reasons will make sure that many guardians are easily 
  appointed or promoted in the area in question. Those who 
  prefer to rely on their own private troops or who would rather 
  not risk having the police around to get underfoot or expose 
  their troublesome governance, make sure that Black Helms 
  are scarce. In general, all large cities or similar population 
  centers have a minimum of one Black Helm dragonlord and 
  appropriate manpower for such an ofﬁ cer. Some coastal ports 
  with heavy trade from the Threshold, and many marketplaces 
  such as Arjuf, support as many as ﬁ ve dragons of guardians 
  with a full complement of ofﬁ cers and a monolithic civilian 
  bureaucratic staff. Conversely, even the smallest hamlet or 
  collection of farmsteads has at least one, though preferably 
  two, guardians posted there full time.
  In rural and small towns, the majority of guardians are 
  peasants. Here, either one or two guardians are posted from 
  a larger town or one or two locals will be given the job. Lo-
  cals are typically taken to a city for a few weeks and given 
  training for the job, then returned to their town. They earn 
  a small salary and their job is to settle problems among the 
  peasantry and to send for help when they face any serious 
  problems. They may levy ﬁ nes against citizens or hold them 
  for trial in a city, but all of their judgments against citizens 
  are subject to review if the citizen can ﬁ nd a sympathetic 
  ear among the guardians in the nearest city. These peasant 
  guardians do not have the authority to do anything more 
  to a patrician than detain him until help arrives, and they 
  may not touch a Dragon-Blood. When confronted with one 
  of the Dragon-Blooded who is obviously breaking laws, they 
  are ordered to call for assistance.
  ASSETS AND EQUIPMENT
  Presence is the greatest asset of the Guardians of the 
  Realm, greater even than their prerogative to use force to 
  preserve order or their highly efﬁ cient means of long-distance 
  communication. Their colloquial name, the Black Helms, 
  is a testament to their skill at using force of personality and 
  intimidation as their tool of choice in most matters, in addi-
  tion to describing their imposing appearance. The uniform 
  of the guardians is standardized, with variations stemming 
  only from workmanship. Gleaming black helmets are often 
  worn with full-face masks, circumstances permitting, along 
  with black gauntlets and buff jackets with imperial scarlet 
  trim and details. The quality of a Black Helm’s kit depends 
  largely on the budget available for that region’s forces and 
  the diligence required by local ofﬁ cers in maintaining the 
  equipment. In more rural posts, uniforms are weathered and 
  threadbare, while the guardians in the Imperial City are the 
  very picture of careful attention to detail in production and 
  maintenance of their uniforms. These choices in garb have 
  an obvious and immediate impact on the populace at large. 
  The guardians cut a very imposing ﬁ gure when fully and 
  properly attired, especially in groups.
  The Black Helms make use of a few different conﬁ gura-
  tions of weapons and team sizes when actual force is called 
  for, based on the needs of the situation and the location. The 
  average squad or patrol makes use of small shields and clubs as 
  primary weapons and carries short swords for more dangerous 
  circumstances. Guardians can also be armed with spears and 
  bows when needed. Their unit size is usually increased to make 
  proper use of such weapons. As with their armor, the quality of 
  their weapons varies based on location, with shoddy weapons 
  in neglected or remote posts contrasted with the uniformly 
  exceptional weapons of the showpiece patrols of Imperial City. 
  The minimum unit size for a patrol, in optimal conditions, is 
  three guardians—two to watch over one another in case of 
  trouble and one to move to alert help. In especially dangerous 
  areas, more troops are added as needed, up to and including 
  large, legion-style ﬂ ights and military formations. In extreme 
  emergencies (or when a spectacular show of force is required), 
  Black Helms employ such artifact weaponry as shock pikes, 
  Essence twisters or haze shield generators for area defense. (See 
  Wonders of the Lost Age
  Wonders of the Lost Age, pp. 76, 132 and 92, respectively, for 
  these artifacts’ traits.)
  Guardians are typically skilled riders, sprinters and 
  endurance runners. Mobility is as great a boon to these 
  imperial police as it is to the legions, and the Black Helms 
  make extensive use of horses and runners for both tactical 
  and communication purposes in their regular routines. Ad-
  ditionally, it is common practice for a patrol to send one or 
  more of its number off to alert the nearest guardian post in the 
  event of any sort of conﬂ ict or trouble. Also like the legions, 
  the imperial police make use of a swift and sophisticated 
  communication network. It is of the utmost importance that 
  news about bandits or wanted criminals is disseminated as 
  
  64
  widely and quickly as possible to other guardians. To this end, 
  heliography, post riders and carrier birds of various species 
  are used to make sure that the Black Helms as a whole are 
  well informed and never more than a few hours from the 
  chain of command.
  GUARDIANS OF THE REALM
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent a scale of Black Helms 
  that would be stationed in the Imperial City.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Varies
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Black with scarlet trim and a scarlet pentacle 
  on the back and chest.
  Motto:
  Motto: “Break it up!”
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 25 mortal peacekeeping ofﬁ cers, armed with 
  iron-banded cudgels and tower shields, wearing reinforced 
  black buff jackets, black gauntlets and black masked helms.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill:
  Drill: 3
  Close Combat Attack:
  Close Combat Attack: 3 
  Close Combat Damage:
   
  Close Combat Damage: 3
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: — Ranged Damage: 
   Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance:
  Endurance: 6 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 2 (-3 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 3
  Formation:
  Formation: When a scale of Black Helms is deployed, such as 
  in response to a growing riot on the street, the troops form 
  one long line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. (In cramped 
  conditions, such as a narrow street, they stack up several 
  parallel rows.) They then march forward slowly, banging their 
  cudgels against their shields in a dread rhythm that saps the 
  will of any half-hearted, would-be rioter.
  THE IMPERIAL FORCE
  There are some criminals in the Realm that no mortal 
  agent is equipped to handle. There are some crimes that no 
  purely mortal force has any business speaking out against. For 
  such cases, or when the powers that be prefer to make use of 
  more trusted operatives, an elite subsection of the Guardians 
  of the Realm is called in. That subsection, the Imperial Force, 
  performs those dangerous or high-proﬁ le actions that the Black 
  Helms cannot. It deals with criminal Dragon-Bloods or spirits, 
  it patrols key imperial centers, and it harnesses the power 
  of Essence and artifacts to especially thorny police matters. 
  The Imperial Force makes up the Realm’s special police, its 
  imperial guard. It is the most skilled group of bloodhounds 
  in the world today—save for the Wyld Hunt itself, which 
  hunts only one particular type of quarry.
  The Imperial Force consists of mortals and Terrestrial 
  Exalts. The force’s mortals are drawn primarily from the most 
  talented and powerful veterans of the legions or the Black 
  Helms, as well as the hardiest monks of the Immaculate 
  Order. Mortals in the Imperial Force have access to a vast 
  array of artifacts, weapons and armor that allow them to 
  serve alongside the Dragon-Blooded against terrible, inhu-
  man threats against which no mortal without such access 
  could possibly stand a chance.
  Any Terrestrial Exalt who works as part of the Guard-
  ians of the Realm is automatically part of the Imperial Force 
  branch. Terrestrials might work as ofﬁ cers over the mundane 
  Black Helms of the common police force, but they are paid 
  an Imperial Force salary, and they stand with their Impe-
  rial Force brethren when dicey circumstances necessitate. 
  Dragon-Blooded among the Imperial Force are usually former 
  legionnaires or Immaculate martial-art students. There are 
  also many sorcerers among the Imperial Force, and many of 
  them know plenty of spells that help them investigate with 
  supernatural prowess or pull the truth from witnesses’ minds 
  with little interference. Knowledge of divination techniques 
  is also common. For Dragon-Blooded veterans, service with 
  the Imperial Force is a way to apply existing skills to an oc-
  cupation that doesn’t require extensive travel or retraining.
  As the ebon helm is the best-known feature of the Guard-
  ians of the Realm, dragon armor is indelibly etched in the 
  minds of every citizen as the hallmark of the Imperial Force. 
  The Empress spared no expense in outﬁ tting her imperial 
  police, and examples of all ﬁ ve of the main elemental armor 
  conﬁ gurations (see Wonders of the Lost Age
  Wonders of the Lost Age, pp. 84-87) are 
  in the Imperial Force’s possession, as well as many variant 
  models. These suits of armor are what come to mind for most 
  when the Imperial Force is mentioned. A team of Exalts 
  wearing vine armor can quickly and safely manhandle even 
  an experienced Essence-wielding foe, and it is the Imperial 
  Force’s typical response to orders to apprehend a suspect.
  Though far less common than among the soldiers of 
  the rogue Seventh Legion, ashigaru armor (see Wonders of 
  Wonders of 
  the Lost Age
  the Lost Age, p. 79) is in regular use by the mortal troop-
  ers of the Imperial Force. The most trusted and able of the 
  mortal Dragon Handlers (as members of the Imperial Force 
  are called) also frequently make use of sentinel defense force 
  armor (see Wonders of the Lost Age
  Wonders of the Lost Age, pp. 81–82). Sentinel 
  armor is similar to ashigaru but speciﬁ cally designed as a 
  defense/site security model, sacriﬁ cing strategic mobility 
  and stealth capabilities for tactical mobility, hard defensive 
  strength and area-control capability.
  These mortal operatives are equipped with more than 
  just armor, a requirement if they are to meaningfully stand 
  against Exalted or spirit targets. Practically every item of their 
  kit is at least of exceptional quality and is often elementally 
  empowered as well. Making mundane armor and equip-
  ment magically light or making them protect the user from 
  the extremes of environment are common enhancements. 
  Also common are talismans of all sorts (see Exalted
  Exalted, p. 379) 
  including walkaways and good luck charms. Their weapons 
  are the best that are available and are artifacts of no small 
  power in many cases. These items are less efﬁ cient in the 
  hands of mortals, of course, but that small edge of magi-
  cal power can mean a great deal, especially if the items in 
  question are speciﬁ cally applicable to the task at hand and 
  designed for mortal use.
  Easy to overlook is the power that a mixed group of 
  Dragon-Bloods and mortals can bring to bear when they 
  
  65
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  have all drilled to ﬁ ght while under the inﬂ uence of the many 
  Terrestrial Charms that enhance the capabilities of the user’s 
  allies as well as herself. The Imperial Force’s mortal troopers 
  are very familiar with these Charms, and training to make 
  the most effective use of the Essence boost is a high priority 
  in Dragon Handler training. While lacking the punch of ar-
  tifacts, Immaculate martial arts and special training in tactics 
  to use against Essence wielders provides the foundation upon 
  which these very skilled mortals develop their vital prowess. 
  It is worth stating once more that the Dragon-Blooded do 
  not lightly train mortals in techniques that could be turned 
  against them. To a man, the mortal members of the Imperial 
  Force are trained in anti-Exalt combat. The loyalty of such a 
  ﬁ ghter must be beyond reproach to receive this level of trust, 
  and the Deliberative approves every single person named to 
  the Imperial Force.
  IMPERIAL FORCE SCALE
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent an “average” scale 
  of Dragon Handlers stationed on the Blessed Isle in the 
  Imperial City.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Varies
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Various colors of jade, with black helmets.
  Motto:
  Motto: “Stop, in the Empress’s name!”
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 25 Dragon-Blooded in dragon armor, 
  wielding Essence-powered weapons.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Elite
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill:
  Drill: 5
  Close Combat Attack: 
  Close Combat Attack: 5 
  Close Combat Damage: 
  Close Combat Damage: 5
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: 4 
  Ranged Damage: 
  Ranged Damage: 4
  Endurance: 
  Endurance: 9 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 5 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 6 
  Morale:
  Morale: 5
  Formation:
  Formation: It is thankfully rare for an entire scale of Dragon-
  Handlers to be needed on the scene at one time. Normally, 
  only one fang will actually mobilize per Terrestrial Exalt who 
  has run afoul of the law. An entire scale might be called 
  into emergency action if a powerful Anathema (or, Dragons 
  forbid, a circle of the same) evades the Wyld Hunt and turns 
  up inside the Imperial City.
  THE IMPERIAL COURTS
  When they are brought before an imperial court, patri-
  cians, mortal members of the Great Houses and Dragon-Bloods 
  may all ask for a trial by a jury of their peers if they do not 
  wish a local judge of the Thousand Scales to decide their 
  fate. Any punishment to be levied is still decided by a judge, 
  however. Many Dynasts exercise this option because the vast 
  majority of local judges have strong loyalties to one of the 
  Great Houses, and none wish to be tried by an ally of their 
  rivals. In contrast, a single local judge decides the fate of all 
  commoners who are not punished by the guardians. Com-
  moners have no right to appeal these decisions.
  Trials of patricians and Dynasts are often elaborate and 
  lengthy affairs, with the accused calling character witnesses 
  and sending her friends and relatives out to uncover infor-
  mation about her accuser. These assistants also frequently 
  attempt to determine the identity of the person who actually 
  committed the crime—or the identity of someone who can 
  be conveniently framed for it. Defendants who lack a detailed 
  knowledge of the law typically ask for a relative or close friend 
  to represent them. When possible, patricians attempt to per-
  suade one of the Dragon-Blooded to represent them. Given 
  the complexity of such trials and the elaborate formalities 
  that must be followed to try a member of the upper classes, 
  such trials can last for several days, especially in the case of 
  serious crimes where the penalties can be extreme.
  Trials of commoners are quite different. While the 
  accused is always allowed to speak in his own defense, the 
  judge can cut him off after a few minutes. Thereafter, beyond 
  making a speech after all the evidence has been presented, 
  the accused must remain silent unless he is addressed by the 
  judge. Trials of commoners are usually brief affairs and rarely 
  last more than a few hours. In most cases, a judge can try two 
  cases an hour, and near the end of the day, if the judge is tired, 
  sometimes she decides cases considerably more rapidly.
  PUNISHMENTS IN THE REALM
  Punishments on the Blessed Isle are unlike those in most 
  of Creation. The Scarlet Empress saw little to be gained from 
  either imprisoning or maiming offenders, since both forms 
  of punishment become drains upon the state. To maintain 
  the strict division between slaves and the remainder of the 
  Realm’s population, no legal resident of the Realm can be 
  enslaved. Although they can be killed without recourse or 
  trial, even the disenfranchised cannot be enslaved.
  Instead, there are ﬁ ve common punishments used in 
  the Realm: ﬁ nes, disenfranchisement, loss of status, exile 
  or death. Fines are the typical punishments for all property 
  crimes against commoners or patricians, for minor violence 
  such as public brawling, for attempted violence where no 
  one is harmed and for accidental murder. Fines are typically 
  set at three times the value of the goods stolen or destroyed, 
  with one third of this payment going to the victim and two 
  thirds to the Realm.
  Violent crimes against commoners committed by Dy-
  nasts or by patricians with close allies in one of the Great 
  Houses are also typically punished by ﬁ nes. Given their great 
  wealth, such ﬁ nes can be quite large, especially in the case 
  of serious offenses such as multiple murder. Property crimes 
  committed by a commoner or a patrician against one of the 
  Great Houses or any of its members is considered treason 
  and so is punished by death.
  More serious crimes committed by peasants have one 
  of two punishments: disenfranchisement or death. Death 
  is reserved for heinous offenses such as multiple murder or 
  arson, or for all forms of treason. Other crimes are punished 
  by disenfranchisement. Punishments for citizens are largely 
  identical, except that some of the less serious crimes that 
  would result in a peasant being disenfranchised are more 
  
  66
  often punished by loss of status. The citizen is permanently 
  demoted to the status of a peasant and set to work the land 
  on an estate owned by one of the Great Houses.
  Punishments for crimes committed by patricians and 
  members of the Great Houses are treated somewhat differ-
  ently. Patricians and mortal members of the Great Houses are 
  never disenfranchised. Instead, they can be ﬁ ned, executed 
  or exiled for some period of time, usually set at somewhere 
  from ﬁ ve years to a lifetime. Occasionally, when the courts 
  wish to set an example but the accused are sufﬁ ciently well 
  connected to avoid execution, they are punished by reduc-
  tion in status to become citizens or even peasants. This is 
  considered a punishment almost as extreme as execution, 
  not to mention a profound disgrace. Most who are given 
  this punishment either ﬁ nd a way to ﬂ ee and become exiles 
  or commit suicide to avoid being forced to till the land or 
  perform similar menial tasks. For Dragon-Blooded, the 
  imperial courts have only three punishments: ﬁ nes, exile 
  and death.
  COMMONER COURTS
  The imperial courts have little interest in disputes over 
  contracts or other questions involving property that occur 
  solely between commoners. In such cases, commoners must 
  rely on an informal but long-standing tradition of “com-
  moner courts.” These unofﬁ cial courts have no authority 
  over patricians or Dynasts and no ofﬁ cial standing. In the 
  interest of maintaining public order, however, and in return 
  for a small monthly payment, members of the Guardians of 
  the Realm typically work with their local commoner courts 
  to make sure that its judgments are carried out.
  Commoner courts are found in both large cities and 
  small farming villages, and are used by peasants and citizens 
  alike. Unlike the ofﬁ cial courts, commoner courts usually 
  treat citizens and peasants as equals, in large part because 
  the peasants greatly outnumber the citizens and giving them 
  equal standing is the only way to make them accept the 
  validity of these courts. All decisions in commoner courts 
  are decided by a respected and learned individual who is an 
  unofﬁ cial judge. These judges are usually citizens, because few 
  peasants are literate and judges are supposed to be widely read 
  individuals who are well versed in the Immaculate Philosophy. 
  Commoner courts speciﬁ cally exist to resolve conﬂ icts that 
  do not involve ofﬁ cial crimes. They are often called to settle 
  issues of inheritance, contract disputes and other complex 
  matters involving the ownership and transfer of property. 
  Because everyone involved is taking time away from their 
  work, trials rarely last longer than a few hours. The judge of 
  this court almost always attempts to get everyone involved to 
  agree to a fair settlement, at which point the various parties 
  all split the costs for hiring the judge. If mutual reconciliation 
  proves impossible, then the judge makes a decision based 
  upon the merits of the various parties’ claims, and the loser 
  must pay her fees.
  THE IMPERIAL ARMY
  The Imperial Army’s orders are simple: to obey the Scarlet 
  Empress or, in her absence, the Regent (and through him, the 
  Deliberative). The rest is just details. In theory, if tomorrow 
  the Regent called for the legions to raze the Arjuf prefecture 
  to the ground, the legions would do so or die trying.
  The Empress once commanded as many as 81 full le-
  gions, each with 5,000 front-line soldiers and half that many 
  skirmishers and auxiliaries, all of whom would kill or die at 
  her whispered command. In these fallen days, however, only 
  30 legions remain—plus the notorious Vermilion Legion. 
  Making matters worse, few of these legions actually ﬁ ght or 
  even mobilize at their full strength.
  Once the Empress disappeared, imperial funding set aside 
  to support the troops did so as well. The loss of the Empress’s 
  guiding, unifying intelligence over the legions was an even 
  greater blow, and the chain of command that remains in 
  place is a poor substitute. The legions were not designed to 
  be as internally fractious as the bureaucratic ministries were, 
  but without a mandate for ongoing monetary support and a 
  singular cohesive leadership in place, they are in just as dire 
  straits. The other branches of the Thousand Scales take larger 
  and larger bites out of the military’s budget, and the scions of 
  the Great Houses have begun to divide up the legions between 
  them for their own personal uses (and abuses).
  With each passing day, the Great Houses of the Scarlet 
  Dynasty have more to say in where the legions are deployed. 
  They pay for the posting, so the legions go where the Great 
  Houses need them. This new reality has proven undeniably 
  advantageous to the Great Houses, who no longer need to 
  mount private armies to look after their interests. (Nor do 
  they risk the specter of treason for doing so.) What’s more, 
  ofﬁ cer commissions within the legions are now awarded as 
  prizes to faithful servants of the Great Houses, rather than 
  as rewards for long and skillful service. Professional ofﬁ cers 
  have not been done away with entirely, but the number of 
  experienced, competent ofﬁ cers is shrinking rapidly while 
  the number of untalented dolts appointed for petty reasons 
  rises equally quickly.
  STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
  At full strength, an imperial legion consists of 5,000 
  front-line infantry soldiers (both men and women). The le-
  gions take no cavalry with them when they move out, which 
  makes it much faster to send them hence and dramatically 
  reduces the complexity of the logistics involved in deploy-
  ment. If a legion intends to employ cavalry, it co-opts that 
  of the local potentate instead. It’s for this same reason that 
  no legion deploys with siege equipment. It’s much easier to 
  travel with a scale’s worth of engineers and have them build 
  such equipment on site than it is to lug siege towers across 
  unfriendly terrain.
  Legions also tack on talons of archers or slingers, number-
  ing about half the regular legion’s size and largely considered to 
  
  67
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  be expendable, even by their own commanders. Such soldiers 
  are only lightly armored, if at all, and are not accounted part of 
  the legion proper. Each legion also travels with a slave-tended 
  baggage and supply train. A single wing under the command 
  of the quartermaster (second only to the legion’s commander) 
  guards this train. With the baggage train also comes the legion’s 
  support, consisting of smiths, armorers, ﬂ etchers, coopers, 
  cooks and other miscellaneous personnel. These attached 
  slaves and laborers can number up to a quarter of a legion’s 
  strength, but no general worth a damn would even consider 
  putting weapons in these extra hands.
  A general is the commander in charge of a legion. Be-
  neath her are 10 colonels (or dragonlords), each in charge 
  of a single dragon, with the chain of command determined 
  by seniority. Generally, four of those 10 dragons are heavy 
  infantry, and the other six are medium infantry. The skirmish-
  ers and missile troops make up between four and six loosely 
  organized dragons outside the legion proper. Management 
  of all these subunits is the purview of a ﬂ ight, a formation of 
  dragons put together to see to some speciﬁ c task. Normally, 
  a ﬁ elded legion uses three dragons of heavy infantry in one 
  ﬂ ight, along with two medium infantry dragons and a dragon’s 
  worth of skirmishers. The legion’s remaining reserve heavy 
  infantry dragon and all the rest of the skirmishers stay back 
  under the legion commander’s control. The most senior 
  dragonlord in the ﬂ ight leads it.
  Beneath each dragonlord is a pair of wings, and a major 
  (or winglord) commands each one. Two talons make up a 
  wing, and a captain (or talonlord) is in charge of each one. 
  Talons each consist of ﬁ ve scales, each under the command 
  of a lieutenant (or scalelord). The bottom of the command 
  structure is a ﬁ ve-man unit known as a fang, each commanded 
  by non-commissioned sergeants.
  RANK
  Terrestrial Exalted compose most of the Imperial Army’s 
  senior ofﬁ cer corps. It is possible for a mortal soldier to achieve 
  an ofﬁ cer’s rank, but these individuals rarely rise above the 
  rank of winglord. The Dragon-Blooded do not enlist in the 
  ranks without an exceptional reason—be it to thumb her 
  nose at a hated parent, cousin or rival, or to entertain her 
  jaded peers with her artful condescension. Such gestures, 
  however, are regarded as symbolic only, and woe be unto 
  the mortal staff sergeant who does not defer to his enlisted 
  Dragon-Blood soldier.
  EQUIPMENT OF THE IMPERIAL ARMY
  To the jaded theorist, the only real power the legions 
  wield derives from their numbers and their rigid discipline. 
  At its height, the Imperial Army boasted more than 600,000 
  troops, all in matching armor, carrying matching gear, and 
  all marching in step to the rhythm of the Scarlet Throne’s 
  whim. Like the Black Helms, the legions relied as much on 
  presence and reputation to overwhelm their foes as they do 
  on strategy and force of arms. Some would even say it doesn’t 
  matter how powerful the legions actually are as long as the 
  troops mass in large enough force and march in step with 
  utter conﬁ dence.
  The religious zealot might counter this theory by 
  claiming that the true power of the legions derives from the 
  divine mandate of the Terrestrial Exalted in charge. To the 
  Dragon-Blooded is given the power and wisdom to ensure the 
  safety and upright behavior of the masses, and the legions’ 
  soldiers are extensions of that power. As the units of each 
  legion metaphorically compose the bodies of glorious, power-
  ful dragons, the army’s Terrestrial Exalted ofﬁ cers are those 
  dragons’ hearts, minds and souls. Theirs is the true power 
  that makes the enemies of the Realm tremble.
  Regardless of philosophy or cynicism, however, one fact 
  that cannot be ignored is that the strength of an army relies 
  heavily on the quality of its equipment. From mundane sup-
  plies to First Age and Shogunate relics, the Imperial Army is 
  outﬁ tted better than any enemy it could choose to face.
  In the beginning, after the Great Contagion and Fair 
  Folk invasion when the burgeoning Realm ﬁ rst set about to 
  rebuild its army’s ranks, the burden of providing mundane 
  equipment fell largely upon its provincial soldiers. When he 
  ﬁ rst reported for duty, each soldier provided 100 liters of dried 
  rice and three liters of salt, which was stored in the nearest 
  provincial armory and reissued when the legion mobilized 
  for war. Individuals were also responsible for providing a 
  bow, bow case, bowstring, 50 arrows, a quiver, a long sword, 
  a short sword, a whetstone, a rain hat, a bag for carrying rice, 
  a canteen, a bag for carrying salt, a pair of leggings and a 
  pair of straw sandals. In addition, each group of 10 men was 
  THE THOUSAND CORRECT ACTIONS
  The training manual known as The Thousand 
  Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier details the proper 
  action to be taken in any conceivable situation, from 
  striking camp after a successful campaign to facing a 
  superior foe in an uphill battle during the dead of night 
  in the middle of Calibration. It covers every battleﬁ eld 
  tactic from open-ﬁ eld legion maneuvering to small-unit 
  house-to-house urban combat, as well as the proper forms 
  of address and acceptable levels of familiarity between 
  soldiers of different ranks and stations. A commander 
  who follows the Thousand Correct Actions, knows to 
  halt his troops’ march well before nightfall so everyone 
  can properly entrench, change out their socks and en-
  sure access to clean water before everyone’s too tired. 
  A soldier who internalizes the deep wisdom of the 
  Thousand Correct Actions understands that his life 
  might be sacriﬁ ced to gain a military objective, but it will 
  never simply be thrown away. When an ofﬁ cer’s actions 
  are Correct Actions, his soldiers’ faith and obedience is 
  unswerving and victory is assured.
  
  68
  to furnish a tent, two copper trays, two small pots, a hoe, a 
  grass scythe, an axe, a hatchet, a chisel, two sickles and a 
  pair of metal tongs. Each group of 50 soldiers was to provide 
  a ﬂ int, a bundle of tinder grass and a handsaw. Should a man 
  or group not be able to provide the necessary up-front sup-
  plies, he could either return home in shame or purchase the 
  essentials he lacked from the legion’s quartermaster (usually 
  by allowing a garnishment of his wages). These items were not 
  returned to a soldier or his family if he retired or was killed, so 
  early military campaigns netted the Imperial Treasury a tidy 
  proﬁ t—which the Empress could either reinvest in supplying 
  her military or sell off in bulk during times of peace.
  In the modern day, much of this basic equipment can 
  be provided to an enlisting soldier, especially with so many 
  legions having been recently disbanded (at which point, 
  their gear and supplies were absorbed into the remaining 
  legions). A soldier can expect to be given a dagger, a chop-
  ping sword, a small shield, a spear, a buff jacket, a helmet, 
  a sturdy uniform appropriate to the climate, as well as the 
  training to use and care for every piece of his gear. He can 
  also expect to be housed and fed regularly in return for his 
  valued service. The life of a soldier is never leisurely, but 
  military service is certainly preferable to backbreaking labor 
  or abject poverty. And while service in the legions is not the 
  glorious, respectable profession it once was, it does provide 
  discipline and training in certain mundane skills that can 
  serve a hardworking soul well all the rest of his life.
  The relative quality of a soldier’s gear and training, of 
  course, depends on his proximity to the Imperial Manse and 
  the importance of his assignment. The lowly enlisted man 
  in a peaceful, far-ﬂ ung satrapy might have to make do with 
  a buff jacket, pot helmet and short sword, while the satrap’s 
  personal guards all carry polearms and protect themselves 
  with visored helmets, crested shields and cuirasses of strong 
  steel. The enlisted man stationed at Arjuf on the Blessed 
  Isle probably carries an exquisite sword and shield, with a 
  fancy all-weather lined buff jacket and a helmet designed 
  as much to intimidate as to protect. The upper echelons of 
  that soldier’s enlisted ranks are decked out full articulated 
  plate armor and carrying weapons with names and storied 
  pasts—not to mention talismans and charms that the average 
  peasant laborer would pay a month’s wages for, should they 
  be unlucky enough to need them.
  IMPERIAL LEGION HEAVY INFANTRY
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent the Third Storm 
  Scale, a moderately well-known scale within the 23rd Legion 
  that helped to drive back the barbarian army of the Anathema 
  Sleeves of War in the Valley of Two Storms by breaking a 
  charge of buck-ogres and killing more of the beasts than any 
  other scale in the legion did.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Scalelord Cynis Denovah Avaku of 
  Ways
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Crimson, with orange and yellow trim
  Motto:
  Motto: “Give no ground!”
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 25 mortal heavy infantry soldiers armed 
  with spears and target shields, wearing reinforced breastplates 
  of ﬁ ne construction and masked helms.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill:
  Drill: 4
  Close Combat Attack: 
  Close Combat Attack: 4 
  Close Combat Damage: 
   
  Close Combat Damage: 3
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: — Ranged Damage: 
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance: 
  Endurance: 8 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 3 (-4 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 4
  Formation:
  Formation: This scale’s commanding ofﬁ cer is its only 
  Dragon-Blooded member, but the scale rarely deploys alone. 
  Normally, it and four other scales deploy as a talon at mini-
  mum, and the ﬁ ve scalelords form a sworn brotherhood that 
  leads from the front.
  IMPERIAL LEGION MEDIUM INFANTRY
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent the talon known as 
  the “God-Scotching Patriots” of the 15th Legion. The talon 
  earned this name after forcing the army of rebellious peasants 
  and bandits raised by the river god Crying Okoto to quit the 
  ﬁ eld after less than one hour of ﬁ ghting.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Talonlord Nellens Fucian
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Crimson, with black and white trim
  Motto:
  Motto: “Don’t run! Don’t hide!”
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 125 mortal medium infantry soldiers armed 
  with slashing swords and bucklers, and wearing lamellar 
  armor and pot helms.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 3
  Drill:
  Drill: 3
  Close Combat Attack:
  Close Combat Attack: 3 
  Close Combat Damage:
   
  Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: — Ranged Damage: 
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance:
  Endurance: 6 
  Might:
   
  Might: 0 
  Armor:
   
  Armor: 2 (-2 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 3
  Formation:
  Formation: The talon consists of ﬁ ve scales, each consisting of 
  ﬁ ve fangs of mortal troops. The Dragon-Blooded commanders 
  of each of the ﬁ ve scales form a single sworn brotherhood, 
  and the talonlord of the talon forms a sworn brotherhood 
  with the other talonlords and the winglord who make up 
  and command his wing.
  IMPERIAL RANGED SKIRMISHERS
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent a dragon’s worth of 
  archers and slingers attached to a standard imperial legion.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Varies
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Brown, with crimson trim
  Motto:
  Motto: None
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 500 soldiers armed with long bows or slings, 
  wearing pot helms and reinforced buff jackets.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Good
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 5
  Drill:
  Drill: 2
  Close Combat Attack: 
  Close Combat Attack: — Close Combat Damage: 
   Close Combat Damage: —
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: 3 
  Ranged Damage: 
   
  Ranged Damage: 2
  
  69
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  Endurance: 
  Endurance: 5 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 1 (-1 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 2
  Formation:
  Formation: A dragon of ranged skirmishers normally con-
  sists of one talon of slingers and three talons of archers. 
  The command personnel at the scale and higher level are 
  normally Dragon-Blooded ofﬁ cers, just as in the infantry, but 
  on average, only those at the dragonlord or general rank are 
  any better suited to command than any mortal would be. By 
  custom, a Dragon-Blooded ofﬁ cer in a unit of this variety is 
  primarily responsible for defending his unit in battle, rather 
  than leading it.
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  While the might conferred to the Imperial Army by 
  its stock and care of mundane military hardware is not in-
  considerable, its most feared power comes from its enduring 
  artifact equipment. A Dragon-Blood is a powerful asset on 
  the battleﬁ eld—worth any scale of mortal soldiers—but his 
  power increases dramatically when he’s armed with a jade 
  reaver daiklave and protected by articulated jade plate armor. 
  (And that’s only the most mundane of the artifact equipment 
  the Realm makes available to its exemplary warriors.)
  No matter how far it might have fallen in the centuries 
  following the High First Age, the Realm still maintains 
  factory-cathedrals and other facilities for the production of 
  artifact weaponry and armor. From powerbows to goremauls, 
  from jade plate to haze-shield generators, the Realm takes 
  pains to outﬁ t as many of its most valued ofﬁ cers as possible 
  with accouterments of war beﬁ tting their Exalted station. 
  And where standard requisition procedures fall short, the 
  noble family heads of the Great Houses see to it that their 
  offspring are outﬁ tted appropriately for war. With the Great 
  Houses taking ever tighter control of the legions and embed-
  ding their children at the legions’ heads, it behooves them to 
  provide as much magical materiel as they can put together. 
  After all, every advantage they can provide the heads of 
  their pet legions is another advantage those legions can put 
  toward achieving their Houses’ goals.
  Aside from its ofﬁ cers’ personal arms and armor, the 
  military can deploy a nigh-unrivaled supply of magical 
  equipment (from arms to transport vessels). In its land-
  based arsenal, it maintains eight battle carriers, more 
  than a dozen siege striders and ﬁ ve indomitable conquest 
  platforms. It also outﬁ ts its fortresses and fastnesses—as 
  well as its mobile infantry units—with Essence cannon, 
  implosion bows, wall eaters, lightning ballistae, glorious 
  scythes and Essence twisters. For moving troops by air, 
  the Realm maintains a modest ﬂ eet of warbird single-pilot 
  craft, as well almost two dozen Manta-class skyships. Used 
  to circumvent impenetrable ground defenses or break sieges, 
  these latter air transports often carry fangs of elite “drop 
  troops.” These troops wear ashigaru armor and make use of 
  jump harnesses and shock pikes (or ﬁ re lances) to assault 
  entrenched troops from overhead. (See Wonders of the Lost 
  Wonders of the Lost 
  Age
  Age for descriptions of these artifacts.)
  The Realm’s naval indomitability is all but assured as well, 
  thanks to superior technology. In addition to the ﬁ ve elementally 
  themed battle ﬂ eets of mundane construction, the Imperial 
  Navy boasts a wealth of First Age and Shogunate artifact ves-
  sels, as well as modern ships built on those relics’ same design. 
  It maintains a dozen Whirligig-class fast couriers, half again that 
  many Resplendent Dolphin-class submersible vehicles and several 
  dozen Swift Midday Brilliance-class light warships. It can also 
  supplement its various battle groups with more than two dozen 
  Glorious Dragonﬂ y-class patrol boats. The ﬂ agships of the ﬂ eet, 
  however, are the Realm’s handful of Dawning Sun Indomitable-
  class heavy battlecruisers. Despite drifting into disrepair since 
  the end of the First Age, these awesome artifact vessels still 
  outclass everything else on the water. (See Wonders of the Lost 
  Wonders of the Lost 
  Age
  Age for descriptions of these artifact vessels.) All throughout the 
  West and along the eastern coast of the Inland Sea, it is a high 
  honor to be able to provoke the Realm to such an extent that it 
  unleashes such a ship against you. (Of course, the signiﬁ cance of 
  the honor is often lost in the grip of the bowel-clenching terror 
  of facing such a fearsome vessel.)
  Finally, the most effective and recognizable symbol of 
  the awesome and majestic might of the Realm’s military is 
  its warstriders. The Realm divides almost 200 warstriders 
  among its remaining 30 legions, most of which it circulates 
  in high visibility parades, occupation deployments and 
  symbolic raids. Most of the Realm’s warstriders are of the 
  “common” designation, although some 20 percent are modiﬁ ed 
  scouts, 15 percent are of the noble variety, and one is even 
  a red-jade royal warstrider (though that last is the Empress’s 
  personal warstrider and has never seen actual use). Houses 
  Cathak and Sesus each maintain one warstrider fang per 
  legion they control, House Tepet has none left after its los-
  ing battle with the Bull of the North, and the other eight 
  houses divide control of the remaining warstriders as evenly 
  as they are forced to.
  IMPERIAL WARSTRIDER FANG
  Description:
  Description: Due to scarcity and the difﬁ culty of repair-
  ing them, warstriders are rare commodities in the Imperial 
  Army. As such, they are normally used in low-risk, high-
  visibility operations such as raids on bandit strongholds, 
  regime changes on foreign soil and festival-day parades on 
  the Blessed Isle.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Varies
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Varying colors of jade.
  Motto:
  Motto: Varies
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: Five warstriders of “common” designation 
  with variable weaponry, plus about 50 auxiliary personnel.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Good
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 1
  Drill:
  Drill: 4
  Close Combat Attack: 
  Close Combat Attack: 5 
  Close Combat Damage: 
   
  Close Combat Damage: 6
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: 4 
  Ranged Damage: 
   
  Ranged Damage: 6
  Endurance: 
  Endurance: 7 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 5 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 8 (-6 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 4
  
  70
  Formation:
  Formation: The warstriders in a fang are supported by one 
  ground guide, two fangs of scouts and three fangs of heavy 
  infantry to the front, with one sorcerer, one fang of medics 
  and a handful of other miscellaneous aides and technicians 
  to the rear.
  Of course, what’s even better than the access the 
  Realm has to such resources and its ability to manufac-
  ture more is the fact that the Realm can actually train its 
  warriors to utilize such equipment. Sure, it’s nice for him 
  when some lost egg digs up a “magic sword” somewhere 
  in the hinterlands, but he’s still just one man inexpertly 
  waving around a weapon he doesn’t really understand. A 
  soldier of the Realm entrusted with a wonder of signifi-
  cant power, though, has received rigorous and extensive 
  training to make sure he knows not only how to wield it, 
  but how to put it to its best tactical and strategic effect. 
  What’s even better is that the rest of the officers in his 
  sworn brotherhood have received the same training, and 
  they’ve all been trained how to work together and work 
  their skills in tandem.
  RESTRICTION OF SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  For all the knowledge and skill it can put toward the de-
  ployment and use of its high-level artifact weaponry, however, 
  the Realm actually demonstrates great reluctance to do so in 
  the modern day. The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright 
  Soldier downplays the utility of such fantastic equipment 
  and counsels ofﬁ cers against a reliance on it. Why risk the 
  expense of a wall eater, it argues, when it’s cheaper to employ 
  a team of engineers to build a catapult that can achieve the 
  same effect in time? The manual urges restraint, so that an 
  ofﬁ cer will never sacriﬁ ce competent strategy, discipline and 
  resourcefulness for ﬂ ash and thunder.
  Nonetheless, a deeper pragmatic reality underpins this 
  wise reasoning. The truth is that the technology simply isn’t 
  there anymore to mass-produce and maintain the most power-
  ful of the Realm’s artifact weaponry. As chaos multiplies in 
  this Time of Tumult, the Realm must think conservatively 
  and reserve its most potent assets for its direst emergencies. 
  In the past, the Empress might have sent a Dawning Sun 
  Indomitable-class ﬂ agship at the head of a ﬂ eet intent upon 
  DOOMSDAY EQUIPMENT
  For all of its mundane might and its stock of artifact equipment, the Realm boasts two types of military equipment 
  that far exceed anything else any other military can put forth. These devices include the Thousand-Forged Dragons 
  and the Realm Defense Grid. Even the upstarts of the renegade Seventh Legion tremble when they contemplate 
  these mighty and eternal constructs.
  THOUSAND-FORGED DRAGONS
  The Thousand-Forged Dragons are 30-foot-long metal dragons with 20-foot wingspans that can ﬂ y up to 100 
  miles per hour. Their paws sport talons the size of grand daiklaves, and rows of serrated orichalcum fangs are set 
  in the monster’s hinged jaws. They can suck a demesne or manse dry of Essence in a matter of moments, breathe 
  their stolen Essence back on their targets as a ray or pulse of explosive energy, or destroy not only themselves but 
  everything for miles around them in a self-destruct blast of terrifying scope. Fortunately (though the Great Houses 
  might disagree), many of the command codes for the abiding Thousand-Forged Dragons have been lost, so only a 
  fraction of those that still exist can be used today. Should anyone ﬁ nd and discover how to reprogram one of these 
  monstrosities, however, the consequences for his enemies would be disastrous.
  THE REALM DEFENSE GRID
  More powerful than even the scattered war manses of the Blessed Isle, the Realm Defense Grid was the Empress’s 
  consummate hold-out weapon and ﬁ nal deterrent. With it, she literally saved Creation from the Fair Folk, raining 
  ﬁ re, eerily silent scouring winds, living lightning and other horrors of Essence given ﬁ xed form. Very few who are 
  still alive today remember exactly what the Realm Defense Grid does, but everyone knows what scale of carnage it 
  is capable of and that it can be controlled by a single person working alone. For centuries, that one person has been 
  the Scarlet Empress. Only she knew how to even gain access to the controls, much less make them work, and how 
  she gained this knowledge is a mystery. Whether she read it in an ancient text, tortured it out of a Sidereal Exalt 
  or bargained it out of a demon, the secret has disappeared with her. If any of the contenders for the Scarlet Throne 
  knew how to operate the system, she would have stepped up and proven it by now (likely cinching her place as the 
  Empress’s successor), but none have done so. This eases the minds of those rebellious provinces whose loyalty to 
  the Realm has been contingent only upon this fearful deterrent, but it strikes terror into those who are wiser. After 
  all, if it was only the successful activation of the Realm Defense Grid that pushed back the Fair Folk’s crusade of 
  madness last time—and no one knows how it works now—what will spare Creation this time if the Fair Folk should 
  attack again?
  
  71
  CHAPTER THREE • THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
  razing the island hideout of some troublesome gang of Western 
  pirates. Such a deployment would be extremely effective not 
  only in achieving the military goal, but also in demonstrat-
  ing the Realm’s might to its own Western provinces—thus 
  quelling thoughts of rebellion or tax evasion. Today, though, 
  pirates such as the Lintha Family go seemingly unchallenged 
  as long as they don’t attack the shores of the Realm directly. 
  The resources simply aren’t there to chase it down and de-
  stroy it utterly without suffering crippling losses as a result. 
  So instead, the Lintha Family goes on about its business, the 
  victimized masses wonder why their government won’t stick 
  up for them like it would have years ago, and other villains 
  are encouraged by the Realm’s inaction.
  The gobbling up of the Realm’s military assets by the 
  Great Houses (and the subversion of the same for the Houses’ 
  own ends) has only exacerbated this top-end decline and 
  resultant lawlessness. Now, as the center struggles to hold, 
  the perpetual conﬂ ict at the fringes of the empire increases. 
  Bandits, pirates, rebels and even entrepreneurial arms dealers 
  in the Guild have all noticed and begun to take advantage 
  of the Realm’s withering military presence in the Threshold. 
  This only makes the Realm’s undefended far-ﬂ ung citizens 
  angrier and more prone to defy and disrespect their rightful 
  overlords, which leads to more lawlessness. What doesn’t 
  occur to these ungrateful peasants is that, if an army of the 
  Anathema were to lay siege to the Blessed Isle, the Realm 
  would need every piece of artifact equipment it had on hand. 
  Honestly, with so much at stake back home, who really cares 
  if a few pirate attacks or bandit raids out in the Threshold 
  go unanswered in the short term?
  SPECIAL LEGIONS
  Of the 30 legions that compose the Imperial Army, most 
  have been co-opted by crafty scions of the Great Houses. 
  The loyalties of the soldiers to the Realm notwithstanding, 
  these legions exist now to do the bidding of the Dynasts. 
  Out of the entire army, only two legions don’t fall neatly 
  into any one House’s camp—one by design, and the other 
  by circumstance.
  THE LEGION OF SILENCE
  The Legion of Silence is eternally faithful to the Scar-
  let Empress. Its soldiers do her will and guard her Imperial 
  Manse without hesitation and without question, for that is 
  exactly what they are bred and designed to do. Unlike any 
  other legion, the Legion of Silence actually consists of slave 
  conscripts whose tongues have been cut out and testicles 
  have been removed. Dragon-Blooded sorcerers of Houses 
  Cynis and Sesus created these soldiers after the failed Iselsi 
  coup attempt, breeding large, tough, obedient soldiers and 
  boosting their power with secret sorcerous Charms. These 
  broad, blank-faced soldiers wield polearms and carry shields, 
  and their bodies glow with sorcerous sigils and ornate red and 
  black tattoos. They don’t so much follow orders as act accord-
  ing to their “programming,” and only the Scarlet Empress 
  can implement or change said programming. These soldiers 
  compose a full legion, but unless the Scarlet Empress returns 
  
  72
  the Realm—or, rarely, to get tough in a hurry. Its soldiers 
  are deployed into the worst hellscapes of modern combat, 
  their lives considered worthless by the Great Houses and 
  the other legions alike.
  Yet, the Red Piss Legion soldiers on. It survives the 
  most pitched and supposedly one-sided battles into which 
  it’s thrown, defying all odds and boggling the minds of those 
  who sent their rivals off to die. This is not to imply that the 
  legion never suffers severe casualties—it certainly does—but 
  the survivors of every mission come back tougher and stronger 
  and better warriors. Their battles might burn off the fat of 
  useless, incompetent ofﬁ cers and soldiers, but the lean ﬁ ghting 
  force left over is a power with which to be reckoned. And 
  with the fearsome Roseblack, Tepet Ejava, in command of 
  this legion, its potential is unsettling to consider.
  VERMILION LEGION WING
  Description:
  Description: This arctic-trained heavy infantry unit 
  was named “Two-Day Fast” after the Battle of Five Fangs, 
  during which Tepet Elana defended more than 2,000 fallen 
  and wounded soldiers from ravenous Varajtul cannibals 
  for two days until reinforcements arrived. Tepet Elana has 
  since moved on, but her wing retains the name to com-
  memorate her victory. The vast majority of its troops are 
  mortals, but the commander and his two talonlords form 
  a sworn brotherhood of Dragon-Blooded. The ﬁ ve Exalts 
  who command the individual scales within the wing also 
  make up a sworn brotherhood.
  Commanding Officer:
  Commanding Officer: Winglord V’neef Teraka (Air-
  aspected)
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: Brilliant, scarlet red, with white trim
  Motto:
  Motto: “Vermilion blood washes away the past!”
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 250 mortal heavy infantry soldiers, armed 
  with spears and tower shields, wearing reinforced breastplates 
  and pot helms.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 4
  Drill:
  Drill: 4
  Close Combat Attack: 
  Close Combat Attack: 3 
  Close Combat Damage: 
   
  Close Combat Damage: 3
  Ranged Attack: 
  Ranged Attack: — Ranged Damage: 
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance: 
  Endurance: 8 
  Might: 
   
  Might: 1 
  Armor: 
   
  Armor: 3 (-4 mobility) 
  Morale:
  Morale: 4
  Formation:
  Formation: The Two-Day Fast is currently engaged in piracy 
  suppression operations with the rest of the Red-Piss Legion 
  in the Southwest.
  or her personal records can be found, there will be no more. 
  While the physical processes for breeding and augmenting a 
  soldier as one of the Silent still exist, the secret Charms that 
  made the Silent even stronger, tougher and more obedient was 
  kept by the Empress alone. (The Cynis and Sesus sorcerers 
  who originally developed these Charms tragically vanished 
  after the legion debuted.)
  Those of the Silent who remain are deployed around the 
  Imperial Manse and other important sites around the Imperial 
  City. With the necessary authorization from Regent Fokuf, up 
  to a scale of these intimidating soldiers can be dispatched to 
  accompany high-ranking Dynasts who travel abroad.
  SILENT SCALE
  Description:
  Description: These traits represent a standard scale of 
  Silent Legion soldiers.
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer:
  Commanding Ofﬁ cer: Varies
  Armor Color:
  Armor Color: N/A
  Motto:
  Motto: None
  General Makeup:
  General Makeup: 25 sorcerously bred eunuch super-soldiers 
  armed with polearms and with tower shields bolted deep into 
  the thickened bones of their forearms. They wear no armor, 
  but sorcerous augmentation provides the same protection as 
  chain swathing without the mobility penalty.
  Overall Quality:
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude:
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill:
  Drill: 5
  Close Combat Attack:
  Close Combat Attack: 4 
  Close Combat Damage:
  Close Combat Damage: 5
  Ranged Attack:
  Ranged Attack: — Ranged Damage:
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance:
  Endurance: 12 
  Might:
  Might: 3 
  Armor:
  Armor: 4 
  Morale:
  Morale: —
  Formation:
  Formation: Silent Legion soldiers are created and housed in 
  laboratory cloisters within the Imperial City. Unless they’re 
  being repaired, rearmed or decommissioned for parts, they 
  remain on duty where they are stationed.
  THE VERMILION LEGION
  Those fortunate enough to secure a post in the Vermilion 
  Legion as either enlisted men or Dragon-Blooded ofﬁ cers 
  learn their station in life the moment they hear the legion’s 
  more common sobriquet: the Red Piss Legion. This legion is 
  the ignominious hideaway of the disgraced, the drunk, the 
  politically inept and the insubordinate who’ve been punitively 
  reassigned. It is the legion to which one sends his sons or 
  daughters when he wants those children to die in service to 
  
  73
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  
  74
  CHAPTER FOUR
  CHAPTER FOUR
  THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  THE NATURE OF THE 
  IMMACULATE DRAGONS
  At the core of the Immaculate Philosophy sit the 
  ﬁ ve Immaculate Dragons. Although their names are used 
  long and loud by monks and the Dragon-Blooded Host, 
  most—even many among the Great Houses—do not un-
  derstand the intricacies of Immaculate theology in relation 
  to these ﬁ ve legends.
  IMMACULATE VS. ELEMENTAL DRAGONS
  It is ﬁ rst and foremost imperative to understand the dif-
  ference between the Elemental Dragons and the Immaculate 
  Dragons. The Elemental Dragons, according to Immaculate 
  doctrine, are the sum Essential total of Creation’s primal 
  make-up. Birthed by the Primordial Gaia, the ﬁ ve Elemental 
  Dragons are the foundation of Creation in the same way 
  that the wheels of a wagon are its foundation. The wagon is 
  not only built atop the wheels, but the very presence of the 
  wheels makes the contraption a wagon. Without them, it 
  may be many things, but it is not a wagon.
  The Elemental Dragons are purest primal elemental 
  otherness—their forms are too pure to be made manifest 
  in Creation. Yet, in Immaculate theology, the Elemental 
  Dragons are not aloof or uncaring. They are simply distant, 
  out of a desire to preserve the great Creation of their mother. 
  Even from their distance, however, the Elemental Dragons 
  could not miss the horror the Anathema wrought on their 
  mother’s Creation, threatening to rend it asunder and disperse 
  its totality into the chaos of the Wyld.
  The Immaculate Order does not comment on the nature 
  of the Elemental Dragons, believing them to be beings of ut-
  ter transcendence. The Immaculate Texts teach that mortals 
  can never wholly understand the Elemental Dragons, so it 
  contains no commentary on these transcendent beings. What 
  mortals and Exalted can understand of the Elemental Dragons 
  is present in the Immaculate Dragons, so the Order has noth-
  ing to say on the matter of the Elemental Dragons.
  
  75
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  The Immaculate Texts do not say whether the Im-
  maculate Dragons were born with their power or if they were 
  merely Dragon-Blooded somehow elevated to the Immacu-
  late state. Indeed, it is considered a secular waste of time to 
  contemplate the origins of the Immaculate Dragons. It is 
  sufﬁ cient that, at the time of greatest need, the Elemental 
  Dragons made themselves manifest in Creation as the Im-
  maculate Dragons. What’s important are their teachings and 
  the deeds they performed while thus manifest.
  EMULATION VS. WORSHIP
  Secondly, it is inappropriate to render up worship to 
  the Immaculate Dragons (to say nothing of the Elemental 
  Dragons). They are not part of the godly bureaucracies. 
  Instead, the Elemental Dragons made themselves manifest 
  in the Immaculate Dragons in order to show mortals the 
  correct means of emulating the ineffable dynamic that the 
  Dragons themselves embody.
  The Immaculate Dragons are not gods to be worshipped, 
  but rather are the foremost inspirations for enlightened 
  behavior. Through their example, mortals may understand 
  proper action in accordance with the human experience in 
  the cycle of rebirth. Therefore, to worship the Immaculate 
  Dragons is to lose sight of the message that they taught: 
  Through proper action in successive lifetimes, mortals 
  may one day embody the very powers that the Immaculate 
  Dragons did. To worship a thing that one should aspire to be 
  is foolishness, shackling oneself to a base existence instead 
  of striving for true spiritual ascendance.
  DAANA’D
  Arbiter of the Immaculate Complaint
  Capricious and rebellious was Daana’d, the Immaculate 
  of Water, a maiden from the Far West. Although many 
  claim that their arrogant refusal to obey is in emulation of 
  this Immaculate Dragon, the rebellious ways of Daana’d 
  were not the result of such blind vanity. Rather, Daana’d 
  understood the need within each being to be wholly suf-
  ﬁ cient within itself. She bowed her head to none, for those 
  who wished her to do a thing were not enlightened until 
  they did a thing themselves. Likewise, she did not seek 
  for others to do things on her behalf, for she was the very 
  embodiment of capability.
  Although the Anathema sought to lure her into their 
  thrall, she spurned them, eschewing the seductions they laid 
  before her. She turned aside all offers of power and wealth, 
  asking what followers of Daana’d call the Question of Virtue: 
  “If I did not gain these things on my own virtue, do they have 
  worth?” In all cases, the answer is a resounding No.
  When the Anathema were thrown down, it was Daana’d 
  who swam to the bottom of the deepest sea to lock away the 
  gate to the Underworld, preventing them from returning to 
  trouble the world of man. Her followers teach that, in this 
  action, she taught true freedom: the freedom of dependence 
  upon the cycle of death and rebirth to enlighten one. Instead, 
  the freedom-loving and self-sufﬁ cient seeker might ﬁ nd their 
  enlightenment here and now.
  Daana’d’s mon is the Crashing Wave That Swallows, 
  symbolic of the plunge one must take in accepting full re-
  sponsibility for oneself, without reliance on others.
  THE UNMANLY BABBLER
  The Antithesis of Daana’d is the Unmanly Babbler. 
  The Unmanly Babbler depends on others to do everything 
  for him and ﬁ nds his worth only in the praise of others. He 
  cannot solve his own problems, and he whines until others 
  do it for him. He cannot see that the true answer to every 
  problem lies in his own Essence.
  EMULATING DAANA’D
  Mortals seek in Daana’d the inspiration for self-sufﬁ ciency. 
  They understand that this is not selﬁ shness—those in need 
  are not ignored. In fact, the truly enlightened seeker tries to 
  inspire others to self-sufﬁ ciency, aiding them where they are 
  weak, that they may depend on themselves in the future.
  Dragon-Blooded who truly follow Daana’d understand 
  that all of the riches in the world are nothing before the 
  ability to do for oneself. Those who truly seek to embody her 
  Essence should work toward self-sufﬁ ciency as complete as 
  possible. Daana’d’s teachings are considered vital for Water-
  aspected Dragon-Blooded to overcome their faults, for their 
  elemental nature inclines them toward dependence on social 
  interaction and chains of command.
  HESIESH
  Reciter of Loud Hymns and Efﬁ cacious Prayers
  Though none ever saw Hesiesh use his mighty control 
  of burning Essence, few who gazed upon his brilliant face 
  could doubt the power contained within his frame. Like 
  the paper of a lantern cover that is too close to the burning 
  wick, the body of Hesiesh seemed as though it might ignite 
  at any moment from the power within him.
  Calm and reserved was Hesiesh, who understood that 
  the proper ﬂ ow of Essence should be continued in all things. 
  Therefore, he never wasted his own personal power and was 
  careful to render up the proper prayers to the Celestial Bu-
  reaucracy, that mortal Essence might be transubstantiated into 
  divine power, all according to the intention of Creation.
  The Anathema sought to lure Hesiesh into a battle frenzy, 
  into exhausting his volatile Essence, but Hesiesh refused to 
  take their clumsy bait. He battled according to the strength 
  of his own limbs and the sharpness of his mind. When the 
  battle was done and the Anathema lay as corpses waiting 
  for the fall of night to rise up, conﬁ dent that their foes had 
  exhausted all of their Essence, only then did Hesiesh unleash 
  his power, burning their bodies to pure, white ash.
  Hesiesh’s mon is the Three Candles Lighting Darkness, 
  symbolic of the sudden ﬂ are of power and enlightenment 
  that comes from the timely application of proper resources 
  and behavior.
  
  76
  THE ILLIBERAL CHURL
  The Antithesis of Hesiesh is the Illiberal Churl, who 
  observes tradition because it is expected of him. The Illiberal 
  Churl does not see the Essence at the heart of hallowed ways. He 
  retains himself out of deep selﬁ shness, rather than restraint.
  EMULATING HESIESH
  Mortals seek in Hesiesh the inspiration for tradition and 
  an understanding of the past, though not a slavish devotion 
  to old ways. They seek only genuine contemplation of these 
  methods, adhering to them because they save time and energy. 
  Tradition becomes tradition because it works. Followers of 
  Hesiesh uphold tradition and precedent and are the ones 
  most involved in the Immaculate Order’s catechism.
  Dragon-Blooded who truly follow Hesiesh understand 
  that in tradition lies success. Innovation for innovation’s sake 
  is simply vain. Honoring those who came before and maintain-
  ing tradition is key to such devotees. Hesiesh’s teachings are 
  considered vital for Fire-aspected Dragon-Blooded, for their 
  ﬁ ery Essence inclines them toward swift action and personal 
  vainglory. In the hallowed, reverent traditions and solemn 
  contemplation of Hesiesh are Fire Aspects enlightened.
  MELA
  Petitioner of Clouds Accordant to the Call of Battle
  The eldest of the Immaculate Dragons, called Resplen-
  dent in Perfection, Mela was a mighty warrior. Strong in body, 
  mind, spirit and Essence, Mela taught those around her to 
  settle for no less than personal perfection. A warrior-savant 
  without peer, Mela was the very embodiment of glory.
  Mela was never content to rest on her laurels, always 
  seeking greater and greater tests for herself. She accepted 
  that glory was the due of the successful and skilled, but she 
  did not seek accolades, for they were ultimately empty. Ac-
  colades did not stand between Mela and the Anathema in 
  the dusk of the First Age—only her perfection did.
  Mela’s battles with the Anathema were many and well 
  lauded. She oft arrived at the forefront of a storm, driving 
  aside the puling, corruptive ﬁ res of the Anathema and blan-
  keting the battleﬁ eld in cold, pure mists and wind. To Mela, 
  victory was the natural course of events to those who strove 
  the greatest. What foe could hope to equal the challenges 
  that a truly righteous heroine might lay before herself?
  Mela’s mon is the Transcendent Fan of the Five Winds, 
  a reminder that, while nature brings wind, those who are 
  strong and cunning may bring it for themselves.
  THE SICKLY WHORE
  The Antithesis of Mela is the Sickly Whore, who is 
  beauteous and glorious to behold, but who uses that glory 
  for the degradation of self and others. The Sickly Whore 
  collects the accolades that are the favors of her many lov-
  ers, allowing the world to use her for pleasure in return for 
  cheap, empty baubles.
  
  77
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  EMULATING MELA
  Mortals seek in Mela the drive toward perfection. Mela, 
  who taught men how to wield Essence even though they were 
  not Exalted, believed that in the pursuit of perfection in this 
  lifetime, a man might better prepare his spirit for the time 
  between lives. Mela’s teachings allow men to understand 
  that virtuous action and striving toward perfection give them 
  leave to claim a place closer to the Dragons themselves in 
  the next incarnation.
  Dragon-Blooded who truly follow Mela understand that 
  glory is hollow and ﬂ eeting, and only in the perfection of 
  oneself and one’s Essence is lasting enlightenment found. The 
  teachings of Mela are considered valuable to Air-aspected 
  Dragon-Blooded, whose mercurial Essence lends to them 
  an air of either extreme focus in one area or useless dilet-
  tantism. Going halfway in either direction is unacceptable. 
  The Dragon-Blooded Host should aspire toward perfection 
  in all things.
  PASIAP
  He Who Illuminates Both Worlds with Majesty and Power
  The great warrior Pasiap was a pillar of strength in 
  the war against the Anathema. Never did he turn from 
  the ﬁ eld in fear, nor did he succumb to the Anathema’s 
  taunts with fury. In all instances, it was said that Pasiap 
  had only to place himself so that his back was to the Impe-
  rial Mountain, and it was clear to all who saw him that he 
  stood at the Center of All Creation: unmovable, resolute, 
  strong and enduring.
  Pasiap taught his followers that there was no difference 
  between the Essence of the self and the Essence of Creation. 
  Did not the Exalted and gods draw into themselves the power 
  of the dragon lines? Control of one’s Essence led to control 
  of the Essence around one. Likewise, in shaping the things 
  of the world, the shaper was himself shaped.
  Time and again the Anathema tried to destroy Pasiap. 
  When he proved too mighty, they instead threw down those 
  things he had created, in hopes of driving him to anger or 
  despair. The Immaculate Texts say that he but smiled and 
  thanked his foes for the chance to build again. When the 
  wars against the Anathema drew to a close, Pasiap remained 
  incarnate to teach men the ways of controlling the Essence 
  of the earth. He is considered the father of geomancy, 
  where once that art was the sole province of the Exalted 
  and Anathema.
  Pasiap’s mon is the Omphalos Triumphant, the symbol 
  of the Imperial Mountain, the center upon which all of 
  Creation is balanced, the spoke between Heaven and the 
  lands of mortals, reminding the Dragon-Blooded that they, 
  too, must act to join the propriety of Heaven with the reali-
  ties of Creation.
  THE OSTENTATIOUS PEASANT
  The Antithesis of Pasiap is the Ostentatious Peasant, who 
  does not understand that the true glory in ﬁ ne possessions 
  is not in the having of them, but in the making. The solid, 
  honest work ethic evades the Ostentatious Peasant, who sees 
  only the riches of those around him without seeing the hard 
  work they have put into acquiring them. The Ostentatious 
  Peasant sees only the rewards of hard work, rather than the 
  enlightenment that is effort’s true reward.
  EMULATING PASIAP
  In Pasiap, mortals ﬁ nd that the reward for hard work 
  isn’t luxury—it is the enlightenment of a job done well and 
  with care. Architects and builders revere Pasiap, whose gift 
  to them is the knowledge that, with every brick they lay and 
  every wall they stand, the sweat of their brow has ﬁ rmed their 
  tread on the path to enlightenment.
  Dragon-Blooded who truly follow Pasiap understand 
  that the wealth of the Great Houses is nothing if it does not 
  reﬂ ect the hard work and dedication of those who possess it. 
  The wealthy are to be admired, but only if what they have 
  reﬂ ects their resolute effort. Earth-aspected Dragon-Blooded 
  are often taught to curb their Essence-driven pride and focus 
  on things of the material world that are the bane of those 
  who would be enlightened. But rather than eschewing it, they 
  are reminded that it should stand for something. Wealth and 
  respect are the natural result of hard work, nothing more.
  SEXTES JYLIS
  He Who Hath Strewn Much Grass
  Compassionate Sextes Jylis was loved by all the people 
  of Creation. Kind and unwilling to see those around him 
  suffer, Sextes Jylis could not bear the pain caused by the 
  Anathema. Sextes Jylis is the responsible healer, who bears 
  great knowledge and the potential to do great harm. Yet, he 
  is willing to do a small, immediate harm to prevent a greater 
  one, and thus, Sextes Jylis, Beloved of Creation, raised his 
  bow against the Anathema.
  It was not in war, but in the peace that followed, that 
  the followers of Sextes Jylis take their inspiration in his 
  story. The Immaculate of Wood wandered Creation after the 
  destruction of the Anathema, rebuilding toppled mountains 
  and setting fallen trees aright. To the wounded, he brought 
  relief of pain and healing, and to destroyed ﬁ elds, he spread 
  clean, new grass.
  Though the Anathema sought to corrupt Sextes Jylis 
  into using his powers irresponsibly, he could not be tempted. 
  He knew that the rash use of the great and terrible power 
  that was his legacy could bring disaster and ruin, and he 
  dedicated himself to uplifting Creation. The Anathema 
  could not understand his ways, and so failed.
  Sextes Jylis’ mon is the Leaf Upraised in Vigor, the 
  emblem of growth, renewal and life, symbolic of the ﬁ rst 
  plants to arise from the shattered ﬁ elds of battle.
  THE INCONSIDERATE HORSEMAN
  The Antithesis of Sextes Jylis is the Inconsiderate Horse-
  man, who is neglectful and short-sighted. This horseman 
  
  78
  does not take the time to go around the ﬁ eld he encounters, 
  instead trampling it under his mount’s hooves simply because 
  he is in a hurry and has the power to do so.
  EMULATING SEXTES JYLIS
  Mortals seek in Sextes Jylis the inspiration for mindful 
  action and compassion. To take rash action is to risk tram-
  pling the ﬁ ne things of life and to risk harming those who 
  have done nothing to deserve it. In mindful action, a job 
  may take a little longer for one man, perhaps, but if it brings 
  joy to two, then surely that is a wiser investment.
  Dragon-Blooded who truly follow Sextes Jylis understand 
  that compassion is the source of happiness, both to those who 
  give it and those who receive it, but it must be tempered by 
  responsible forethought. The teachings of Sextes Jylis are 
  considered valuable to Wood-aspected Dragon-Blooded, for 
  whom the verdant Essence of their aspect lures them into 
  either the fulﬁ llment of needs immediately and rashly or 
  moves them to crippling pity for living things around them. 
  Enlightenment comes through balance.
  THE IMMACULATE PHILOSOPHY
  The Immaculate Order emphasizes several core concepts 
  to those who would follow its teachings. There are ﬁ ve Noble 
  Insights that all students must understand and internalize in 
  order to be truly counted among the faithful. It also teaches 
  the ﬁ ve Diligent Practices that the faithful must undertake 
  in order to embody the teachings of the Order. Through 
  Noble Insight and Diligent Practice, an adherent to the Im-
  maculate Philosophy is ennobled and elevated, made closer 
  to the perfection of the Immaculate Dragons.
  THE NOBLE INSIGHTS
  The core concepts of Immaculate belief are signi-
  fied by the Noble Insights. These concepts are absolute 
  across Immaculate orthodoxy. All sub-traditions of the 
  Immaculate Philosophy believe these to be true, though 
  they might not all agree on the best ways in which to 
  incorporate them and might have differing conclusions 
  about them. Ultimately, the Noble Insights teach Coop-
  eration, Reincarnation and Perfection.
  THE FIRST NOBLE INSIGHT
  All beings in Creation are constantly dying and being reborn, 
  ascending and descending the Road of Enlightenment. Those who 
  are Exalted are very close to the end of the Road, while insects 
  and plants are near the beginning. Most sentient mortals are 
  somewhere near the middle.
  To mortals, this Insight is essential for understanding their 
  place in Creation. The First Noble Insight brings clarity and 
  an understanding of one’s place. Only those who understand 
  their intended role may successfully perform that role.
  Likewise, this Insight is what gives the Dragon-Blooded 
  the right to rule in matters both secular and religious. Exalted 
  adherents are taught, however, that this isn’t privilege, but 
  responsibility. Even those Exalted to the Dragons have not 
  completed their walk. It is simply that the heights of the 
  journey are in sight.
  THE SECOND NOBLE INSIGHT
  As beings approach the end of the Road, they approach the 
  inﬁ nite perfection of Essence that is the Elemental Dragons, who 
  hold Creation together.
  To mortals, this is the promise of one day Exalting as 
  part of the Dragon-Blooded Host, and of being born into one 
  of the Great Houses. Literally, this is the promise of a ﬁ ne, 
  high life of wealth and power for those who live according to 
  the Perfected Hierarchy. It is also the unspoken agreement 
  between lord and peasant: Obedience to the nobility is not 
  simply expected, but a compact through successive lives. If 
  a lord does not behave in ways appropriate to his station, 
  he will not return as a lord. Likewise, if a peasant is faithful, 
  respectful and obedient, he will be rewarded for this diligence 
  by being elevated to a higher station in the next life.
  To the Dragon-Blooded, this Insight emphasizes the 
  importance of their position. They are not merely powerful 
  overlords—they share in the power and responsibility of 
  holding together the very fabric of Creation. Those who do 
  not hold to this ultimate responsibility will not be reborn to 
  it, until they prove themselves after lifetimes of mortality.
  THE THIRD NOBLE INSIGHT
  Working in solitude and striving to surpass their lot in life, 
  all beings in Creation draw away from the perfection of the El-
  emental Dragons. Working together and accepting their present 
  incarnations, all beings in Creation mimic the Elemental Dragons 
  and approach their perfection.
  To mortals, this is the understanding that in acceptance 
  comes enlightenment. By acknowledging their place in society 
  and working hard to best master their skills and succeed in 
  what is expected of them, they work to hold the very fabric 
  of Creation together. By doing so—by ﬁ nding holiness and 
  perfection in even being a humble street-sweeper, for in-
  stance—mortals can prove their dedication to Creation and 
  earn a greater responsibility over it in successive lives.
  To the Dragon-Blooded, this is an admonition to work 
  toward building civilization and empire. Allowing chaos and 
  strife to enter into a thing of great order opens the gates to 
  the Wyld, allowing it to erode the very fabric of Creation. 
  It is why a cruel and dishonest Dragon-Blood who works 
  within the system is more highly regarded than a kind and 
  wise one who departs to live his life alone somewhere in 
  the Threshold.
  THE FOURTH NOBLE INSIGHT
  The Dragon-Blooded, who were the disciples and children 
  of the mortal incarnations of the Elemental Dragons, are leading 
  the Immaculates toward that degree of perfection.
  To mortals, this Insight is what grants the Dragon-
  Blooded families the right to rule. It is proper to follow those 
  
  79
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  who are the children of the Immaculate Dragons. Who bet-
  ter to teach how to properly emulate the Dragons but their 
  own children? It is also proper to follow the wisest. By dint 
  of their Exaltations and long lives, the Dragon-Blooded are 
  the ones who are wise in drawing closer to the Essence of 
  the Immaculate Dragons.
  To the Exalted of the Dragons, this is the statement of 
  utmost responsibility. It is why the Immaculate Order frowns 
  on greedy and intemperate Dynastic Dragon-Blooded, for 
  they are not providing proper examples. It is too easy for 
  base human nature to poison the carefully gathered wisdom 
  and enlightenment of lifetimes of service with such distrac-
  tions. Dragon-Blooded who are not aware of their duty in 
  leading mortals toward behavior that will elevate them are 
  not worthy of their Exaltation.
  THE FIFTH NOBLE INSIGHT
  The Anathema, who reject the Elemental Dragons and obey 
  only their own ambitions, are drawing Creation toward despair 
  and ruin.
  To mortals, this is precautionary. To obey one’s own 
  selﬁ sh ambition is the way of the Anathema, who are de-
  mons. The faithful of the Immaculate Order are taught to 
  expect the Anathema to be glorious and winsome. They 
  are demons in their ultimate aims, not in their direct 
  actions. They might heal, teach and praise mortals, but 
  ultimately, they are feeding their own ambition. They 
  pull men and women away from their proper role in this 
  lifetime, away from lessons that the soul must learn on its 
  way to Exaltation.
  To the Dragon-Blooded, this Insight is the basis for 
  the Wyld Hunt. If, as the Children of the Dragons, they 
  acknowledge that they share in the responsibility for keeping 
  Creation whole and sound, then they must ﬁ ght against that 
  which would destabilize it.
  THE DILIGENT PRACTICES
  The Diligent Practices provide the framework for correct 
  action in the Immaculate Philosophy. Simple belief is not 
  enough—the faithful live their beliefs through correct action.
  THE FIRST DILIGENT PRACTICE
  Hear a recital of an Immaculate Text at least once a month, 
  in the company of at least 17 other followers of the Philosophy.
  In hearing the words of the Immaculate Dragons and 
  those who were closest to them, the faithful discover words 
  of wisdom when they need them. The sutras that make up 
  the Immaculate Texts are not simply words of spirituality, 
  they apply to all elements of the life of mortals. They act as 
  a guide toward the Higher Road that leads to Exaltation.
  The requirement that the Immaculate Text be heard 
  in the company of others emphasizes that community and 
  commonality are the foremost practices of the devoted. By 
  working together to understand their purpose, mortals and 
  Exalted alike grow to understand their respective places in 
  Creation, which strengthens the ties of Creation itself.
  
  80
  THE SECOND DILIGENT PRACTICE
  Respect and honor spirits only according to the calendar and 
  in the speciﬁ c rites set down by the Immaculate Order, giving each 
  spirit its due only insofar as it serves the harmony of Creation. 
  Worship no spirit, elemental, small god or Anathema at all.
  As the ties that hold Creation together, it is the proper 
  duty of mortals to contribute to the power of the Celestial 
  and Terrestrial Bureaucracies. But the gods and spirits of 
  the world do not have the right to rule the lives of mortals. 
  Gods have their duties as surely as mortals and Exalts do, 
  and to try to gather power over things that are not under 
  their aegis is wrong and prideful. Therefore, the Immaculate 
  Order is careful to shield mortals from the undue inﬂ uence 
  of godly beings.
  The Immaculate Order teaches that the Dragon-Blooded 
  are the only ones spiritually strong enough to deal with powerful 
  gods and spirits without being corrupted by them. Therefore, 
  it is forbidden for mortals to engage in actual worship of indi-
  vidual gods. Instead, mortals may participate in the rites that 
  glorify the gods as a whole, while Dragon-Blooded monks tend 
  to the individual rites of the Hundred Gods (the name for the 
  multitude of divinities in Creation and Heaven).
  For this reason, the Immaculate Order is aniconic. 
  The mistrust of animal symbols dates back to the First Age, 
  when many animals were associated with the cults of the 
  Unconquered Sun or Luna, and it has evolved into a general 
  cultural prohibition against the depiction of gods. Only in the 
  temples of those gods may statuary or depictions be erected, 
  and they may be shown only when a Dragon-Blooded monk 
  is performing their rites. All other times, they are locked 
  away and hidden from view.
  It is also considered ill luck to depict the Immaculate 
  Dragons, who are best represented with their simple mon 
  symbols. There is no prohibition against depiction of the 
  Elemental Dragons, however, for they are so transcendent 
  that human worship is irrelevant.
  THE THIRD DILIGENT PRACTICE
  Imitate in word and deed the honorable behaviors of the ﬁ ve 
  Immaculate Dragons, the mortal incarnations of the Dragons of 
  the Elements. Emulate the thoughts appropriate to your incarna-
  tion as decreed by the Immaculate Dragons.
  This is the core for all morality and ethical behavior 
  to adherents of the Immaculate Philosophy. Mortals are 
  expected to try to emulate all of the Immaculate Dragons, 
  when and where they can. Self-reliance, adherence to tra-
  dition and restraint, compassion, the search for perfection, 
  the holiness of hard work: These are the true virtues of the 
  Immaculate adherent.
  The Dragon-Blooded are assumed, by tradition, to 
  emulate one Immaculate Dragon above others. Most of the 
  time, this is the Dragon that corresponds to their aspect. A 
  Fire Aspect manifests spiritual spontaneity and rebelliousness 
  in his very anima, so the teachings of Hesiesh will likely 
  beneﬁ t him the most. Sometimes, however, that is not the 
  case. In some instances, a monk might suggest to a Dragon-
  Blood that she seek out the teachings of one of the other 
  Immaculate Dragons.
  THE FOURTH DILIGENT PRACTICE
  Obey the Dragon-Blooded, who are the descendants and dis-
  ciples of the Immaculate Dragons and are so close to enlightenment 
  that their commands cannot cause a soul to stray from the Road.
  There are those among the Dragon-Blooded who claim 
  that this Diligent Practice demonstrates the innate righteous-
  ness of the Dragon-Blooded. Certainly, that is what the 
  Immaculate Order teaches the un-Exalted who follow its 
  beliefs. In truth, though, those Dragon-Blooded who learn 
  anything about the Immaculate Faith are taught that this 
  Diligent Practice does not mean that all of the Terrestrial 
  Exalted’s whims and commands are righteous. It simply means 
  that while one of the Princes of the Earth may command a 
  man to take unrighteous action, men will not be led astray 
  by obeying that command. It is the proper place of mortals 
  to obey the Exalted, and in the fulﬁ llment of that destiny, 
  men draw closer to the Essence of the Dragons.
  The Immaculate Order emphasizes to its Exalted ad-
  herents, however, that they are still responsible for making 
  sure that their commands are righteous and proper, in keep-
  ing with the proper order of Creation. In short, while the 
  commands that one of the Dragon-Blooded Host gives to a 
  mortal cannot draw that mortal away from enlightenment, 
  it can pull the Dragon-Blood further from it.
  THE FIFTH DILIGENT PRACTICE
  Resist the commands of the Anathema to the fullest degree of the 
  abilities of your present incarnation, and do not fall into despair.
  This Diligent Practice emphasizes two things: the un-
  derstanding of the terrible sway of the Anathema, and the 
  fact that mortals have only so much resistance to them. For 
  this reason, the Immaculate Order considers those mortals 
  who follow the Anathema to be as much victims as those 
  the Anathema slay. In either case, what can mere mortals 
  do to stymie the will of such demons?
  Of course, by this token, those Dragon-Blooded who 
  fall to the sway of the Anathema are responsible for their 
  own weakness. They carry the Essence of the Dragons and 
  are heirs to the blood of those who overthrew the Anathema 
  once, at the height of their power. The Immaculate Order’s 
  orthodoxy has no pity for those who fail to resist the demons, 
  though those who have actually encountered the Anathema 
  before are more likely to understand, given the power of the 
  demons that possess them.
  THE ORDER OF 
  IMMACULATE DRAGONS
  The faith of the Immaculate Dragons is administered by 
  the Order of Immaculate Dragons, a religion with monastic 
  and temple-based traditions, as well as ascetic and itinerant 
  
  81
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  off-shoots. The acknowledged heads of the Order of Immacu-
  late Dragons are the Dragon-Blooded, and this is accepted 
  as right and proper. After all, those who will outlive mortals 
  by entire generations should be in the position to apply the 
  long wisdom they gain.
  BECOMING AN IMMACULATE
  The process of joining the Immaculate Order as one 
  of its monks is long and arduous. A would-be monk must 
  present himself to the monks of the subdued Procession of 
  Gray, the small, unassuming monastery in the heart of the 
  Temple District of the Imperial City. The Procession of Gray 
  is a standard monastery, with one difference. At any given 
  time, its courtyard may be packed with kneeling postulants, 
  clad in the gray robes of their station. These postulants seek 
  only to be noticed by the Paragon of Sextes Jylis from the 
  window of his ofﬁ ce that overlooks the courtyard or on her 
  way to the Scarlet Chapel in the Imperial Palace.
  The Paragon of Sextes Jylis notices everything, it seems. 
  Those who come to the Procession of Gray must not arrive 
  with their heads already shaven. To do so is to suggest that one 
  is already suited for the Order, and only the Paragon of Sextes 
  Jylis may make that decision. Those who come from powerful 
  families are likely to wait the longest, especially the Exalted, 
  who are expected to exceed the mortals around them in their 
  capacity to withstand the rigors of fasting, lack of sleep and 
  constant kneeling on the cobblestones of the courtyard.
  Occasionally, monks require that postulants aid them 
  in some small task. Afterward, they are expected to return 
  to their places. At night, all postulants are shown to a single 
  dormitory overseen by a monk, there to sleep on bare wooden 
  ﬂ oors until just before dawn. When they are not sleeping or 
  assisting monks, postulants are expected to remain kneeling 
  in the courtyard. In the middle of the day, they are brought 
  a single shallow bowl of rice to eat; water is brought to them 
  four times a day. Most postulants continue this process for a 
  few days, but it is not unheard of for it to go on for weeks for 
  those the Paragon suspects may still be wrestling with pride, 
  particularly Dragon-Blooded postulants.
  All it takes is a nod from the Paragon as she passes on 
  her way to tend to important business to make a postulant an 
  acolyte. When this happens, the monks around the Paragon 
  hurry to the side of the new acolyte, to take him into the 
  inner adytum of the Procession of Gray, where he is given 
  a meal of rice, chicken and fruit and a small cup of watered 
  wine. After this meal, the head of a new acolyte is shaved 
  completely. He is thereafter given a freezing cold ritual bath 
  of cleansing and an acolyte’s robe. At this time, the monk 
  attending him gives him a new name, and the new acolyte 
  takes his oath of service.
  THE PILGRIMAGE
  New acolytes are given a week to recuperate from the 
  ordeal of the postulant and to learn the basic sutras and 
  martial-arts stances required of all novice monks. After this 
  time, regardless of the season, a new monk is expected to 
  undertake the pilgrimage by foot from the Imperial City 
  down the Great Coast Road to the Palace Sublime, in Incas 
  Prefecture. Acolytes are given only their robes, a walking staff 
  and a begging bowl with which to beg for food or money to 
  buy food along the way.
  This is often a humbling experience for monks, especially 
  for those who come from Dynastic or patrician families. 
  These pilgrims are forbidden from using Essence or force to 
  get their food, and they certainly may not break any laws. 
  The communities between the Imperial City and the Palace 
  Sublime are accustomed to these begging monks and are will-
  ing to give food to those who are sufﬁ ciently humble. But a 
  new monk, even one with Dragon-Blooded heritage, who 
  approaches the task of begging with arrogance or expectation 
  is in for a rude shock.
  Finally, after weeks of travel by foot and by begging 
  rides with those who have wagons, the new acolyte arrives 
  at the Palace Sublime. He is taken in, fed, bathed and his 
  head shaved again. He is given any medical attention that 
  may be necessary from his long and arduous trip and given a 
  place in the monks’ cells as a monk of the First Coil.
  THE COILS OF THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  The Immaculate Order teaches that the Road of Enlight-
  enment wraps around and around, like the long, sinuous body 
  of a dragon coiled around a great pillar. In the normal process 
  of living, a being remains where he stands on this winding 
  Road, moving perhaps a few steps up or down.
  Those who dedicate themselves to the Immaculate 
  Dragons, however, may advance greatly in their place. 
  Through diligent service and practice of the Immaculate 
  Philosophy, they can move their spirits not simply one or 
  two steps along the path, but up to the spiral of the road, or 
  coil of the dragon, above where they now stand.
  The behaviors of the various Coils are required for several 
  reasons. The ﬁ rst is to set the monks apart from the rest of 
  society, constantly reminding them that they are held to a 
  higher standard. Secondly, these voluntary limitations teach 
  the monk discipline and allow him to focus his energy and 
  attention on things of a spiritual, rather than secular, nature. 
  Many of the things that provoke lust, greed and envy are 
  forbidden the Immaculate monk.
  Immaculate monks speak of this symbolic structure as the 
  Five Coils. They are not so prideful as to claim to have any 
  control over where a monk’s soul actually stands—they simply 
  ﬁ nd use in these ﬁ ve “levels” of devotion to the Immaculate 
  Philosophy. A monk of higher Coils is expected to exemplify 
  the ideas of the Order more than one of lower Coils, adhering 
  to stricter requirements of behavior and service. The Five Coils 
  were ﬁ rst described in The Gentle Rule, a text supposedly inspired 
  by Daana’d that describes the proper running of monasteries, 
  including the division of work, methods of dress and the like. 
  All monks are expected to study The Gentle Rule.
  
  82
  FIRST COIL (BACKING [IMMACULATE ORDER •])
  The majority of a monk’s strictures are established when 
  he takes his vows as a monk of the First Coil. It should be 
  noted that some of these strictures change as the monk in-
  creases in Coil, and to assume the strictures of a higher Coil 
  is considered an act of vanity and presumption.
  Appearance:
  Appearance: A monk of the First Coil is required to shave 
  his head, and keep it shaven, though the monk may wear 
  facial hair. Such monks are forbidden jewelry and tattoos.
  Celibacy:
  Celibacy: A monk of the First Coil must take a vow of 
  celibacy, under the belief that sex is too great of a distraction 
  and lure from the spiritual endeavors of a true Immaculate. 
  Masturbation is not forbidden, however.
  Diet:
  Diet: The strictures of the First Coil forbid the eating of 
  red meat and the consumption of intoxicants or narcotics.
  Name:
  Name: At the end of her time as a postulant, a monk of 
  the First Coil is given a new name, one meant to divorce her 
  from her old life and reﬂ ect something of her inner nature. It 
  is usually a diminutive or even slightly embarrassing name, 
  such as “Cricket” for the high-jumper or “Little Brook” for 
  the monk who can’t quite still her tongue.
  Poverty:
  Poverty: A monk of the First Coil takes an oath of 
  poverty, vowing to own nothing. Even the clothing on his 
  back belongs to the Order. Any money given to a monk of 
  the Order, by tradition, has been given to the Order.
  Vestments:
  Vestments: The garb of the First Coil is a simple hempen 
  robe, belted with rope. The robe may be decorated with mod-
  est trim, which usually adheres to the traditions to which 
  the monk belongs (monastic, temple or ascetic). The monk 
  may also wear a broad-rimmed hat and sandals.
  SECOND COIL (BACKING [IMMACULATE ORDER ••])
  All of the strictures from the First Coil remain in effect, 
  with the following exceptions:
  Diet:
  Diet: A monk of the Second Coil is expected to con-
  sume no fowl, in addition to the dietary strictures of the 
  First Coil.
  Name:
  Name: Upon being given the linen belt of the Second 
  Coil, the monk may change his name. A monk may reclaim 
  his birth or family name, though doing so is a sign that one’s 
  family will still play a role in one’s life (though there is no 
  stigma for doing so). Many monks ask a mentor or respected 
  ﬁ gure to name them. By tradition, this is a serious name, one 
  that truly reﬂ ects the holy ﬁ gure the monk is becoming.
  Vestments:
  Vestments: As First Coil, save that the hempen robe is 
  cinched up with a linen belt. This belt is generally undyed, 
  unless the monk is a devotee of one of the Immaculate Drag-
  ons, in which case it may be black (Daana’d), white (Pasiap), 
  blue (Mela), red (Hesiesh) or green (Sextes Jylis).
  THIRD COIL (BACKING [IMMACULATE ORDER •••])
  All of the strictures from the Second Coil remain in 
  effect, with the following exceptions:
  Diet:
  Diet: A monk of the Third Coil is expected to consume 
  no sweets, sorbets or coarse grains in addition to the restric-
  tions of the First and Second Coils.
  Status:
  Status: The monk may hold the position of abbot, vart-
  abed or sybil, depending on the need for someone to hold such 
  a position and the tradition in which the monk works.
  Title:
  Title: The monk is addressed by lessers as “Honored One” 
  or “Reverend,” and when his name is used, the preﬁ x “Hon-
  ored” is applied to it (“Honored Nine Rivers,” for instance). 
  Only speakers within the Order need use these titles, though 
  those outsiders who wish to win favor might do so.
  Vestments:
  Vestments: The monk of the Third Coil may wear a 
  robe of soft linen, often left undyed, or dyed to reﬂ ect the 
  monk’s devotion to a given Immaculate Dragon. He wears 
  a belt of woven wool.
  FOURTH COIL 
  (BACKING [IMMACULATE ORDER ••••])
  All of the strictures from the Third Coil remain in effect, 
  with the following exceptions:
  Diet:
  Diet: A monk of the Fourth Coil is expected to con-
  sume no meat whatsoever and to drink nothing but tea and 
  water, while continuing the strictures from the First through 
  Third Coils.
  Exaltation:
  Exaltation: Only the Dragon-Blooded hold ranking of 
  the Fourth Coil.
  Status:
  Status: Should the need for such present itself, the 
  monk of the Fourth Coil may hold the position of lama. The 
  monk is almost guaranteed to hold the position of abbot, 
  vartabed or sybil.
  Title:
  Title: The monk is addressed by lessers as “Most En-
  lightened Master,” and when his name is used, the preﬁ x 
  “Master” is applied to it.
  Vestments:
  Vestments: As Third Coil, but the belt is made of silk.
  FIFTH COIL
  (BACKING [IMMACULATE ORDER •••••])
  All the strictures from the Fourth Coil remain in effect, 
  with the following exceptions:
  Diet:
  Diet: A monk of the Fifth Coil consumes only rice, 
  bread, vegetables, tea and water.
  Status:
  Status: Most who hold the Fifth Coil are elder lamas. 
  The Mouth of Peace and the Immaculate Paragons are all 
  chosen from those who stand on the Fifth Coil.
  Vestments:
  Vestments: The monk of the Fifth Coil wears a robe 
  and belt of silk.
  THE MOUTH OF PEACE
  One of the most powerful people in the Realm, the 
  Mouth of Peace acts as the conscience of the Scarlet Empress, 
  counseling peaceful resolutions and the secularized search 
  for enlightenment in all things. The position is named for 
  the ofﬁ ce’s traditional role in counseling the Dynasty against 
  warfare. Because she sits so closely to the Empress, the Mouth 
  of Peace also acts as the secular-dealing head of the Immacu-
  late Order. She takes on such things as the disbursement of 
  
  83
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  imperial funds to the Immaculate Order, situations where 
  the Immaculate Order and imperial government or Great 
  Houses clash and a variety of other circumstances.
  It is the intent of the Immaculate Order that the spiritual 
  leadership of the Order, the ﬁ ve Immaculate Paragons, be dis-
  turbed with secular, mundane matters as little as possible. As a 
  result, though, the Mouth of Peace wields quite a bit of power, 
  for she is generally the primary contact and point of authority 
  between the Immaculate Order and the secular world. In fact, 
  those outside the Order generally assume that the Mouth of Peace 
  is the leadership for this massive faith (which is mostly true).
  The Mouth of Peace is considered a sacriﬁ cial ﬁ gure, 
  a being of great enlightenment and spiritual power who 
  makes the sacriﬁ ce of sullying herself with the necessity of 
  involvement in politics, secularism and mundane tasks. It is 
  understood that she does these things so that others—particu-
  larly the Immaculate Paragons—do not have to. Nonetheless, 
  few are those who are granted permission to see her in her 
  Contemplative Chamber atop one of the towers of the Palace 
  Sublime. Only high-ranking members of the Dynasty, the 
  elders of House Iselsi (who have taken up sanctuary in the 
  Palace Sublime), the Sidereals and highly placed members 
  of the Immaculate Order are permitted audiences.
  The Mouth of Peace is expected to give up everything 
  when she assumes the role: all political connections, family 
  ties, friendships. The one who is made the Mouth of Peace 
  even surrenders her name, for the Immaculate Order teaches 
  that the Mouth of Peace should be a single entity, throughout 
  the history of the Immaculate Order. The Mouth of Peace 
  does not speak out against the actions of previous Mouths of 
  Peace, but is expected to act in accordance with them.
  The current Mouth of Peace is an Earth Aspect formerly 
  of House Mnemon. Of course, this family tie does Mnemon 
  herself very little good. In fact, it is a source of aggravation that 
  this granddaughter of hers will not accede to her ambitions 
  and aid her. The Mouth of Peace has also refused Mnemon’s 
  attempts to have the heart of the Immaculate Order moved 
  to within the walls of the Imperial City. Her predecessor was 
  a scion of House Iselsi who never truly abandoned her House 
  afﬁ liation (resulting in, among other things, her murder at the 
  hands of unknown forces when the House was ﬁ nally ofﬁ cially 
  dismantled in RY 570). The current Mouth of Peace, however, 
  has created a deﬁ nitive separation between her origins and 
  her role, so she will not move the entire Order for political 
  reasons. She has also begun some traditions that are likely 
  to continue with successive Mouths of Peace, including the 
  tendency to leave the Contemplative Chamber in disguise 
  once every few years or so and travel the Realm incognito 
  to ascertain the spiritual state of her people.
  THE IMMACULATE PARAGONS
  In terms of hierarchy, the ﬁ ve Immaculate Paragons are 
  beneath the Mouth of Peace, but this is for a simple reason: The 
  top of a hierarchical structure is, of necessity, a political one, 
  and the true spiritual leaders of the Immaculate Order should 
  be distanced from such things. The Immaculate Paragons are 
  considered living saints and bodhisattvas, men and women 
  of Exaltation so potent it marks everything they do.
  Invariably, these are some of the few Dragon-Blooded 
  whose Essence transcends the normal heights of the Dragon-
  Blooded (often climbing as high as an Essence of 6+), so that 
  they literally wear the element of their Exaltation on their 
  bodies. Such souls are taught to be close to unity with the 
  Dragons once more. The Immaculate Paragons are acknowl-
  edged as greatly compassionate souls who have delayed this 
  unity in order to help elevate the rest of mankind.
  When an Immaculate monk is recognized as one of 
  the Immaculate Paragons, he abandons all old ties of tradi-
  tion and House, should he retain any. Unlike the Mouth 
  of Peace, however, each Paragon should be remembered by 
  the Order, so they take names reﬂ ective of the lessons they 
  see themselves as having to teach Creation and the faithful. 
  That way, simply by speaking their names, their message and 
  teachings are remembered.
  The Paragons are always Dragon-Blooded, with an as-
  pect appropriate to the Dragon that they serve. They are all 
  masters of at least one of the elemental styles (again, of the 
  aspect appropriate to the Dragon they emulate), and most 
  of them are masters of multiple ones.
  THE PARAGON OF DAANA’D
  The Paragon of Daana’d is expected to oversee the 
  pursuit of liberation and self-fulﬁ llment in the lives of the 
  righteous. This duty, which names the Paragon of Daana’d 
  as “The Most Capable and Liberated,” is a difﬁ cult one, for 
  it applies not only to the individual, but to the Immaculate 
  Order as well. It is the Paragon of Daana’d’s responsibility to 
  make sure that the Immaculate Order does not become too 
  reliant on any outside force, lest it ﬁ nd itself either beholden 
  to another or in danger when something happens. That 
  the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress did not do more 
  damage to the Immaculate Order is directly traceable to this 
  endeavor by successive Paragons of Daana’d.
  The Paragon of Daana’d is also a seeker of social justice. 
  If public censure by the Immaculate Order isn’t sufﬁ cient to 
  curb the whims of a tyrannical or incompetent prefect or 
  governor, the followers of this Paragon instigate “The Blos-
  soming of Sorrowful Violence.” This act is an uprising led 
  by the Immaculate monks of a local monastery, maintained 
  until reparations are made to those the lord has harmed, at 
  which point the monks return to their peaceful lives.
  In many ways, the Paragon of Daana’d seeks to do two 
  things for the common man: to make certain that the people 
  know enough to carry on their adherence to the Immaculate 
  Philosophy in the absence of a monk and to institute social 
  justice on their behalf. As such, many monks who follow this 
  Paragon are considered rabble-rousers and troublemakers, but 
  they are careful to remember that order is what the Dragons 
  built. It is considered irresponsible to rise up against a social 
  order without a plan for a better one.
  
  84
  The current Paragon of Daana’d is Bride of Justice, an 
  older Water-aspected woman. Her once-ﬁ ery anger at the 
  Great Houses—a result of being born an outcaste—has cooled 
  into a calm determination to see that those responsible for 
  the Realm’s social ills are held up to public accountability for 
  their part in such. She is notorious for her public declamations 
  against important government ﬁ gures and their excesses. The 
  elders of House Cynis have expressed their dislike of Bride 
  of Justice on more than one drunken occasion.
  THE PARAGON OF HESIESH
  The Paragon of Hesiesh is expected to act as the voice 
  of reason and calm deliberation among the Paragons and 
  the Immaculate Order as a whole. It is he who must pay 
  attention to any sign of shift away from orthodoxy without 
  good reason. This role has earned the Paragon of Hesiesh 
  the title of “The Suitor of Sutras,” for he is said to “court” 
  respected traditions and teachings the way an ardent lover 
  courts his beloved.
  The Paragon of Hesiesh is expected to counsel restraint 
  in the Immaculate Order, and the Paragons of Hesiesh and 
  Daana’d often ﬁ nd themselves at odds with one another. 
  Arguments between the two are referred to as “The Ten 
  Thousand Gouts of Steam.”
  The current Paragon of Hesiesh is a Fire Aspect formerly 
  of House Cathak named the Red Coal Bodhisattva. His words 
  of calm are said to emanate from the center of his serene, 
  enlightened spirit like the heat from a hot coal, bringing the 
  warmth of peace and deliberation to those who need it. The 
  Red Coal Bodhisattva and the Bride of Justice are very close 
  friends. Rather than this lessening their ofﬁ cial conﬂ icts, 
  however, it escalates them, for neither seems beholden to 
  restrain themselves, knowing that whatever the outcome, 
  their friendship is unlikely to be negatively impacted.
  THE PARAGON OF MELA
  The Paragon of Mela is expected to watch for the signs of 
  war carefully, that the righteous might be ready for it. This duty, 
  which is given the poetic title of “The Eye upon the Horizon,” 
  is one taken very seriously. This does not, however, refer only 
  to actual war, but to any element that might be a danger to the 
  pursuit of enlightenment. The Paragon of Mela takes reports 
  of heresy very seriously, and many of those who are devotees of 
  Mela watch for signs of such. Anything that threatens spiritual 
  perfection is worthy of the attention of the Paragon of Mela.
  The Paragon of Mela is also expected to be the foremost 
  defender of the faith. Although this has never come to pass, it 
  is she who will act as the Immaculate Order’s general should 
  it be necessary to mobilize the Order to war.
  The current Paragon of Mela is the youngest of the 
  Paragons, an Air Aspect named Righteous Typhoon. El-
  evated in the years since the Empress disappeared, Righteous 
  
  85
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  Typhoon believes that the Immaculate Order should take 
  the opportunity of her disappearance to transform all of the 
  Realm into a powerful theocratic nation, with no division 
  between legal and religious laws. She preaches that, in such 
  a nation, a citizen’s foremost concern would be his own 
  enlightenment, rather than the coffers of his masters, and 
  she advocates the use of force in achieving this. Of course, 
  the other Paragons have counseled against this, as has the 
  Mouth of Peace. There does seem to be some measure of 
  support for her growing in some of the more fundamental 
  levels of the Immaculate Order, however.
  THE PARAGON OF PASIAP
  The duty of the Paragon of Pasiap is to act as the “Raiser 
  of Stones,” a builder and creator. Always incredibly skilled 
  in architecture—including the design of manses—the Para-
  gon of Pasiap oversees the construction of new temples and 
  other structures for the Immaculate Order. His role extends 
  beyond this, however, for he acts as the apportioner of the 
  Immaculate Order’s resources, allotting those resources the 
  Mouth of Peace secures for the use of the Immaculate Order, 
  from money and food to artifacts and the hearthstones of the 
  Order’s many manses.
  The Paragon of Pasiap is to represent the understanding 
  of the greatest weapon that Creation has against the erosion 
  of the Wyld: civilization. The Paragon of Pasiap teaches that 
  Creation was once larger, but with the deaths caused by the 
  Contagion and the subsequent fall of civilization, the walls that 
  held back the storm of the Wyld fell, and madness breached 
  the world. As a result, those monks who follow the teachings 
  of Pasiap tend to be vehement missionaries, seeking always to 
  bring civilization to those places that are without it.
  The current Paragon of Pasiap is the oldest of the Para-
  gons, an ancient Earth Aspect with ﬂ esh like white marble 
  known as Foundation of Prosperity. The devotees of Pasiap 
  under Foundation of Prosperity have gone a long way toward 
  the accomplishment of what he views as Pasiap’s foremost 
  goal: the building of prosperity, which builds civilization.
  THE PARAGON OF SEXTES JYLIS
  The Paragon of Sextes Jylis, unlike the others, is not based 
  out of the Palace Sublime. Instead, the role of this Paragon 
  is that of “The Sower of New Seeds,” a poetic reference to 
  his role in accepting postulants into the Immaculate Order 
  and then planting them within the Immaculate Order. The 
  Paragon of Sextes Jylis is based out of the Procession of Gray, 
  the monastery in the Temple District of the Imperial City. It 
  is considered appropriate that this Paragon acts in this role, 
  for he must embody the very compassion of the Immaculate 
  Dragon of Wood. He must take pity on those who come from 
  the secular world and are burdened by it, accepting them into 
  the peace and discipline of the Immaculate Order not out of 
  desire for power, but out of love and compassion.
  The Paragon of Sextes Jylis also acts as the master of 
  the Scarlet Chapel, a huge temple structure situated within 
  the Imperial Palace capable of holding many thousands. The 
  Scarlet Chapel is the ofﬁ cial temple for the Great Houses, 
  though its daily services are sparsely attended and usually 
  only by those who intend on being viewed as faithful and 
  devout. Still, the Order considers it appropriate for the most 
  compassionate of the Paragons to be the public priest for 
  the Great Houses, hoping that they will learn something 
  of compassion.
  The current Paragon of Sextes Jylis is named Peaceful 
  Reﬂ ection of Compassion, for he hopes to teach the world’s 
  peoples to ﬁ nd compassion ﬁ rst for themselves. He believes 
  that once a soul ﬁ nds Sextes Jylis’ true compassion—that 
  which is stern, yet loving—for herself, she cannot help but 
  discover that same compassion for those around her.
  LAMAS
  Beneath the Mouth of Peace and the Paragons are the 
  lamas of the Immaculate Order, wise monks with years of 
  experience and leadership to their credit. All lamas in the 
  Immaculate Order are Dragon-Blooded, as beﬁ tting men and 
  women in a position such as they are in.
  Difﬁ cult is the road a lama walks, for he must learn 
  to balance the demands of the political Mouth of Peace 
  with those of the enlightened Paragons—a task that often 
  resembles a juggling act. Outsiders point out the difﬁ culty in 
  which lamas ﬁ nd themselves and wonder why it isn’t made 
  simpler—why is there no deﬁ nitive chain of command? The 
  wise know the answer to this, however. A lama’s ﬁ rst master 
  should be his own wisdom, balancing the needs of the secular 
  world with the demands of enlightenment.
  Lamas oversee geographical locations, acting as ad-
  ministrators for the abbots, vartabeds and sybils of each of 
  those locations. In this role, they are expected to know what 
  is going on in their territories, that they may counsel the 
  Mouth of Peace and the Paragons properly. In theory, there 
  must be at least one lama for each geographical region and 
  satrapy, but this isn’t always the case (particularly away from 
  the Blessed Isle). A lama is supposed to spend half of every 
  year in the geographical region he oversees and the other 
  half at the Palace Sublime.
  THE CLOISTER TRADITION
  The cloister tradition is a strong one in the Immaculate 
  Order, with nearly half of all monks following it. Rather than 
  acting as intercessors for the people, the cloister tradition 
  teaches Immaculates to sequester themselves from the bustle 
  of daily life in remote monasteries. In these places of serenity, 
  the cloistered monk may focus on his Essence and its devel-
  opment, seeking to emulate the Immaculate Dragons—who 
  moved through life remaining apart from the banality of the 
  mundane world—as close as anyone can.
  In the Immaculate Order, the cloistered monks serve 
  a valuable purpose. It is from cloistered monasteries that 
  most copies of the sutras come, as one of the spiritual tasks 
  
  86
  undertaken by these men and women is the hand-copying 
  of the Immaculate Texts. Additionally, cloistered monks 
  study the martial arts signiﬁ cantly more often than those of 
  the other traditions, and when trouble with a god or other 
  spirit is reported to the Immaculate Order, it is usually to a 
  cloistered monastery that the request for aid is sent.
  The men and women of the cloisters have established 
  something of a frightening reputation to the common folk, 
  for they rarely see the monks of the cloisters until the need 
  for Immaculate martial arts comes about. Then, they are 
  grim warriors who come with sutras on their lips and terrible 
  elemental Essence about their ﬁ sts.
  Cloistered monks wear only the basic vestments of 
  monks of the Immaculate Order. A given cloister might 
  have a uniﬁ ed pattern of trim at the edges, though, such 
  as the wave motif of the Heavenly Cloister of Sapphire, 
  in the western part of the Blessed Isle, or the Unyielding 
  Perseverance Keep’s pattern of diamonds with a single dot 
  in the middle of each.
  THE ABBOT
  The head of a cloistered monastery is an abbot or ab-
  bess, a wise elder monk who has served in the Immaculate 
  Order for many years. These men and women understand 
  their duties quite well. They are there to oversee the monks 
  within their monastery and very little else. They drive their 
  subordinates toward martial and spiritual excellence relent-
  lessly, seeking to push them until their common weaknesses 
  hinder them, and then to push them some more, allowing 
  them to overcome those weaknesses. A cloistered abbot may 
  be a grim, insulting master of the martial arts or a kindly old 
  man given to meditation and philosophical talks over tea, 
  but he is always one thing—driven. Most of the Paragons 
  are chosen from lamas who once served as abbots.
  THE TEMPLE TRADITION
  The tradition best known by the common folk of the 
  Blessed Isle, the temple tradition is the part of the Order 
  that sees to the adherence to the Immaculate Calendar and 
  the performance of the rites to the Celestial and Terrestrial 
  Bureaucracies. Temple monks are the Immaculates who deal 
  most often with the common folk, and their penchant for 
  wisdom and strict watchfulness against heresy is legendary.
  Ultimately, the temple tradition exists for two reasons: 
  to see that the appropriate rites are performed for the 
  gods of the Celestial and Terrestrial Bureaucracies and to 
  see that people understand the Immaculate Philosophy. 
  Where cloistered monks live the Philosophy, teaching 
  by example and answering the questions of the curious, 
  temple monks seek to make those around them understand 
  through the use of parables, prayers and readings. Although 
  they practice the martial arts as well, temple monks spend 
  
  87
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  more of their days overseeing the various rites of propitia-
  tion, teaching the common folk and performing rites of 
  passage for them.
  Temple monks often wear prayer shawls, each marked 
  with the symbol of the temple to which the monk belongs. 
  They also often wear pectorals or belts hung with the symbolic 
  representations of the gods to whom they are performing rites. 
  Most such decorations change daily, though.
  THE VARTABED
  What the abbot is to a cloistered monastery, the vart-
  abed is to a temple. An elder monk known for his wisdom 
  and understanding of the Immaculate rites, the vartabed 
  is responsible for training the monks under him in the 
  maintenance of the Immaculate Calendar and the education 
  of the populace. Where abbots have a reputation as being 
  distant and unsociable, vartabeds are usually assumed to be 
  quite socially engaging. A vartabed understands that the 
  Immaculate Order wields no small power, as entrenched as 
  it is in society. It is his responsibility to make sure that this 
  power—like all that in the Immaculate Order—is wielded 
  in accordance to the tenets of the Immaculate Philosophy. 
  Every one of the Mouths of Peace has been chosen from 
  among the ranks of lamas who were once vartabeds.
  THE ASCETIC TRADITION
  There is a third tradition of monastic practice in the 
  Immaculate Order. Although it is not an ofﬁ cially recognized 
  or organized one, the ascetic tradition is quite strong. At any 
  given time, perhaps one in 10 monks in Creation is pursuing 
  an ascetic path, and many Immaculate monks, whether temple 
  or cloister trained, undertake asceticism in order to deepen 
  their understanding at some point in their lives.
  Simply put, the ascetic tradition seeks to escape all of 
  civilization. Unlike cloistered monks, ascetics don’t seques-
  ter themselves behind high monastery walls; unlike temple 
  monks, they don’t seek immersion in the daily life of the 
  Realm. Instead, the ascetic monk ﬂ ees cities and goes into 
  the wilderness, in order to simply dwell there for a time.
  Most ascetic monks put themselves through a very dif-
  ﬁ cult existence, eating only insects and roots, drinking only 
  cool river water and living either exposed to the elements or 
  within naturally occurring shelter. All ascetic monks believe 
  that the denial of the body’s needs is the method by which 
  the soul is puriﬁ ed and enlightened. Therefore, most ascetic 
  monks remain on the edge of sleep deprivation, starvation 
  and exposure, mortifying their bodies in order to elevate their 
  souls. These monks often acquire a supernatural reputation 
  among the common folk, who attribute to them amazing 
  abilities for their sacriﬁ ce and dedication.
  Ascetic monks are invariably dressed in tattered vest-
  ments, or are nearly naked, clothed only in what they can 
  make by hand, or what superstitious peasants leave out for 
  them at the mouths of their caves.
  THE SYBIL
  Ascetics have no leaders, in the fashion of cloistered 
  and temple monks. It is, after all, not necessary. Most ascetic 
  monks remain ascetic for just a few years at a time, returning 
  to their home monasteries nearly dead of exhaustion, when 
  they have gained whatever insights they sought or when 
  their responsibilities pull them home once more.
  A rare few ascetic monks, however, do not pursue this 
  life. These men and women undertake the ascetic tradition 
  permanently, believing that, as the Immaculate Dragons 
  wandered Creation in order to understand their Essence, 
  so too must they. When such a monk achieves the kind of 
  renown in the Immaculate Order that would elevate other 
  monks to the position of vartabed or abbot, the lamas simply 
  begin referring to him or her as a sybil.
  Sybils are often sought out by other monks seeking wisdom. 
  Many teachers instruct the monks beneath them that, in order 
  to truly undertake the ascetic tradition for a time, they must 
  seek out a sybil in order for her to impart some wisdom to them. 
  Sybils invariably dwell in remote regions, the proverbial old man 
  on the mountain or seer hidden away in a cavern. Additionally, 
  many of them do discover reﬁ nements of their Essence that 
  are unique to the insights that come from prolonged ascetic 
  practice. Most stories that discuss strange ascetic monks who 
  are capable of working miracles refer to sybils.
  OTHER TRADITIONS
  Though the three foregoing traditions are the most 
  common within the Immaculate Order, there are a few other 
  ways of following the Immaculate Philosophy.
  ITINERANT MONKS
  An itinerant monk is, in many ways, a monk who adheres 
  to all three of the major Immaculate traditions. Such monks 
  travel from place to place, seeking wisdom in the wilderness 
  THE CELESTIALLY GUIDED ITINERANTS
  Occasionally, a monk’s skill, piety and devotion to 
  the Immaculate Philosophy is noticed by the Mouth 
  of Peace. Such ﬁ gures may be chosen to join the 
  Celestially Guided Itinerants, an order of wandering 
  agents of the Mouth of Peace. What the magistrates 
  are to the Thousand Scales, the Celestially Guided 
  Itinerants are to the Immaculate Order—bringers of 
  scrutiny and justice, in adherence with the laws of the 
  Order and the will of the Mouth of Peace.
  The Celestially Guided Itinerants are tremendously 
  skilled investigators, and are all Dragon-Blooded. They 
  answer only to the Mouth of Peace and are notorious 
  for their ability to stumble into false tithing scams, 
  corruption in monasteries and other symptoms of the 
  fact that, for all their preaching of perfection, the Im-
  maculate Order is still manned by fallible mortals.
  
  88
  through starvation and deprivation in the fashion of an ascetic. 
  Yet, they also seek out communities that do not have an Im-
  maculate presence nearby, performing the rites of passage and 
  propitiating the local small gods properly, in the fashion of a 
  temple monk. Itinerant monks are often quite skilled in the 
  martial arts, as well, for they seek out masters of the martial 
  arts to train them in their journeys. They are the monks most 
  likely to be called upon to use them, in order to deal with the 
  dangers of the road and wilderness.
  At some point in their lives, most monks are instructed to 
  undertake an itinerant existence. Sometimes, this is just after 
  their training at the Palace Sublime is over, before they report 
  to their new monasteries. Other times, this is after a period of 
  years, or just before a monk takes over a monastery as vartabed or 
  abbot. Many monks see a period of itinerancy as a rite of passage, 
  used to mark dramatic changes in the monk’s existence.
  Most itinerant monks adhere to a strictly scheduled route 
  of travel, allowing them to come to know the people along 
  that route. When such a monk shows up, many marriages that 
  have been put off are held and celebrated, babies that have 
  been born since he was last through there are named and 
  blessed, and any problems with local spirits are reported to 
  him to deal with. As a result, it sometimes seems that where 
  an itinerant monk goes, celebration follows.
  SOCIAL DUTIES
  Regardless of their tradition and style of service, all Im-
  maculate monks are expected to fulﬁ ll a variety of obligations. 
  Some traditions focus on certain of these duties more than 
  others, but all understand that these duties are all absolutely 
  important and seek to fulﬁ ll those they are capable of to the 
  best of their ability.
  SEARCH FOR RELICS
  In hearing the words and understanding the message of the 
  Immaculate Dragons, mortals and Exalted are brought closer 
  to enlightenment. The more an individual hears and under-
  stands, the closer he might come. Therefore, it is considered an 
  important duty of every Immaculate monk to search for relics 
  of the First Age, especially writings that contain the words 
  of the Immaculate Dragons. Such ﬁ ndings form the basis for 
  the Immaculate Texts. Even those that are not the words of 
  the Immaculate Dragons or their apostles are still considered 
  important, allowing Immaculate scholars to better understand 
  the context in which some sutras were spoken.
  CULTIVATION OF ESSENCE
  Every monk is responsible for aiding others in the cul-
  tivation of their Essence. First and foremost, of course, an 
  Immaculate monk must not neglect her own development, 
  but she must also aid others where she can. In some cases, 
  this aid involves training young Dragon-Blooded (particu-
  larly outcastes) how to use their Essence, but this duty is not 
  limited to the Princes of the Earth. A mortal who learns to 
  ﬁ nd resolve, acceptance and self-reliance in his life’s duties 
  is said to be cultivating his Essence, as is one who learns the 
  sutras. Many monks strive to teach all who wish to learn the 
  techniques of meditation and the basics of the martial arts. 
  Exalted monks are also taught that they should assist their 
  mortal brethren in learning the techniques of awakening 
  their Essence, where such is possible.
  EDUCATION
  Immaculate monks are also beholden to teach those 
  around them. This teaching focuses primarily on the Im-
  maculate Texts and the Immaculate Philosophy, though it 
  is understood that mortals are enlightened through educa-
  tion of any kind. As such, all monasteries are required to 
  take in children from the age of ﬁ ve to nine and educate 
  them, usually using the holy sutras as the basis for learn-
  ing to read.
  RITES OF PASSAGE
  The passage through a single life, while just a blink 
  in a soul’s walk along the Road of Enlightenment, is still 
  noteworthy. Rites of passage serve to bind a community 
  together, thus building civilization. The Immaculate monks 
  perform all weddings, binding in union new couples. Monks 
  also perform the naming ceremonies of new children, who 
  are simply called “boy” or “girl” until such a ceremony has 
  taken place. Rites of adulthood, funerals and many other such 
  ceremonies are usually performed under the watchfulness of 
  the Immaculate monks as well.
  DIVINE INTERCESSION
  Dragon-Blooded monks are expected to act as interme-
  diaries between men and gods. It is a tenet of the Immaculate 
  Philosophy that the Princes of the Earth are the only ones 
  with the moral and spiritual fortitude to withstand the in-
  ﬂ uence of the gods without losing their will. As such, the 
  Immaculate Order not only oversees all the rites of all the 
  gods (theoretically, at least) in Creation, in accordance to the 
  Immaculate Calendar, but its monks also go to small gods to 
  represent mortal populations. Such occurrences are usually 
  sufﬁ cient to cow most small gods, who fear the supernatural 
  martial prowess of the Immaculate monks.
  MISSIONARY WORK
  The Immaculate Order maintains that, through the 
  spread of understanding of one’s place under Heaven, Creation 
  is strengthened. Therefore, one of the Immaculate Order’s 
  foremost efforts is in missionary work. The missionary efforts 
  of the Immaculate Order are not limited to teaching mortals 
  the truths of the Immaculate Philosophy, however—they 
  also extend to local gods. Normally, when the Immaculate 
  Order achieves sufﬁ cient inﬂ uence in an area, it builds a 
  monastery and populates it.
  Then, as the mortal monks go forth and teach the sutras 
  and Philosophy to the common men of the area, the Dragon-
  Blooded monks seek out the local gods, calling on them to 
  
  89
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  bow before the righteousness of the Immaculate Way. Those 
  who defy the monks are fought with supernatural martial arts. 
  Then, once gods and commoners have been swayed to the 
  Immaculate Philosophy, most abbots invite the local leaders of 
  an area to the monastery, believing that once the commoners 
  and the gods of the area adhere to the Immaculate Philosophy, 
  the leadership can do nothing but accede as well.
  SOCIAL JUSTICE
  The monks of the Immaculate Order—particularly 
  those monks who hold the ideals of Daana’d close—teach 
  that each being is a potential bodhisattva and so should be 
  treated accordingly. Everyone in Creation has a place, and 
  to ﬁ ght against that place is wrong, but that does not give 
  one the right to abuse those below one. Immaculate monks 
  are notorious for protesting the tyrannies of rulers in front 
  of their palaces, refusing to be moved and indeed, willing 
  to sacriﬁ ce themselves in some instances (if only to prove 
  how strongly the Order opposes such a situation). They will 
  even go so far as to lead uprisings, and the Paragons of the 
  Immaculate Dragons have spoken out against the excesses 
  of even the Great Houses in the past.
  THE IMMACULATE CALENDAR
  The Immaculate Order maintains the Immaculate Calen-
  dar, a massive archive of gods both large and small in Creation 
  and in Heaven. This calendar records not only the identity 
  of a god, but the proper ritual used to propitiate it. Gods are 
  given direct worship only by the Immaculate monks, who 
  understand that it is the proper place of those in Creation to 
  render up worship to those in Heaven. They do not believe, 
  however, that every individual god has the right to coerce 
  more worship than it is due from vulnerable mortals.
  As such, the more powerful the god is, the more fre-
  quently it is given worship. The Celestines are worshiped on 
  a daily basis by all the temple monasteries. Heavenly gods are 
  likewise rendered worship at the Palace Sublime and other 
  major temple monasteries, with more important gods being 
  worshiped more frequently.
  When a local god agrees to adhere to the Immaculate 
  Philosophy, its rites and days of worship are entered in the 
  local copy of the Immaculate Calendar, and the monks of 
  that temple perform the rites when its proper ritual days 
  come around. Most local gods do not receive more than a 
  few days of worship a year.
  The Immaculate Philosophy’s rituals incorporate worship 
  of the Celestial Bureaucracy in a general way. Temple monks 
  lead the faithful in sutras and rituals that glorify the gods in 
  general, rendering up the proper obeisance of mortals without 
  favoring any one god over others. The Immaculate Order 
  teaches that the gods are properly worshiped in this fashion. 
  Although the monks know what gods are being revered on 
  a given day, the ritual that is performed by the laity is the 
  same every day, with the monks symbolically gathering that 
  worship and apportioning it to the appropriate gods.
  For this reason, the Immaculate Order is careful to search 
  out heresy. It isn’t as though gods are not worshiped, all gods 
  are worshiped in accordance with their duties under Heaven. 
  Therefore, by the teachings of the Order, additional and 
  direct worship not only exposes mortals to the potentially 
  corrupting inﬂ uence of divine majesty, which may cause 
  them to veer away from their search for enlightenment, but 
  it gives the god more worship than it is due. It is, in effect, 
  either bribery or blackmail, depending on the nature of the 
  god in question.
  Heresy is answered with direct, swift action. The Immacu-
  late monks call out the heretic gods to combat, preferably in 
  the presence of their erstwhile cult. Once the god has been 
  beaten either into submission or dispersal, the mortals are 
  reminded of their duties to seek personal enlightenment, not 
  to provide power to a greedy little god. The difﬁ culties they 
  are praying to be alleviated are part of their natural existence 
  and meant to challenge them. By meeting those challenges, 
  they take steps on the Road of Enlightenment; by running 
  to a spirit to do it for them, they lose their footing.
  As a result of these painful demonstrations, many gods 
  on the Blessed Isle are quite terriﬁ ed of being accused of 
  heresy. At the ﬁ rst sign of any direct worship potentially 
  developing around them, it isn’t uncommon for a god who 
  has experienced Immaculate retribution to not only refuse 
  to allow people to worship him, but to be the one to report 
  the would-be cult at the nearest Immaculate temple!
  THE WYLD HUNT
  The Wyld Hunt is not technically part of the Immaculate 
  Order proper. Strictly speaking, it is a special organization, 
  partly religious and partly secular, overseen by both. In actual-
  ity, though, the Wyld Hunt receives most of its support from 
  the Immaculate Order. Even if this wasn’t always the case, 
  with the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, the Imperial 
  Bureaucracy has many more issues on its hands.
  MEMBERSHIP
  There are two kinds of Wyld Huntsmen, who are usually 
  referred to as harriers, or shikari. The most common is the 
  errant shikari, a hunter who maintains a life outside of the 
  Wyld Hunt. Errant shikari are not supported by the Wyld 
  Hunt and usually have duties outside the Hunt chapter house, 
  be they to the Immaculate Order, the All-Seeing Eye, the 
  Imperial Army, their House or other masters.
  Less common, but highly praised, are hosted shikari, har-
  riers who have dedicated their lives to the aims of the Wyld 
  Hunt. These are men and women who have usually given all 
  their personal wealth to the Wyld Hunt as a whole and are 
  supported by it. Hosted shikari own nothing, but they are also 
  the ﬁ rst ones to be given the resources of the Wyld Hunt in the 
  ﬁ eld. The numbers of hosted shikari have swelled somewhat 
  in recent years, as more than a few scions of House Tepet have 
  signed up, wanting to ﬁ ght the threat of the Anathema in these 
  days after the slaughter of the Tepet Legions.
  
  90
  RANKS
  The Wyld Hunt answers to two forces: the Mouth of 
  Peace and the Committee on Matters of Venery, a bureau of 
  the All-Seeing Eye that oversees the secular matters of the 
  Wyld Hunt, keeping track of supplies and payroll, transfers 
  of soldiers and resources and the like. It also acts as the chan-
  nel by which information from the All-Seeing Eye reaches 
  the Wyld Hunt.
  The Mouth of Peace is advised by the correctors, a council 
  traditionally made up of monks who have served with the 
  Wyld Hunt and monks that have not, in equal numbers. The 
  correctors monitor the workings of the Wyld Hunt, order 
  reports on campaigns and perform audits. The correctors and 
  the Committee on Matters of Venery often work to perform 
  the same deeds, each reporting to their differing superiors. 
  They maintain a fairly strong rivalry, and more than one 
  canny exarch has used this rivalry to his chapter house’s 
  advantage, playing each side off one another.
  Individual chapter houses are run by exarchs (Backing 
  [Wyld Hunt] •••••), Immaculate-trained hosted shikari who 
  act as the heads of chapter houses and oversee the administra-
  tion and training of its resources. Exarchs almost never go 
  into the ﬁ eld, though more than one has strapped on his old 
  armor after a particularly devastating loss of a cadre.
  Below the exarchs are the ostiaries (Backing [Wyld 
  Hunt] ••••), who act as the generals for the chapter houses, 
  overseeing the operation of the cadres, including organizing 
  them. The ostiary acts as the right-hand man for the exarch 
  in a chapter house.
  Each chapter house has between two and four venerers 
  (Backing [Wyld Hunt] •••) each. When a cadre is formed, 
  it is a venerer who acts as the head of that cadre, and the 
  venerers are expected to know the capabilities of those be-
  neath them. The venerers of a chapter house form a council 
  that advises the ostiary and the exarch.
  Finally, within a given cadre, there are simple shikari 
  (Backing [Wyld Hunt] •) and those harriers who are more 
  experienced and have survived campaigns against at least 
  four Anathema. Such heroes are referred to as amercers 
  (Backing [Wyld Hunt] ••).
  CHAPTER HOUSES
  Once, there were 11 chapter houses spread across the Blessed 
  Isle and the Threshold. Now, with the sudden drop in imperial 
  funding and the Great Houses working to consolidate their own 
  power, only six remain, only one of which is in the Threshold 
  (speciﬁ cally, in the North, near Cherak). Chapter houses are 
  always manses under the leadership of an exarch and ostiary.
  
  91
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  CADRES
  Any given chapter house has a large number of amercers 
  and shikari, with a handful of venerers to act as cadre leader-
  ship. A chapter house always maintains approximately half 
  of its membership as established cadres, teams who work 
  and train together routinely, getting to know one another’s 
  weaknesses and strengths, drawing on the nature of the 
  Dragon-Blooded Exaltation to improve one another. Many 
  established cadres are sworn brotherhoods.
  The others form the basis of ad hoc cadres, cadres put 
  together as a team under a given venerer on a case-by-case 
  basis. This arrangement sacriﬁ ces some of the beneﬁ ts of 
  established cadres in exchange for supreme ﬂ exibility and 
  the ability to tailor the team’s membership to the needs of 
  the mission.
  Originally, cadres of the Wyld Hunt consisted of two to 
  ﬁ ve Dragon-Blooded, with a host of soldiers and an assortment 
  of aides and support for the cadre. The Immaculate Order 
  and the All-Seeing Eye originally tried to make sure that 
  they had at least one of their own in each cadre.
  With the changes that have shaken Creation, however, the 
  cadres have grown. No longer do Anathema move alone through 
  Creation. Instead, they seem to have appeared in numbers great 
  enough to ﬁ nd one another and band together. Now, a cadre 
  generally consists of ﬁ ve to 10 Dragon-Blooded harriers, with 
  a proportional swelling in support. The Immaculate Order has 
  tried to make certain that it has at least two monks in any cadre, 
  and the All-Seeing Eye has done the same.
  TEMPLES & MONASTERIES
  The buildings and manses of the Immaculate Order are 
  generally put to a variety of uses. Like most of the Dragon-
  Blooded Host, the Exalted monks of the Immaculate Order 
  prefer to use a manse for their purposes, but they will work 
  with whatever is available.
  THE PALACE SUBLIME
  The largest temple of the Immaculate Order, the Palace 
  Sublime seems quite indefensible, made up as it is of a pair of 
  immensely tall towers and a squat, square keep. Nonetheless, 
  it is home to no less than the Mouth of Peace and four of the 
  ﬁ ve Immaculate Paragons. It is the heart of the Immaculate 
  Order, and none has ever dared attack it.
  At the top of one of the towers is the Contemplative 
  Chamber of the Mouth of Peace, and the next few ﬂ oors 
  beneath that are appointed for her staff. Above the Contem-
  plative Chamber is a small, modest ofﬁ ce wherein Chejop 
  Kejak, head of the Sidereal Bronze Faction, resides, watching 
  out over Creation from one of the tallest towers anywhere.
  The Palace Sublime is a confusing maze of temple spaces, 
  monastic training grounds, ofﬁ ces, council chambers, medita-
  tion quarters and vaults of riches and artifacts. The monks who 
  dwell here are one of two kinds: the very young, undergoing 
  their ﬁ rst training after their pilgrimage, before being sent on 
  to another monastery somewhere, or the very experienced, 
  lamas, Celestially Guided Itinerants and a variety of others. 
  Among these scuttle the bureaucrats, under-secretaries and 
  minor functionaries who keeps the monolithic Immaculate 
  Order running.
  The Bronze Faction likewise considers this the closest 
  thing it has to a headquarters in Creation, and many nights 
  see three or four of the most unlikely secretaries, monks 
  and others gathered atop the roof, watching the stars in the 
  sky closely.
  THE CLOISTER OF WISDOM
  Less than a day’s travel from the Palace Sublime lies 
  the Cloister of Wisdom, one of the four ofﬁ cially recognized 
  secondary academies. The Cloister is sponsored by the Im-
  maculate Order, whose goal is to teach students who attend 
  the Cloister how to be proper Dragon-Blooded in the eyes of 
  the Immaculate Dragons. Those on the outside of Dragon-
  Blooded society assume that those who attend the Cloister 
  end up joining the Immaculate Order, but in actuality, only 
  a relatively small percentage ever wind up doing so.
  There are many in Dragon-Blooded society—includ-
  ing such luminaries as Cathak Cainan, the head of House 
  Cathak—who attended the Cloister. These Dragon-Blooded 
  have no common destination after the Cloister, but wherever 
  they end up, they bring with them a solid grounding in Im-
  maculate morals and ethics, a ﬁ rm grasp of the Immaculate 
  Texts and a clear understanding of their duty as the Princes 
  of the Earth.
  The Cloister of Wisdom prides itself in turning out 
  students who are many things: devout, clear-thinking, in-
  novative and adept in combat. The techniques perfected 
  by the Immaculate Order in the training of its monks were 
  adapted for the purposes of the Cloister.
  TEACHERS
  The dominie of the Cloister of Wisdom is the lama 
  Repentant Blossom of Winter, a powerful Air-aspected 
  Immaculate and sorceress several centuries old, with snow-
  white eyebrows beneath a ﬁ nely shaven pate and a serene 
  countenance. Repentant Blossom has mastered both the Air 
  and Earth Dragon Styles of Immaculate martial arts and a 
  smattering of Terrestrial styles, and she has the knowledge 
  of up to the Form Charm of Water Dragon Style. She is 
  rarely seen on the grounds, for her time is usually taken up 
  in expanding the education of those the Cloister employs as 
  teachers. Part of their payment for teaching at the Cloister 
  is the privilege of learning at her feet. Some of these teach-
  ers include:
  • Mnemon Araha: Responsible for lessons of ethical 
  statecraft and politics, Mnemon Araha is the daughter of 
  Mnemon herself. A potent Earth-aspected Dragon-Blood, 
  Araha fully supports her mother’s aspirations, though she 
  acknowledges that this support must not be permitted to 
  taint her role as a teacher here.
  
  92
  • Hitayasha: Claiming to be an outcaste who grew up in 
  the Scavenger Lands, Hitayasha is actually Iselsi Hitayasha. 
  In addition to the lessons in herbalism and healing for which 
  she is known, Hitayasha also recruits for the All-Seeing Eye, 
  a fact Repentant Blossom is aware of and supports. Hitayasha 
  is careful to keep her familial ties secret, though she believes 
  that Mnemon Araha suspects.
  • Silk Tide: The famous poet and historian Silk Tide is 
  not a Dragon-Blood. In his youth, he toured the Blessed Isle, 
  performing his epic historical poetic works for the Great Houses, 
  who vied to be his sole patron. He always made clear that his 
  loyalty was to the Scarlet Empire as a whole, rather than any one 
  House, a stance that found him favor with the Scarlet Empress. 
  When he performed for her, Repentant Blossom was in court, 
  and afterward, she invited him to take up a teaching post at the 
  Cloister of Wisdom when he wearied of travel. Rumor has that 
  he and Repentant Blossom are lovers, but the truth is almost 
  more intimate than that. She has taught him to awaken his 
  mortal Essence through the use of martial arts.
  STUDENT LIFE
  Students sleep in large, same-sex dormitories, separated 
  by years. The accommodations are quite plain—the students 
  sleep on bamboo mats—and the food is nutritious but simple. 
  Students rise with the sun to perform devotions and spend 
  the rest of the day in study and meditation. Each student is 
  responsible for knowing what areas he is weakest in. Students 
  are also responsible for seeking out those masters who can 
  help them improve themselves. No master keeps track of 
  a student’s progress, so it falls to the student to strengthen 
  himself through study and practice. The core of education 
  here is broad: There are many masters with many talents, from 
  religious training to combat tactics and from mathematics 
  and engineering to social interaction and proper etiquette. 
  But there are three categories in which all must excel. First 
  and foremost, all students must demonstrate mastery of their 
  minds by learning the techniques of meditation. Secondly, 
  students must master their bodies through the martial arts. 
  Lastly, students must prove their mastery of spirit by learning 
  Charms and the manipulation of their personal Essence.
  Students of the ﬁ rst year spend time working on noth-
  ing but those three areas. When he shows sufﬁ cient mastery, 
  a student may seek out other masters to learn from them. 
  There are no set schedules that students must follow. The 
  masters of given subjects simply make it known that they 
  will be in a given place at a given time, and those who show 
  up will learn what they have to teach. Each year, a student is 
  expected to seek out the masters who are teaching the things 
  he desires to learn and to beg those masters to be allowed to 
  come to their classes.
  Unlike other academies, the Cloister of Wisdom does 
  not permit a student to remain there for more than seven 
  years. Students are expected to be serious learners and to 
  learn as much as they can. The masters constantly drill 
  into their students the fact that they have only seven years 
  to learn all the Cloister of Wisdom has to offer. Once that 
  time is over, it is done.
  This does not mean that classes are easy, though, by 
  any measure. A student who does not excel in a master’s 
  class will be removed from it, banished and told to never 
  return. A master who banishes a student will never accept 
  that student into one of his classes. The masters also keep 
  track of how many classes students are taking and adjust daily 
  chore schedules appropriately. A student who is lazy and does 
  not take many classes, or who ﬁ nds himself banished from 
  classes, often ﬁ nds he has the hardest backbreaking labor. 
  The masters are clear in this. Those who do not work to 
  enlighten themselves and gain knowledge will quickly wish 
  they were given the privilege to do so once more.
  Students who live at the Cloister of Wisdom are expected 
  to adhere to at least the First Coil living requirements of 
  Immaculate monks. Occasional slips are expected, but these 
  should be spontaneous. Deliberately planning to break those 
  requirements or worse, aiding others in doing so, is cause for 
  punishment (usually in the form of additional chores).
  The chores here are onerous and exceedingly menial. 
  Students sand and oil the wood ﬂ oors on every level of every 
  building daily. Students also tend gardens on the grounds, 
  prepare food and mend clothing. Those who excel in their 
  studies, especially in their later years, are often given chores 
  that lead to higher education, such as assignments to copy 
  parts of the Immaculate Texts.
  LAYOUT
  The Cloister of Wisdom is a compound without walls or 
  even true defenses. It is located in a valley in Incas Prefecture, 
  with the easternmost of the surrounding hills ending sud-
  denly in a cliff that overlooks the sea. The passage that leads 
  down into the valley crosses a stream with a small footbridge 
  over it. An arch depicting the ﬁ ve Elemental Dragons spans 
  the steps up to the bridge, and a small sign next to the arch 
  requests that visitors use the stone basin of salt water to ritu-
  ally cleanse themselves before crossing the bridge.
  There are three primary buildings here: the Cloister 
  Temple, the Hall of Masters and the Garden Hall. The 
  Cloister Temple houses not only a large temple to the Im-
  maculate Dragons, but a large library and lecture halls, as 
  well as quiet study and meditation cells, meant for only one 
  person at a time. The Hall of Masters houses the masters of 
  the Cloister, with its ground ﬂ oor serving as a large dining 
  hall for both masters and students. The Garden Hall is a large 
  building that completely encircles a beautiful sand garden. 
  The Hall has a wide variety of classrooms and lecture halls, 
  and a strictly enforced policy of utter silence in the medita-
  tion garden, which has space for seated meditation as well 
  as ample room for the performance of katas.
  Scattered around the beautifully landscaped grounds 
  are the ﬁ ve Young Dragon Halls, where students live. Each 
  hall houses up to 25 students (up to the school’s maximum 
  enrollment of 125), but they are not always ﬁ lled. Each of 
  
  93
  CHAPTER FOUR • THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  the Young Dragon Halls is designed in a style that honors 
  one of the Immaculate Dragons, with a meditation garden 
  in the middle of the hall, open to the elements.
  Each of these dormitories, where students sleep ﬁ ve 
  to a room on bamboo mats, has a garden that the students 
  within that given hall are expected to help tend. There are 
  no ofﬁ cial schedules or times for these chores—students are 
  expected to simply honor their responsibility. Practically 
  speaking, ﬁ rst year students are taken under the wing of older 
  students and taught how to care for the garden of that hall. 
  Generally speaking, a system tends to evolve where one of 
  the older students takes on the responsibility of caring for his 
  hall’s garden and requests help from his dorm-mates. Those 
  few who shirk these requests generally receive discipline at 
  the hands of the older student, often through duels.
  DEFENSES
  The Cloister of Wisdom, like the Palace Sublime, has no 
  defenses. The arch that lies at its opening has no gate, and 
  the bridge that spans the shallow stream is a courtesy only. 
  There are no walls, and the Cloister could be easily destroyed 
  by anyone with a mind to do so. There is, however, one thing 
  that prevents that: the Exalted within the Cloister. If, for some 
  reason, someone chose to make herself an enemy in the eyes 
  of the Immaculate Order and attacked the Cloister, she would 
  still ﬁ nd herself up against some of the most competent martial 
  artists in the Realm. Moreover, the Cloister lies only a half-
  day from the Palace Sublime, home to four of the Immaculate 
  Paragons, four of the most powerful Essence-wielding Dragon-
  Bloods in all of Creation, to say nothing of headquarters for 
  the Sidereal secret masters of the Order.
  MONASTERIES
  The Immaculate Order is perhaps best known for its 
  monasteries, ﬁ ne walled enclosures decorated with draconic 
  iconography, dedicated to either all ﬁ ve of the Immaculate 
  Dragons or one of them in particular.
  CLOISTERS
  Cloistered monasteries are meant for no one save 
  the Immaculate Order. Consisting entirely of bare living 
  spaces, ample training courtyards, martial-arts dojos and 
  meditation rooms, cloisters do not have servants to tend to 
  the inhabitants’ needs, for the monks themselves perform 
  these duties.
  Most cloisters are quite defensible, with tall walls and 
  the means of ﬁ ghting off a prolonged siege. They also tend 
  to boast impressive armories of weapons, and some cloisters 
  might even have armed and armored monastery guardians 
  at the gates and patrolling the walls.
  TEMPLES
  Temple monasteries, on the other hand, tend to be lav-
  ish, with beautiful craftsmanship. There are usually public 
  worship areas (normally in a chapel dedicated to the ﬁ ve 
  Immaculate Dragons), as well as a few other areas for the 
  celebration of rites of passage. Simple, small chambers can 
  usually be found scattered about, meant for one supplicant 
  to confer with a monk on issues of a private nature.
  Behind these public areas are not just the living areas for 
  monks, but also the individual temples or shrines for the local 
  gods or for greater gods that the monastery is responsible for 
  helping to directly worship. Such areas are strictly off-limits 
  to non-monks, and even then, it is only the Exalted monks 
  who carry keys to these chambers.
  OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS
  Monasteries are not the only structures on which the Im-
  maculate Order depends. The following kinds of buildings are 
  rarer than monasteries, but they do serve valuable purposes.
  SHRINES
  There are usually two kinds of shrines to be found: those 
  to the Immaculate Dragons and those to local small gods in an 
  area where there are no temple monasteries. The ﬁ rst shrines 
  are usually set aside for itinerant and ascetic monks who ﬁ nd 
  the necessity of a temple space (usually for performing rites 
  of passage and the like for those who haven’t seen a monk 
  in a while). Such shrines are built simply, often out of local 
  materials, featuring a large stone or wooden statue of a dragon, 
  with a simple bed of sand in front of it for joss sticks.
  The second type of shrine is a little rarer, as Immaculate 
  monks don’t like the possibility of cults springing up around the 
  shrines of little gods. In some cases, however, it is necessary to 
  perform the rites of a small god in a space dedicated to it. Such 
  shrines are found only in areas where an ascetic monk or cloistered 
  monastery provides the only Immaculate attention, and such 
  shrines are always sealed behind heavily locked doors, the key 
  of which remains in the possession of the Immaculate.
  SCHOOLS
  The Immaculate Order takes responsibility for teaching 
  the children of non-patrician families that cannot afford 
  tutors of their own. From the ages of ﬁ ve to nine, children 
  from all over report to monasteries to learn the basics of 
  reading, writing and mathematics, as well as a heavy dose 
  of the Immaculate Philosophy. At the age of 10, however, 
  children leave, continuing on to primary schools if their 
  parents can afford it or to begin working toward the craft 
  they will pursue as adults otherwise.
  The Immaculate Order maintains a couple of primary 
  schools, though, like other primary schools, they are for those 
  who can afford to enroll their children there. Only one, the 
  Academy of Those Who Tread in Sextes Jylis’ Footsteps, is 
  free. Children who reach the appropriate age and demonstrate 
  admirable piety with a natural intelligence may be sponsored 
  by the Immaculate Order to attend this primary school. Such 
  students often end up as part of the Order itself, and the best 
  among them can even ﬁ nd themselves with a sponsorship to 
  the Cloister of Wisdom.
  
  94
  
  95
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  CHAPTER FIVE
  CHAPTER FIVE
  THE LAND
  THE LAND
  As the very pinnacle of Creation, the Blessed Isle is a 
  virtual paradise compared to many places in the Threshold. 
  It is the longest-settled place in Creation. Where many 
  other lands have undergone cycles of civilization—falling 
  to disaster or war then going through a cycle of wilderness, 
  only to be civilized again—the Blessed Isle hasn’t been an 
  untamed wilderness since it was ﬁ rst coalesced from the 
  Wyld. While disaster has threatened the Blessed Isle time 
  and again, and plague and war have destroyed entire swathes 
  of the population, the Isle has always quickly rebuilt. And 
  rightly so, for it is the shining source of the light of civiliza-
  tion on Creation.
  These literal millennia of cultivation have turned the 
  Blessed Isle into something of a pastoral paradise. There 
  are many vistas of natural beauty, but predators have been 
  hunted to extinction through the Isle, with the exception 
  of a few imperial game preserves and hunting refuges meant 
  for the sport of the Dragon-Blooded.
  The Essence of the Blessed Isle is carefully cultivated 
  and channeled through sophisticated networks of manses and 
  other geomantic structures. Likewise, the gods of the Blessed 
  Isle are well aware of the dangers of prideful negligence of 
  their duties. These factors, along with the inﬂ uence of Ex-
  alted magics through history, have assured that the Blessed 
  Isle remains prosperous and rich in resources.
  As the center of Creation, it has perfect weather, for the 
  climate here is a perfect balance of the inﬂ uence of the other 
  four poles. Although the places nearer the poles are often 
  ravaged by these tremendous elemental weather patterns, by 
  the time they reach the Blessed Isle, they are not only temper-
  ate, but made orderly, predictable and calm by the Elemental 
  Pole of Earth, resulting in ample growing seasons.
  As a result, the Blessed Isle sees ﬁ ve harvests of rice 
  per year, an unheard-of bounty anywhere else, save a few 
  breadbaskets in the Scavenger Lands. There are no petty 
  gods of grain and vine that must be appeased, and none of 
  
  96
  them are permitted to fall down on their promised gifts, for 
  if they do, the Immaculate Order will send monks to deal 
  with them properly.
  All land travels downward from the Imperial Moun-
  tain, until it reaches the sea. The Blessed Isle is a place of 
  rolling hills and wide prairies, divided by a few great rivers 
  and mountain ranges. Its terrain is marked with the signs of 
  centuries of powerful civilization—roads and aqueducts are 
  in plentiful representation, as are small settlements every 
  day or so along major roads.
  THE IMPERIAL MOUNTAIN
  The literal and symbolic heart of all Creation, the 
  Imperial Mountain is the Axis Mundi upon which all of 
  incarnated reality spins. It rises higher than any other point 
  in the world and is literally visible from everywhere on the 
  Blessed Isle (though some places can see it only on very clear 
  days). Upon its slopes is writ the history of all of Creation, 
  and nearly every major ﬁ gure in history has been here at 
  one point or another. It is an inexorable lure and symbol 
  of Creation itself for many, and it draws thousands upon 
  thousands of pilgrims every year.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  The Imperial Mountain is the highest of all features in 
  Creation, natural, divine or man-made. On its face can be 
  found kinds of stone unknown in the rest of Creation, and its 
  Essence is so powerful that there are a few demesnes located 
  high on its slopes that not even the mightiest architects of 
  the First Age could cap with manses.
  GEOGRAPHY
  The Imperial Mountain is the greatest mountain in 
  Creation, and so, at its lower altitudes, it is very similar to 
  PREFECTURES AND DOMINIONS
  The prefectural and dominion system is a method of establishing borders found almost nowhere else in Cre-
  ation. Unlike systems of protectorates, kingdoms and other forms of organization found in the Threshold, they are 
  not based on areas of defense. They are entirely bureaucratic creations, meant to make the jurisdiction of laws and 
  taxes in those areas more efﬁ cient.
  A prefecture is always based around a capital city. In most cases, the prefecture itself is named for the capital 
  city, though a few exceptions do exist (Ventus Prefecture, for instance). The capital city of a prefecture technically 
  “oversees” a number of smaller settlements within the prefecture. Essentially, any city that acts as a prefecture capital 
  must have a population large enough to realistically support a bureaucracy. It takes a certain level of population to 
  support an entire class of people who do nothing but keep track of taxes, laws and ordinances.
  Dominions are special prefectures. In every case, a prefecture must have several traits before it can be upgraded 
  to a dominion. All dominions possess multiple cities, any one of which is generally of sufﬁ cient size to act as a pre-
  fectural capital. Secondly, there must be many smaller settlements within that area. Generally speaking, a prefectural 
  capital oversees anywhere from a half-dozen to two dozen settlements. If the city-to-settlement ratio exceeds this, 
  it is generally a good sign that the area is productive enough to warrant an upgrade to a dominion.
  One last trait is implicit in the difference between a dominion and a prefecture, and it alone is why some areas 
  that might normally be considered dominions—such as the Juche and Scarlet Prefectures—are not. By imperial 
  decree, dominions fall under the bureaucratic governance of one of the Great Houses. This distinction was originally 
  instituted by the Empress as a means of subdividing her empire once its population became too large to effectively 
  govern, without actually dividing up her power. By placing Great Houses in charge of dominions, she made sure 
  that large Houses had quite a bit with which to occupy their time and resourcefulness, and gave smaller Houses 
  something to which to aspire.
  Unfortunately, the Realm had only really reached the level of civilization where such things were necessary in 
  the last 300 years, during which time the Arjuf and Lord’s Crossing Prefectures absorbed several smaller prefectures 
  around them and became dominions under Houses Ledaal and Tepet, respectively. It was considered unlikely that 
  Juche would ever be declared a dominion, for that would mean putting the majority of the Empire’s source of wealth 
  under the control of one of the Great Houses. It was equally unlikely that the Empress would cede governance of 
  the Scarlet Prefecture to anyone else, either.
  With her disappearance, no further dominions are likely to be established, as it requires the Imperial Seal to do 
  so. Some of the Great Houses have begun applying pressure on Regent Fokuf to establish new dominions, effectively 
  legitimizing the power those Great Houses currently have, but they are met with opposition from other Great Houses 
  (particularly Houses Tepet and Ledaal, who know what kind of advantage they currently have).
  
  97
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  mountain terrain elsewhere in the world. Its very base is a 
  tree-covered slope that rises fairly rapidly. Beyond the tree 
  line, only hardy, ground-hugging plants exist, including the 
  amaranth blossom, a plant considered sacred to Pasiap. It is 
  said that, during his battle with the Anathema, every drop of 
  blood that Pasiap shed upon the Imperial Mountain turned 
  into one of these ivory-hued blossoms. Alchemists and 
  herbalists use these plants in concoctions meant to extend 
  life and grant resilience.
  Above the plant-line, the Imperial Mountain is stark 
  and barren stone, often rimed with ice at nights and during 
  most days. The pathways here are treacherous and not for 
  the faint-hearted, even along deliberate trails such as the 
  Spine of the Amaranthine Dragon. Eventually, however, as 
  a traveler rises even above the layer of snow and ice found 
  on other mountains, the Imperial Mountain continues, 
  ever upward.
  At this point, there are dangers, for the raw Essence 
  of the mountain’s peaks is sometimes treacherous, creating 
  demesnes that cannot be capped by manses. These currents of 
  Earth Essence have been known to crush the bones of those 
  caught in their ﬂ ows, to transform ﬂ esh into stone and to 
  carry men along on waves of purest Essence, absorbing them 
  into the very stone some distance away.
  CLIMATE
  The high peak of the Imperial Mountain is an absolute 
  barrier to clouds and storms—there are no atmospheric con-
  ditions great enough that they pass above the summit of the 
  Imperial Mountain. Therefore, all weather conditions break 
  upon the wall of the Omphalos of Creation. Entire cloud 
  systems bleed away their rain onto these slopes, and all the 
  great rivers of the Blessed Isle have their genesis here.
  Nonetheless, the weather of the Imperial 
  Mountain is utterly temperate, cooling in 
  winter and warming in summer. The 
  vegetation on its lower slopes grows 
  lushly and well, and its heights are 
  chillingly cold.
  ANIMALS
  The lower forested 
  slopes of the Imperial 
  Mountain teem with 
  wild animal life the 
  likes of which is rare 
  
  98
  on the Blessed Isle outside of hunting preserves. Herds of 
  wild deer, boar and ﬂ ocks of game birds are in abundance 
  here, though there are also bears and the occasional smaller 
  hunting cat.
  Beyond the tree line, the numbers of animals grow 
  smaller, with eagles and large hunting birds making their 
  nests in the heights above the cascades of waters that form 
  the headwaters of the Blessed Isle’s rivers.
  Curiously, though, some animals can still be found at 
  these points and above. Many of the earth elementals of the 
  Imperial Mountain, for no reason that sages or priests can 
  ascertain, seem to mate with animals occasionally, creating a 
  hearty breed of God-Blooded animals. The stone-tusk boars 
  of the lower forests are particularly well known, as are the 
  ﬂ int-claw eagles, which make their nests quite high above 
  the layer that other eagles normally can.
  WONDERS
  As is appropriate for the very center of Creation, the 
  Imperial Mountain is home to many spectacular wonders 
  from every Age. Once home to gods, then the Solars of the 
  First Age and ﬁ nally to their Dragon-Blooded usurpers, all 
  who have ruled the Blessed Isle have left their mark upon 
  the face of the Imperial Mountain.
  THE SPINE OF THE AMARANTHINE DRAGON
  The Spine of the Amaranthine Dragon is the pilgrimage 
  path used by those thousands of pilgrims every year who come 
  seeking enlightenment in the place in Creation that embodies 
  one of the Immaculate Dragons. This winding path begins at 
  the foot of the Imperial Mountain four days outside of Juche 
  in the Steady Foundation Pagoda. An entire community has 
  sprung up around this monastery of the Immaculate Order, 
  providing food, gear and guides for the pilgrimage, as well as 
  accommodations for those about to undertake the grueling 
  climb, or resting up from the same.
  The Spine itself is a path that winds back and forth 
  up the eastern face of the Imperial Mountain, dotted with 
  shrines and manse-temples to Pasiap along the way. Most 
  followers of Pasiap seek to make this trek once during their 
  lifetimes, hoping to better understand the immortal Essence 
  of the Immaculate Dragon of Earth.
  The temples along the way provide sanctuary and places 
  for meditation, as well as additional supplies for those who 
  wish to continue to make the journey up the mountain. 
  Each of these temples also gives those who make the journey 
  there small embroidered badges that prove that the pilgrims 
  made the journey to that temple. These sanctuary temples 
  are situated so that a pilgrim might encounter one every 
  three days or so.
  This trip can take a healthy pilgrim approximately a 
  month to reach the Victorious Ascendance of Mankind 
  Temple, the highest temple to which the un-Exalted may 
  journey (Exalted pilgrims often make this trip in about three 
  weeks). At this site, pilgrims are taken aside and given per-
  sonal advice on how to live up to the ideal of Pasiap’s tenets 
  in their current incarnation by Blissful Insight, the abbot of 
  the Victorious Ascendance temple.
  The Exalted may continue on to the Immaculate Temple 
  of Ivory Resplendence, the temple situated just below the 
  very summit of the Imperial Mountain. Very few pilgrims 
  make it this far, for it requires another week and a half of 
  travel for an Exalt to ascend the coldest, bitterest slopes of 
  the Imperial Mountain.
  Once they achieve the summit, most Exalts spend time 
  meditating upon the very peak, in the spot that Pasiap was 
  said to have sat and meditated before the great battle with 
  the Anathema began. It is a moving experience in and of 
  itself, but many Earth-aspected Exalts are said to receive 
  powerful visions directly relevant to their path walking in 
  the footsteps of Pasiap. Usually by this point, most Exalts 
  fall into unconsciousness and are taken into the Immaculate 
  Temple by the monks there.
  The abbot of the Immaculate Temple is Abbot Vaicha, 
  a powerful Earth-aspected Immaculate monk who has nearly 
  reached the end of a Dragon-Blooded life span, and who 
  shows the features of one who is in deep communion with 
  the Essence of his element. It is said that Vaicha communes 
  with the stones of the Imperial Mountain themselves. His 
  ability to know what is happening on its slopes is disconcerting 
  even to Abramchaia, the Bronze Faction Sidereal who acts 
  as the guardian for the summit of the Imperial Mountain in 
  the guise of Vaicha’s right-hand man, Righteous Granite.
  RUINS OF MERU
  Near the very top of the Imperial Mountain, along its 
  southern and western slopes, lie the ruins of Meru, the First 
  City in Creation. Sages have ascertained that it once spanned 
  the entirety of the Imperial Mountain, wrapping all the way 
  around it, but only the southern and western portions of the 
  city remain. Strange failures in the magics that maintained 
  the city caused the northern portions to collapse sometime 
  during the fall of the Shogunate, and the entire eastern face 
  has been cleared by the Immaculate Order (and the Bronze 
  Faction) during the construction of the Spine of the Ama-
  ranthine Dragon.
  Of the remnants that adorn the slopes of the Imperial 
  Mountain, none can be said to be anything other than awe-
  inspiring. Tall buildings of glossy black and white stone, ﬁ ne 
  colored glass and gleaming metal make up its glory. Even 
  though many of its thoroughfares and streets are impassible 
  thanks to the rubble of centuries of avalanche and high moun-
  tain weather beating apart buildings not meant to survive the 
  eons, it is still clearly a city of marvelous wonders.
  The approaches up the Imperial Mountain to the ruins 
  of Meru are hazardous, indeed, haunted as they are by terrible 
  creatures attracted to the remaining magical emanations of the 
  city. When Meru was destroyed, the city’s Essence itself was 
  set alight by powerful sorceries, and its lines of Essence were 
  severed from all outlying connections. As it died, Meru was 
  
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  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  effectively cut off from the rest of Creation’s Essence. Without 
  the constant ﬂ ow of new Essence down the dragon lines, Meru’s 
  environment has become stagnant and poisonous.
  The gods and elementals that remained here were driven 
  to madness by this poisoning of the spiritual energy around 
  Meru, and these degenerate and base creatures yet haunt its 
  rubble-choked ruins.
  Dark Meru:
  Dark Meru: The once-lush boulevards and hanging 
  gardens of Meru were not the sum total of the city. Within 
  the very stone of the Imperial Mountain were countless cata-
  combs the size of entire cities by themselves, lit by powerful 
  Essence engines run by Solar manses, so that the otherwise 
  dark interiors of the catacombs were bathed in sunlight 
  equivalent to that of the sky outside. It is in Dark Meru that 
  the poor and un-Exalted of the city dwelt, for the mighty 
  palaces and temples of the Exalted took up the entirety of 
  its exterior. This was as it should be, however, for those in 
  Dark Meru lacked nothing, and their homes were far more 
  defensible than those of the Exalted without.
  Now, however, the catacombs of Dark Meru truly live up 
  to their name, for the engines that once lit and warmed them 
  have long since been snuffed, plunging it into true darkness. 
  Things dark and terrible prowl through this buried place, but 
  it is said that the Mountain Folk are known to patrol Dark 
  Meru as well, bound by ancient pacts. These catacombs ex-
  tend all the way through the heights of the mountain, often 
  providing access to sections of the mountainside ruins that 
  are utterly sealed off otherwise. Some of the Sidereals claim 
  to have even discovered passages that lead to other portions 
  of the mountain’s slopes—including into a forgotten cellar 
  of the Immaculate Temple of Ivory Resplendence.
  The Ancient Academy:
  The Ancient Academy: The original name of the mas-
  sive complex known to the Sidereal Exalted as the Ancient 
  Academy is long lost. What is known is that this massive 
  campus—which extends both above the ground and deep 
  within Dark Meru—once served as the combined library, 
  college and research facility into the arcane arts. Mortals, 
  gods and Exalts all gathered there to share and expand their 
  knowledge to the beneﬁ t of Creation as a whole. In its center 
  sat the Glorious Arch, the orichalcum and starmetal gateway 
  to Yu-Shan, the home of the gods.
  With the fall of Meru, this place of enlightenment became 
  a deathtrap, with poisoned Essence transforming even harm-
  less artifacts into dangerous instruments. Tens of thousands 
  died here during the Usurpation, and thousands have died in 
  the years since, as Shogunate Era relic-hunters came seeking 
  treasures at this once-great storehouse of lore.
  The Bronze Faction now has a very solid grip on the 
  Ancient Academy, to the point of clearing out many of its 
  chambers, with the Glorious Arch as its core. The Sidereals 
  have slowly recovered ancient texts and artifacts from its halls, 
  rendering them safe where they can, and marking them as 
  treacherous where they cannot. They have even managed to 
  forge a pathway to an outer door, allowing them easy access 
  to the surface of Meru from the gateway to Heaven.
  At any given time, two to four Sidereals, usually Chosen 
  of Endings and Secrets, man the Ancient Academy along with 
  a small number of gods. These gods, of many different positions 
  in the Celestial Bureaucracy, all have one thing in common: 
  All were once gods that dwelt in Meru and were assigned to 
  different positions in the aftermath of the Usurpation.
  The Ruins of the Palace:
  The Ruins of the Palace: In what seems to be the center 
  of the ruins sits a crater that still crawls and smokes with 
  poisoned Essence. Only by the strange circle of cracked 
  and partially tumbled pillars along the outer edges of the 
  crater, with one tumbling into its depths every few years or 
  so, can one tell that this was once a place of great majesty 
  and beauty.
  In truth, these are the remnants of the Palace of Meru, 
  where the Great Betrayal took place: a Calibration feast, with 
  all of the Solar Exalted invited. Though not every Solar at-
  tended, there were enough of them to enact the ﬁ rst steps in 
  the Usurpation. That day saw slaughter on such a scale that 
  only a battle against one of the Primordials equaled it.
  The destruction wrought there did not stay there, of 
  course, but it is clearly the site that suffered the most deso-
  lation. The powers unleashed there have not been seen in 
  Creation since, and the Bronze Faction gazes upon its wreck-
  age and hopes that it never will again.
  Even the Sidereals, however, know better than to remain 
  here at Calibration. As the sun sets and night falls over the 
  city, the Great Palace can be seen once again, and the sounds 
  of music ﬁ ll the ruined city. All those who remain in Meru 
  cannot help but stare as the Great Betrayal plays itself out 
  again and again, etched in the Essence of Meru forever.
  The Unfallen Temple:
  The Unfallen Temple: None have ever actually trav-
  eled to the Unfallen Temple within the memory of any of 
  the Sidereals who know of it. Indeed, it can be seen only 
  from one of the topmost tower windows of the Ancient 
  Academy. Those of the Bronze Faction who gaze upon it 
  from that vantage cannot help but shiver inwardly, for it is 
  very nearly the embodiment of what they have worked to 
  deny: the power of the Solar Exalted.
  The Unfallen Temple is the mighty gold, white marble 
  and amber glass temple to the Unconquered Sun, where 
  the ancient rites to the Unconquered Sun were performed 
  at the height of the First Age. It served as the last redoubt 
  of the Solar Exalted during the fall of Meru, and with their 
  deaths, these powerful Solar savants and priests touched off 
  an Essence conﬂ agration that destroyed everything around 
  the temple.
  Now, the Essence of the area around the Unfallen Temple 
  is stagnant, poisoned by the deaths of those who fell there. 
  Moreover, it is signiﬁ cantly clogged by rubble fused into an 
  impenetrable wall for a half-mile around it in every direction, 
  so that the Temple itself seems to rise up out of a mound of 
  formerly molten glass, steel, jade and orichalcum.
  Likewise, the air above and around the temple is con-
  stantly ﬁ lled with strange Essence manifestations of lightning 
  and solar ﬁ re, which utterly destroy nearly anything that gets 
  
  100
  too close to it. The Sidereals fear, however, that a powerful 
  enough Solar who managed to get near might be able to 
  survive the conﬂ agration and enter the Unfallen Temple to 
  reclaim it in the name of the Unconquered Sun.
  OTHER RUINS
  Other ruins dot the face of the Imperial Mountain here 
  and there, usually remnants of small travel towns along the 
  long-since-lost roads to Meru from the First Age. Most of these 
  ruins, like the remnants of Meru, are found along the southern 
  and western faces of the mountain. Some of them, however, can 
  be found within a day’s travel of the Spine of the Amaranthine 
  Dragon, off the path for those who know what signs to look 
  for in ﬁ nding them. These ruins are usually marked with signs 
  indicating that they are dangerous and should be avoided.
  Manses lie at the cen-
  ter of many of these ruins. 
  The majority of them are 
  aspected to Earth, but a few 
  near river headwaters are 
  Water-aspected, and more 
  than a few high above the 
  clouds are Air-aspected. 
  Some of them are in poor 
  repair, while others are in 
  perfect condition. Many of 
  these manses are claimed 
  by one of the Great Houses, 
  the Imperial Bureaucracy or 
  the Immaculate Order, but 
  occasionally, an unclaimed 
  manse can be found.
  MANSES
  The following are de-
  scriptions of a few of the 
  better known manses that 
  dot the face of the Imperial 
  Mountain.
  The Immaculate Tem-
  The Immaculate Tem-
  ple of Ivory Resplendence 
  ple of Ivory Resplendence 
  (Earth Manse •••••):
  (Earth Manse •••••):
  Literally the highest manse 
  in all of Creation, the Im-
  maculate Temple of Ivory 
  Resplendence manages to 
  tap just a portion of the 
  power that is generated 
  at the Seat of Pasiap, the 
  summit of the Imperial 
  Mountain. It is carefully 
  tended by monks trained 
  in geomancy, who perform 
  daily rituals to bleed off 
  excess Essence build-up as 
  part of their duties. In so doing, these monks contemplate 
  the nature of Pasiap and his Essence.
  Only the Dragon-Blooded are permitted entrance into 
  the Immaculate Temple, where a massive shrine is kept 
  in its uppermost levels, with a white jade statue of Pasiap 
  seated in the lotus position. The wall behind the statue is 
  entirely open and views the Seat of Pasiap, so that through 
  tricks of perspective and subtle Essence-driven shifts built 
  into the architecture of the room, the statue appears to be 
  simultaneously in the room with the postulant, and seated in 
  Pasiap’s Seat. This is one of the few actual statues of Pasiap 
  permitted by the Immaculate Order, who know that the 
  Dragon-Blooded are too enlightened to render worship to 
  the statue, unlike mortal adherents of the sect.
  
  101
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  The Steady Foundation Pagoda (Earth Manse ••):
  The Steady Foundation Pagoda (Earth Manse ••): The 
  ﬁ rst step in the Pilgrimage of the Spine, the Steady Founda-
  tion Pagoda is actually much larger than a manse of its level 
  of power need actually be. In fact, it is the center of a large 
  town made up entirely of resources intended for the use of 
  pilgrims and monks seeking to travel along the Spine of the 
  Amaranthine Dragon.
  DEMESNES
  The farther up the Imperial Mountain one travels, the 
  more primal the scenery becomes. As a result, the Imperial 
  Mountain remains one of the few places on the Blessed Isle 
  with natural, raw demesnes, uncapped by manses. Many of 
  these sites show ruins that indicate the presence of former 
  manses, but these sites are invariably of such power that they 
  cannot be re-capped in this era.
  These demesnes make travel into the heights of the 
  Imperial Mountain dangerous, for there is no telling what 
  elemental effects they might have on the average traveler. 
  The majority of them have no real effect on those passing 
  through quickly, even though the animals that live there 
  might have their fur turned to the color and pattern of marble, 
  or the beetles might have shells made of sandstone. Others, 
  however, are more dangerous, potentially turning travelers 
  to stone or entrapping them when they walk into patches 
  of stone that randomly liquefy and petrify.
  The Seat of Pasiap:
  The Seat of Pasiap: This, the very peak of Creation, 
  is one of the most powerful demesnes known to exist. Its 
  power level cannot be measured by the normal methods of 
  geomancers—it is clearly several orders of magnitude above 
  and beyond those of normal demesnes. Those who sit and 
  meditate in this site often experience profound feelings of 
  peace and balance from sitting at the center of all things.
  Those who come here must exercise caution, however, 
  for spirits defend the sacredness of the site. The Court of the 
  Omphalos, a gathering of powerful earth elementals, defends 
  this site, and the elementals attack and hurl from the mountain 
  anyone who treats this place with disrespect.
  System: Meditating on the Seat of Pasiap, which takes 
  only 10 minutes to perform and requires a successful (Wits 
  + Occult) roll, results in the recovery of all Personal Es-
  sence. Dragon-Blooded recover all of their Personal and 
  Peripheral Essence, and Earth Aspects receive a “phantom” 
  pool of 10 motes that are spent as Peripheral Essence. This 
  phantom pool of motes dissipates entirely after 24 hours 
  unless it is spent.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  For all its seeming barrenness and wilderness, a variety of 
  important entities make the Imperial Mountain their home.
  THE IMMACULATE ORDER
  The Immaculate monks who dwell upon the face of the 
  Imperial Mountain are often considered ascetics and ancho-
  rites by their brethren, for they prefer a life of harsh personal 
  testing as the means toward spiritual enlightenment. Many 
  monks seek posts in one of the pagodas or monasteries here 
  shortly after being released from their initial training in the 
  Palace Sublime, but few stay.
  Nearly every monk who does stay is a devotee of Pasiap, 
  seeking to master the lessons of the Ivory Dragon, as embod-
  ied in the Earth Dragon Style of martial arts. These monks 
  often undertake extended forays into the wilderness of the 
  Imperial Mountain, taking only a small amount of food and 
  other provisions. Once there, they starve themselves and 
  sleep in the weather, seeking to deprive their bodies and 
  enlighten their souls.
  The monks of this area follow the teachings of Abbot 
  Vaicha, seeing in him a bodhisattva who has delayed his own 
  elemental enlightenment in order to bring his wisdom to those 
  who follow the path behind him. Although the Immaculate 
  Order frowns on the idolization of mortals or Exalted in this 
  fashion, this prohibition has not stopped most of the monks 
  who dwell here from taking him as the example of how to 
  live by Pasiap’s ideals.
  THE KEEPERS OF THE MANDATE
  After the founding of the Scarlet Dynasty, the Bronze 
  Faction approached the Scarlet Empress with concerns over 
  general access to the Imperial Mountain. The Sidereals 
  stressed the fact that they had no idea what kinds of heresies, 
  spiritual traps and magical deadfalls the Solar Anathema 
  might have left in their wake, and they urged her to devote 
  a portion of the Realm’s resources to defending the Imperial 
  Mountain from casual explorers.
  As such, the Scarlet Empress decreed the Mandate of the 
  Imperial Mountain (the ﬁ rst time that Mount Meru was ever 
  referred to as the Imperial Mountain in Realm documents), 
  which stated that its slopes were off-limits to the un-Exalted, 
  save in speciﬁ c areas set aside as pilgrimage paths.
  To help defend and enforce this mandate, she decreed the 
  establishment of the Keepers of the Mandate, a small force of 
  foresters, mountaineers and monks who might travel the moun-
  tainsides and make sure that its holy purity remains inviolate.
  The Keepers of the Mandate comprise a tiny group of 
  Immaculate monks (several of whom are actually Sidereals 
  dedicated to defending the ancient ruins of Meru and other 
  First Age sites) and other Dragon-Blooded, usually taken 
  from volunteers, outcastes and bastards. They are based out 
  of the monasteries along the Spine of the Amaranthine 
  Dragon, which care for them, feed them and prepare them 
  to continue in their endeavors.
  The Keepers of the Mandate travel the slopes of the Im-
  perial Mountain quite extensively, moving along established 
  patrol routes and traveling from one Keepers’ hideout to 
  another. They have established hidden sanctuaries in caves 
  and concealed valleys, allowing them to travel their routes 
  in relative safety. Should one become badly injured, she need 
  only make her way to one of these sanctuaries, where her 
  brethren are sure to ﬁ nd her.
  
  102
  OTHER MAJOR FEATURES
  A handful of other major features on the Blessed Isle also 
  warrant attention. Without fail, each of them plays a major 
  role in shaping the surrounding land and culture.
  THE GREAT COAST ROAD
  The Great Coast Road is a remnant of the First Age. It 
  is a highway that nearly literally encircles the Blessed Isle. It 
  is considered to begin and end at the Imperial City and is the 
  largest single roadway in Creation. A number of other, smaller 
  roads of varying quality and age spawn off from the Great Coast, 
  for the inhabitants of the Blessed Isle have always incorporated 
  the massive highway in all of their own roadway projects.
  The Great Coast Road itself is crafted of a curiously hard 
  gray-black stone, the surface of which is pebbled in order to 
  provide traction. Ice never forms on the road, nor do snow 
  or mudslides ever cover it. Moreover, damage to the road 
  is never repaired by human hands. Indeed, no one knows 
  how to work the stone of the road. Damage simply seems 
  to disappear, sealing over with new material and smoothing 
  over gradually until nothing remains of the damage.
  All of this is due not to any magical powers inherent in 
  the Great Coast Road itself, but due to the Ancient of Stone 
  Journeys, the god of the Great Coast Road. In exchange for 
  providing the maintenance to what is the cornerstone of the 
  imperial infrastructure, the Immaculate Order has granted the 
  Ancient of Stone Journeys quite a few sacriﬁ ce days in the 
  Immaculate Calendar, more perhaps than might otherwise 
  normally be due a god of his power.
  Generally speaking, when the Great Coast Road passes 
  through a prefecture, it is almost guaranteed that the capital 
  city of that prefecture lies along the Great Coast Road. Ad-
  ditionally, all manner of roadhouses and caravansaries can be 
  found along the length of the Great Coast Road, some in better 
  shape and levels of upkeep than others. Bandits know better 
  than to prey upon those who travel these roads, for more than 
  once, the Ancient of Stone Journeys has seen their predations 
  and reported them to the nearest Immaculate temple.
  THE RIVERS OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  If the Imperial Mountain is the heart of the Blessed 
  Isle, then its rivers are its lifeblood. Providing water for the 
  Isle’s agricultural ﬁ elds and rice paddies, as well as quick 
  transportation within the island proper for trade, the rivers 
  of the Blessed Isle keep the Realm alive and strong.
  THE CARACAL RIVER
  The Caracal River forms both the eastern boundary 
  of the Arjuf Dominion and the means by which goods and 
  soldiers from the heart of the Realm reach its southern edge. 
  The Caracal is a deep river, with plenty of room for large-
  bottomed barges and heavy ships to sail its waters. It is clear 
  that it was dredged deeper sometime during the First Age 
  for this purpose.
  The Shattered Bridge:
  The Shattered Bridge: A few days east of Tuchara, along 
  the Great Coast Road, sits the Shattered Bridge, an ancient 
  ruined bridge similar to that which spans the Imperial River. 
  It was clearly an impressive piece of architecture, standing 
  on thin supports that seem to jut out of the very bedrock of 
  the river bottom. Architects who have studied it indicate 
  that the bridge was once capable of being raised and lowered 
  in order to permit passage of ships beneath it.
  THE IMPERIAL RIVER
  The Imperial River is born on the slopes of the Imperial 
  Mountain. It is known that two of its headwaters are power-
  ful demesnes (capped, of course, by manses), and a powerful 
  line of Essence ﬂ ows along its length. It is not uncommon 
  to see strange spiritual manifestations on this river, as its 
  powerful Essence draws a great many spirits. Indeed, a pow-
  erful river spirit that wears a dragon’s shape commands the 
  Imperial River Court. The Imperial River is not as deep as 
  the Caracal, so most of its trafﬁ c consists of ﬂ at-bottomed 
  barges, many of which are laden with the gems and jade of 
  the Juche Prefecture, bound for the Imperial City.
  The Scarlet Span:
  The Scarlet Span: The Scarlet Span is perhaps the most 
  impressive bridge in all of Creation. It stands high above the 
  river, supported on arches of black stone high enough to 
  permit even the tallest of riverboats easy passage.
  THE SERPENTINE RIVER
  The Serpentine River is the shallowest of the major 
  rivers in the Blessed Isle (though it is still greater than most 
  normal rivers). As a result, passage along its length can be 
  dangerous, due to a variety of hazards, including white-water 
  rapids and sudden waterfalls. As a result, most of the trafﬁ c 
  on it consists of local ﬁ shing boats.
  The Dam of Serpents:
  The Dam of Serpents: Near the mouth of the river 
  sits the Dam of Serpents, an impressive dam of First Age 
  architecture. Crafted entirely of black stone, it appears as 
  nothing so much as a line of stone serpents rearing up out 
  of the water, with incredible gouts of water pouring from 
  their mouths. This dam serves two functions. First of all, it 
  is a bridge permitting those traveling the Great Coast Road 
  passage across the Serpentine.
  Secondly, however, only half of the water that enters 
  the dam is actually spat back into the river, to be carried 
  away to the sea. The other half is shunted into a series of 
  advanced subterranean aqueducts that carry water to agri-
  cultural centers in a several-hundred-mile radius around the 
  dam itself. Architects and archaeologists suggest that, from 
  the ruins found around the Blessed Isle, many of the other 
  major rivers once had similar systems.
  COAST OF XIANYU
  The Coast of Xianyu is named for a long-ago hero who 
  hunted down the pirates from the Scavenger Lands that 
  constantly harassed the ﬁ shing and farming communities 
  that dot the coastline. Although there are no pirates to be 
  
  103
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  found here any longer, the stories about their predations still 
  exist. Many of the children (and more than a few adults) from 
  this part of the Blessed Isle show a marked fascination with 
  the trade of piracy—though after encountering the likes of 
  the Lintha or other vicious buccaneers, they tend to discard 
  these romantic notions.
  The Xianyu Coast’s largest prefecture is the Pangu 
  Prefecture, in the southern part of the region, across the 
  river mouth from the Imperial City. The other prefectures 
  are primarily made up of farming or ﬁ shing communities. 
  Inhabitants of the Coast of Xianyu speak a fairly accented 
  Low Realm, which most denizens of the eastern Blessed Isle 
  can recognize. Indeed, in the Imperial City, storytellers and 
  theater troupes use approximations of this accent to mockingly 
  indicate that someone is a hopeless country bumpkin.
  CLIMATE
  The climate along the Coast of Xianyu is pleasantly temper-
  ate, with warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Its ﬁ elds 
  produce the full ﬁ ve harvests for which the Blessed Isle is famed, 
  though the crops before the winter tend to be slightly stunted 
  and are harvested just before the ﬁ rst frost. Occasional squalls 
  come in off the Inland Sea, but they rarely build up to the terrible 
  strengths that are found of ocean storms in the West.
  ANIMALS
  Few non-domesticated animals remain inland in this 
  area, save for a variety of birds. There were once breeds of 
  wild pigs in the area, but those were hunted to extinction 
  two generations ago. Many sea birds still live along the 
  coasts, though some of them have moved farther away due 
  to over-ﬁ shing in some areas.
  The mouth of the Imperial River is home to the scarlet 
  crane, a brilliantly crimson, long-legged bird with a crown-like 
  crest of feathers. Local legends say that the day after driving 
  back the hordes of the Wyld, the ﬁ rst creature the Empress saw 
  was a plain river crane. She was so overjoyed at this sight that 
  she blessed it, granting it the right to wear her raiment and 
  crown from that day on, as a message to all who saw it that she 
  protected them. These same legends claim that these cranes 
  will return to their former gray color on the day she dies.
  PANGU PREFECTURE
  Despite its nearness to the Imperial City, Pangu Prefecture 
  is considered a rural backwater by most in the Blessed Isle, 
  known only for its meat-preservation techniques, its feeding 
  of the Imperial Army and its stories of long-ago piracy and 
  heroic pirate-ﬁ ghting. More politically minded folk recognize 
  Time Rain’s clever deals with the legions and wonder what 
  he will do once someone else sits the Scarlet Throne.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Pangu has a reputation as the breadbasket of the legions, 
  and it is well earned. The farming communities here produce 
  tremendous amounts of rice, grain and livestock meats. In fact, 
  Pangu is renowned for its meat-preserving techniques, taken from 
  sea-salt reﬁ neries from coastal towns along the Pangu coast.
  Pangu Prefecture consists mainly of low-lying plains and 
  coastal areas. The plains have served as agricultural ﬁ elds 
  and rice paddies for many generations now. The coastal areas 
  have likewise been settled for many generations, and some 
  of the towns have had to turn to sea-salt production to make 
  up for an over-ﬁ shing of their local waters.
  
  104
  CITIES
  There is only one large settlement in Pangu Prefecture: 
  the city of Pangu.
  PANGU
  Population: 16,800
  Governor: Sweet Crane, a large woman whose name is 
  the only delicate thing about her. She is very watchful for 
  those who would try to break the law under her leadership 
  and is convinced that most people around her are crooks of 
  one kind or another.
  The city of Pangu is not particularly large, despite being 
  the largest in the Xianyu Coastal area. Pangu is really the 
  result of two separate settlements—a rice paddy agricultural 
  area and a ﬁ shing town—situated quite close together and 
  simply merging over time. When the imperial government 
  decided to situate a small bureaucratic and military outpost 
  between the two, the establishment of Pangu was complete. It 
  is likely the only prefectural capital that has taken the name 
  of the prefecture it is capital of, rather than the reverse.
  TOWNS
  Most of the towns of Pangu Prefecture ﬁ t one of two 
  descriptions: a farming community or a ﬁ shing town. Farm-
  ing communities are towns of a handful of clans and family 
  groups, settlements that consist of a caravansary, a market 
  and a couple of bureaucratic buildings, surrounded by farms 
  on all sides. Fishing towns are usually slightly larger, with 
  homes for those who support the ﬁ shing—or in more recent 
  days, sea-salt production—of that town.
  Blind Love (Pop. 1,750): One of the ﬁ shing towns of 
  Pangu Prefecture, Blind Love is situated almost directly across 
  the mouth of the Imperial River from the Imperial City. 
  On clear nights, the lights of the greatest city in Creation 
  can be seen there. Most of its citizens consider themselves 
  caretakers of the sacred scarlet cranes that nest in the area. 
  More than a little of their river-mouth ﬁ shing for mollusks 
  and crustaceans goes to feeding these fat, crimson birds that 
  wander peacefully through the town and its docks.
  Unknown to others, Blind Love is home to a cult of 
  Empress veneration—the reason for their fanatical care of 
  the scarlet cranes, whose continued red hue is proof enough 
  for them that the Scarlet Empress is still alive. Those who 
  belong to this cult work to send their children to the Imperial 
  Palace for one of the Great Houses, hoping for word of her 
  return. But their veneration has a grim tone to it, as well, 
  for every Calibration, the cult’s elders sacriﬁ ce a single child 
  who is deformed, crippled or otherwise imperfect, in prayer to 
  whatever god or demon has the Scarlet Empress imprisoned, 
  hoping to secure her release.
  WONDERS
  Few noteworthy wonders are to be found in Pangu 
  Prefecture, for even the dragon lines in the area are fairly 
  weak, diverted by geomancy to the nearby Imperial City. 
  It is said that there might even be one or two demesnes 
  yet uncapped due to their remote location, but this is 
  simply wishful thinking on the part of geomancers. Of 
  the manses in the area, few are above the three-dot level 
  of power, and such holdings invariably belong to either 
  House Cynis or the Immaculate Order, for use as temples 
  or monasteries.
  The House of High Waves (Water Manse •••):
  The House of High Waves (Water Manse •••): On 
  the shore of eastern Pangu, within a day’s cruise by pleasure 
  barge of the Imperial City, lies the House of High Waves, a 
  Water-aspected manse built upon a high, sea-sprayed cliff. 
  This is the closest thing that House Cynis has to a major 
  family holding outside the Imperial City. When members of 
  the House choose to get out from under the direct view of 
  the other Houses, this is where they go.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  The following are important individuals or groups found 
  in Pangu Prefecture.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: The prefect of Pangu Prefecture is an older man 
  named Time Rain, who is responsible for the ﬁ ne deal that has 
  seen to the prefecture’s prosperity for the last 15 years. Mnemon 
  Bata, in the Scarlet Prefecture, agrees to purchase all that the 
  prefecture produces as long as the prices are kept low.
  Magistrates: The magistrate Mnemon Ulkana, a young 
  Earth-aspected Dragon-Blood defrocked from the Immacu-
  late Order and turned away from Mnemon holdings for the 
  shame, acts as magistrate in the Pangu Prefecture. Though 
  none in the prefecture know the precise reason she was cast 
  out, she is well liked by the people of Pangu and is often the 
  guest of Time Rain and Sweet Crane. She has some skill in 
  the Earth Dragon Style, but she is far from mastery.
  HOUSE CYNIS
  House Cynis maintains the House of High Waves, a 
  pleasure palace located on the eastern shore of Pangu. The 
  locals, who consider themselves quite moral, are not fond 
  of these Dynasts, though they do provide an excellent boost 
  to the local economy, as well as gossip fodder. Locals often 
  charge Cynis servants a higher price than is normal and refuse 
  to hire their children out to the House to act as servants, 
  as everyone has heard what goes on in the House of High 
  Waves. Therefore, the Cynis are usually forced to import 
  slaves and servants to the palace, or to bring their retinues 
  with them from the Imperial City.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  THE XIANYU COAST
  Most of the other prefectures of the Xianyu Coast are 
  fairly similar to Pangu, in terms of products they create and 
  the general way of life. One other prefecture, however, is 
  worth mentioning.
  
  105
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  KAN-TOSHI PREFECTURE
  The great pirate-hunter Xianyu is said to have built his great 
  manse-headquarters in Kan-Toshi Prefecture, deep within a set 
  of sea caves. No one has ever discovered such a site, though oc-
  casionally one of the young children of the ﬁ sher communities 
  here ﬁ nds a coin or piece of jewelry washed up on shore, and 
  the stories begin again. Each new discovery is surely evidence of 
  the great wealth that Xianyu is said to have stored away in his 
  lair. Kan-Toshi’s prefect, Tidal Pearl, has hired geomancers to 
  search for it in the past, however, and she seems to have some 
  knowledge that leads her to continue to do so.
  THE JADE COAST
  Unlike the sandy beaches of the Coast of Xianyu to the 
  north, the Jade Coast consists mainly of rocky coastlines, in-
  cluding some of the most impressive cliffs on the Blessed Isle. 
  At high tide, the waves roar against these tall, white walls like 
  barbarians pounding fruitlessly at the gates of a great city.
  The Jade Coast earned its moniker not for the deposits of 
  jade that can be found here, but because of the proliferation 
  of the rich. Successful merchants, patricians and Dynasts all 
  consider this coast to be a prime vacation spot. The jade of the 
  Jade Coast, therefore, is money, and the frequently glimpsed 
  jade armor of arriving or departing Dragon-Bloods.
  Because of this high value, the Jade Coast proper is dotted with 
  impressive estates, manor houses and manses that take advantage 
  of the fantastic scenery. Many lesser Dynasts dream of owning 
  one of the famous manors situated high upon the cliffs, washed 
  twice a day in the spray from the pounding surf below.
  The cliffs of the Jade Coast make for excellent defenses 
  as well. Rare and well defended are the few ports of call here, 
  forcing ships that approach them to risk the military port of 
  Sdoia or the bustle of Dragonsmouth.
  Of course, the inner prefectures are wonderful farmland 
  and usually produce ample food and luxuries for sale to the 
  resorts along the Bay Highway and—to a lesser degree—to 
  the Scarlet Prefecture.
  Recognizing that there is little actual Dynastic inﬂ uence 
  in this part of the Blessed Isle, thanks to the overwhelming 
  local inﬂ uence of the Immaculate Order, House Sesus has 
  turned its sights toward the prefectures and holdings of the 
  Jade Coast. The potential exists there for great income, but 
  pursuing it could bring the House into conﬂ ict with House 
  Mnemon and the Order.
  CLIMATE
  Very temperate, the Jade Coast’s summers are very hot 
  and its winters fairly mild, with occasional cold snaps. It 
  experiences quite a few storms when the weather heats up 
  in late spring, through summer and early fall. As a result, 
  many of the buildings in the area are built quite sturdily in 
  order to stand up to storms, or made of simple hempen paper 
  and thin wood, to allow them to blow over and be replaced 
  cheaply and simply.
  ANIMALS
  The Jade Coast’s ﬂ at areas don’t have sufﬁ cient green 
  growth to keep large herds of cattle or horses, though 
  families often do own one or two such animals for work or 
  dairy products. Such animals are hearty but unremarkable 
  cattle, and a variety of other domesticated animals can be 
  found here as well.
  The area is well known for its coastal animals, however, 
  from impressively large ﬂ ocks of sea birds to the oceanic 
  mammals that often come to bear their young in cliff-caves 
  along the coasts. The deep seas along the coast are said to 
  be home to large sharks (though not quite siaka) and other 
  dangers. Fishermen who wish to make a name for themselves 
  while on vacation often come to hunt for these large beasts 
  and the massive tarpons that swim these waters.
  THE SCARLET PREFECTURE
  The Scarlet Prefecture is described in detail in Chapter 
  Six: The Heart of the Realm.
  INCAS PREFECTURE
  Home to the Palace Sublime and two fair-sized cities, 
  Incas Prefecture is easily the most important prefecture in 
  the Jade Coast, aside from the Scarlet Prefecture proper. 
  Of course, due to the strong inﬂ uence of the pragmatic 
  Immaculate Order, which frowns on wasteful behavior, the 
  Incas Prefecture actually sees the least amount of the idle 
  rich on holiday. More pious members of vacationing families, 
  however, are known to take pilgrimages down the Great 
  Coast Road to the Palace Sublime.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Incas Prefecture is prime farmland. Unlike the other 
  coastal prefectures, Incas Prefecture does not lack for food 
  and other goods. Of course, many of these goods go to 
  the Palace Sublime, but the prefecture is still prosperous 
  enough to export a fair amount of its riches to other pre-
  fectures. Incas is known for its cattle and dairy products, 
  as well as fruit (Jade Coast plums, used in some of the best 
  brandy in the Blessed Isle, grow plentifully here), rice, 
  grains and vegetables.
  Sion and some of the small towns around it are known 
  for their ample mulberry patches, which they use as fodder 
  for silkworms, used to produce ﬁ ne silks. Incas prefecture is 
  known not only for its silks, however, but also for a hearty 
  breed of cotton that is woven into ﬁ ne cloth. The presence 
  of all of this ﬁ ne material is also responsible for the presence 
  of many ﬁ ne clothing designers, seamstresses and tailors in 
  Sion and northern Incas.
  The geography of Incas Prefecture is ﬂ at, ﬂ owing plains 
  that actually run downward from the cliffs that form their sea-
  edge. As a result, rainstorms from the ocean that break upon 
  the cliffs often result in ample natural irrigation that runs down 
  from the cliffs in a thousand little streams and creeks.
  
  106
  CITIES
  The cities of Incas Prefecture are entirely products of 
  the presence of those from outside of the prefecture: the 
  military, in the case of Noble, and the Palace Sublime, in 
  the case of Sion. For the most part, the people of Incas are 
  perfectly content to live their lives in pastoral ease, with 
  only infrequent visits to larger settlements.
  NOBLE
  Population: 20,500
  Governor: Owl Star, of the Owl patrician family of Noble. 
  Star has been doing the best he can to reduce the troubles 
  his city has come under lately.
  Half military fortiﬁ cation, half marketplace, the city of 
  Noble was originally built to repel Southern invaders in the 
  early days of the Scarlet Empire. Once the locals determined 
  that they could easily sell the goods they grew by coming here, 
  a marketplace quickly grew up in Noble, and the city swelled in 
  size. Eventually, it became the favored site for Dragon-Blooded 
  forays into the southeastern jungles of Harborhead.
  Now, however, such endeavors have all but ceased. In 
  the days since the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, 
  Noble has had little to offer the Realm as a whole. With 
  the reduction in time-wasting forays into the South and the 
  minimal likelihood of having to repel Southern invaders, 
  Noble is shrinking.
  It is only the continuing presence of the Fire Fleet, under 
  the command of Fleet Admiral Peleps Lundaer, renowned for 
  being a very capable Wood-aspected Dragon-Blooded, that 
  keeps Noble alive. In recent years, however, the Fire Fleet’s 
  funding has shrunk, reducing its numbers, for House Peleps 
  (and in particular Lord High Admiral Peleps Sorugan) con-
  siders the Fire Fleet to be of little true necessity. As a result, 
  the Fire Fleet has little of importance to do and sailors of the 
  Imperial Navy consider assignment to it a choice position.
  SION
  Population: 33,000
  Governor: Sapphire Silk, an ambitious young patrician. 
  Silk has accepted the patronage of the Iselsi in return for 
  acting as an agent for that renegade House.
  Sion started as a small town of weavers and farmers. As time 
  passed, however, the quality of its weavers and cloth-makers 
  grew dramatically, and Sion silk became the standard by which 
  all other ﬁ ne cloth was measured among the Great Houses. In 
  time, the ample and inexpensive cloth drew clothing designers 
  and master tailors, and today, Sion is known as the place that 
  produces the ﬁ nest clothing in all the Blessed Isle.
  Once a year during Resplendent Fire, the city hosts a 
  great clothing and cloth festival. This festival features many 
  fashion shows, some of them perfectly outrageous in their 
  avant-garde pretensions, which are well attended by patri-
  cians and even members of the Great Houses. Many yearlong 
  contracts for shipments of cloth to the Great Houses and 
  other rich patrons are signed during this festival.
  The wealth of the city is guarded by the Sion Guardians, 
  led by Captain Oak. Unbeknownst to any, Oak is the son of a 
  patrician mother (of Noble’s Owl clan) and a Sidereal father. 
  Oak remains in contact with his father, occasionally aiding 
  him in his work for the Cult of the Illuminated. Oak has even 
  helped to smuggle newly Exalted Solars out of the Blessed 
  Isle before, by way of Noble. He is subtle and careful.
  THE PALACE SUBLIME
  Located just outside of Sion, the Palace Sublime is 
  described in Chapter Four: The Immaculate Order.
  THE CLOISTER OF WISDOM
  Like the Palace Sublime, the Cloister of Wisdom is 
  described in Chapter Four: The Immaculate Order.
  WONDERS
  Most of the noteworthy sites of interest in Incas Prefec-
  ture are capped manses, as the area has fairly strong dragon 
  lines. Most such manses belong to the military or to the 
  Immaculate Order.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  Most of the important ﬁ gures of Incas Prefecture are 
  either bureaucrats of patrician blood or Immaculates, with 
  few exceptions.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: The prefect of Incas is Ledaal Pial, a middle-
  aged un-Exalted scion of House Ledaal. House Ledaal 
  managed to gain some measure of control over the 
  appointment of a prefect through a complex web of fa-
  vor-trading some 12 years ago, and Ledaal Pial has been 
  prefect of Incas since then. He is quite content to live 
  his life in the country here, for the House granted him a 
  pastoral estate just outside Sion, where the pious Dynast 
  can make monthly trips to pray and meditate at the Pal-
  ace Sublime itself. Recently, Ledaal Pial was married to 
  a much younger, newly Exalted outcaste with a great deal 
  of potential whom House Ledaal wished to adopt into the 
  House. She is currently serving in the legions, and Pial 
  has met her only once—on their wedding day.
  THE GREAT HOUSES
  The Great Houses are actually poorly represented here, 
  save House Iselsi (whose scions usually blend in with other 
  functionaries in their disguises as agents of the All-Seeing Eye or 
  Immaculate monks). Most of the Dragon-Blooded encountered 
  in Incas Prefecture are likely to be Immaculate monks.
  SDOIA PREFECTURE
  Sdoia Prefecture is unlike many of the other coastal 
  prefectures along the Jade Coast. Due to the prominence 
  of the Wood Fleet in Sdoia proper, the entire prefecture 
  seems quite aware of military concerns, having absorbed 
  some of the military demeanor of its most frequent visitors. 
  
  107
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  The common folk of Sdoia Prefecture consider the citizenry 
  of surrounding, holiday-oriented prefectures to be wasteful, 
  fat and useless. Others view the people of Sdoia Prefecture 
  as strangely obsessed with the doings and attitudes of the 
  Wood Fleet.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Sdoia Prefecture provides services and products of primary 
  interest to shipping and ﬂ eet needs. The few agricultural settle-
  ments away from Sdoia usually produce either hemp, which 
  provides more than half of the rope used by the Wood Fleet, 
  or rough canvas used in sailing concerns. Sdoia Prefecture is 
  almost entirely dependent on the market in Sdoia for its food 
  needs, with the exception of the local ﬁ shing industry. There 
  are also several cliff-side quarries that provide limestone and 
  other softer stones for a variety of purposes.
  Sdoia Prefecture’s coastline consists of high cliffs, and the 
  soil is fairly thin as well. The landscape slopes down gradu-
  ally from the cliffs, and much of the land near the coast has 
  pockets of standing, acrid water here and there, where soil 
  has washed away to reveal limestone underneath.
  CITIES
  SDOIA
  Population: 65,000
  Governor: Saltwind Gull, a bitter patrician of middle-aged 
  years. Although he always maintained his family’s traditional 
  respectful distance from the Wood Fleet, it served only to allow 
  one of his family’s traditional rivals to usurp the position of 
  prefect from them. He has gained great shame for this, but his 
  current power allows him only to fume silently when he watches 
  the Admiral of the Wood Fleet and the prefect, Rosecloud 
  Hawk, dining together in the Jachin Teahouse, in Sdoia.
  Sdoia is an impressive city, built into the face of a sea-
  cliff as it is. At the base of the cliffs sits an extensive system 
  of docks, built two-tiered, allowing the lower docks to be 
  used at low tide, and the upper to be used when the higher 
  tides wash over the lower docks.
  There are several “levels” of the city, along a zigzag-
  ging path up the face of the cliff, with buildings built into 
  the very rock of the cliff. The city rises with the cliff-face 
  and then spills out along the top of it. Although a ﬁ ne rich 
  neighborhood sprawls out within it, made up of several Im-
  maculate temples, patrician homes and the House of Sweet 
  Whispers (the manse that serves as the Fleet Command for 
  the Wood Fleet), most of Sdoia is particularly nautical in 
  nature. The majority of it consists of brothels, taverns and 
  small street ﬁ sh markets.
  The Wood Fleet is indisputably the power in this city. 
  Many establishments cater exclusively or almost exclusively 
  to the men of the Wood Fleet’s 1,555 ships. With the recent 
  upswing in the Wood Fleet’s fortunes, the town has grown as 
  well. Sailors and marines with plenty of coin from successful 
  voyages litter the streets, and the city has grown to accom-
  modate their desire and ability to spend. Many merchants 
  who have found the rising costs of operating in the Imperial 
  
  108
  City disconcerting have hit upon Sdoia as a decent alterna-
  tive destination for their goods.
  WONDERS
  Most of the manses of the area are claimed by the 
  Wood Fleet (though administrated by House Peleps) or the 
  Immaculate Order, including the House of Sweet Whispers, 
  in Sdoia itself.
  The House of Sweet Whispers (Water Manse ••):
  The House of Sweet Whispers (Water Manse ••): The 
  House of Sweet Whispers acts as the Fleet Command center 
  of the Wood Fleet and is under the control of Fleet Admiral 
  Peleps Polin.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Rosecloud Hawk, of the inﬂ uential Rosecloud 
  clan of Xoyah Prefecture, won quite a coup against his 
  family’s rivals, the Saltwind clan, whose scions have tradi-
  tionally held the post of prefect in Sdoia Prefecture, when 
  he managed to get himself appointed to his current posi-
  tion. His plan was bound to be successful, however. When 
  he set out from his family’s estate in Xoyah, he’d done his 
  research, discovering the Saltwind’s traditional aloofness 
  from military concerns. When he presented himself to Fleet 
  Admiral Peleps Polin, the admiral quickly found work for 
  him as a bureaucrat in Sdoia. It was only a matter of a few 
  years before, with the patronage of the Fleet Admiral, Hawk 
  was made prefect.
  Wood Fleet Admiral: Peleps Polin, a Water-aspected 
  scion of House Peleps, takes his duties patrolling the 
  Scavenger Lands’ waters quite seriously. His willingness 
  to go beyond the traditional bounds of his position have 
  allowed him to turn the Wood Fleet into a money-making 
  venture, earning him the respect of his House. Were Polin 
  born into nearly any other position in the world, he likely 
  would have made a fearsome pirate, but he has turned his 
  mercenary ways to the beneﬁ t of his family and the Realm 
  as a whole.
  HOUSE PELEPS
  The power of the Wood Fleet in Sdoia Prefecture is the 
  power of House Peleps in general. The House maintains 
  several smaller estates, to serve as get-away places or to 
  banish more troublesome House members to. It maintains 
  several estates that require the administration of a ﬂ eet (in 
  this case, of ﬁ shermen) and routinely loses money. These 
  estates it uses to teach difﬁ cult scions how to manage a 
  ﬂ eet effectively.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF THE JADE COAST
  The majority of the other prefectures along the Jade 
  Coast are typical agricultural prefectures. The only real ex-
  ceptions include the Meadows and Talho Prefectures, which 
  are almost exclusively coastal resort prefectures.
  LAMKAET PREFECTURE
  Lamkaet is like so many of the other prefectures along 
  the Jade Coast. It is ﬁ lled with rice-paddy communities 
  that usually sell their goods at the market in Lamkaet Town 
  proper. The prefecture possesses only one landmark of note: 
  the Proven Worth Chapter House, one of the six still-active 
  chapter houses of the Wyld Hunt. The Wyld Huntsmen of 
  this prefecture have heavily inﬂ uenced the peasants they 
  encounter, who are unusually knowledgeable in the sutras 
  and know the signs of Anathema as few do anymore.
  THE WHITE COAST & 
  THE PAUHA BASIN
  No place in the Blessed Isle is better known for its wines 
  and produce than the many orchard and vineyard planta-
  tions to be found all along the White Coast and the Pauha 
  Basin. Possessing low-lying land with ﬁ ne fertile soil that is 
  perfect for growing trees and vines but tends to be leached 
  of richness by normal ﬁ eld crops, the verdant hills of the 
  Pauha Basin produce some of the best and sweetest fruits 
  and berries in all of Creation.
  Shogunate Era poets wrote of the Ten Thousand Hills 
  of Sweet Abandon when referring to the lands now called 
  the Pauha Basin, and most of their reasons for doing so are 
  still valid. To this day, the plantations here host some of 
  the ﬁ nest wine festivals, leading to evenings of grand music, 
  dancing, carousing and sweet drunkenness.
  In between plantations are wild hillsides and hidden 
  valleys, with an incredible array of natural vegetation not 
  threatened by most wildlife. In these places grow a wide variety 
  of herbs and plants used by herbalists, alchemists and sorcerers 
  in their arcane works. The region is home to the so-called 
  “scroll estates,” large rental villas used by wealthy occultists 
  as bases of operation for herb-picking forays, complete with 
  basic occult libraries, workshops and ritual space. All of the 
  workers in these places are slaves of House Ragara, which 
  owns the majority of the scroll estates.
  The beaches of the White Coast are well named, for most 
  of the year, they are clean paradises of white sand. In winter, 
  though, it is not unusual for these beaches to see terribly cold 
  weather and for frigid storms to blow in from the North. The 
  White Coast is well known for its small seaside towns and 
  the incredible array of manse-lighthouses constructed by the 
  famous Shogunate Era architect Bringer of Light.
  It is said that so merciful was this great man that, when 
  he died, he was raised into Heaven to join the Celestial 
  Bureaucracy as the god of lighthouses. The precise truth to 
  this legend is unknown, though it should be noted that the 
  Immaculate Calendar does include worship days for a god of 
  lighthouses known as Gentle Lantern-Bearer.
  CLIMATE
  The weather of the White Coast is mild most of the year, 
  with respectable rainfall and few storms, save in winter. Then, 
  
  109
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  these areas see terrible cold fronts sweep down out of the 
  North, bringing nearly all work above ground to a halt.
  ANIMALS
  The needs of agriculture along the White Coast have long 
  dictated the presence of a variety of domesticated animals, as 
  well as those marine mammals apt to be found in northerly 
  coastal areas, including sea lions, seals and walruses.
  CHANOS PREFECTURE
  Unlike the rest of the White Coast and Pauha Basin 
  prefectures, Chanos Prefecture is a rugged place with few 
  comforts. The gateway to the frightening Shadowed Coast, it 
  is hilly and usually too cold to properly support the orchards 
  and vineyards of the rest of the area. Indeed, its rocky soil 
  is poor, from centuries of over-farming with methods inap-
  propriate to the land.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Although its soil is poor for farming, the prefecture is a 
  rich one nonetheless. Numerous mines and quarries dot the 
  rocky countryside of Chanos Prefecture, providing marble, 
  gemstones and some unique mineral substances of use to 
  only alchemists and sorcerers. Many of the prefecture’s small 
  villages grew up near mines and act as processing centers for 
  iron ore. As a result, a large number of the smaller creeks 
  and streams in Chanos Prefecture are polluted by the runoff 
  from this industry. Many artisans and skilled craftsmen also 
  signiﬁ cantly boost the economy of Chanos Prefecture, having 
  moved there in order to get working materials cheaply.
  During winter, the mining towns build up what they 
  call Winter’s Bounty—a surplus of raw ore and materials, 
  waiting for spring thaws to process. Those who normally 
  work in quarries or processing mills usually take on winter 
  jobs in the mines, further swelling the surplus.
  Food can be had for little expense, due to the proximity 
  of Chanos to the vineyards and orchards of the rest of the 
  White Coast, and to the nearness of the Imperial River Basin 
  and its many rice paddies and farmlands. A small company of 
  merchants has become quite prosperous running the caravan 
  routes between these breadbaskets and the material and tool 
  wealth that is Chanos Prefecture’s.
  CITIES
  CHANOS
  Population: 47,000
  Governor: Agate Blossom, a scion of the Agate clan of 
  patricians best known for using his important bureaucratic 
  position to convince theater owners to put on his Black Robe 
  Discipline puppet dramas.
  Chanos is known as the Gateway to the North. Many 
  troops are moved from Chanos to the Northern satrapies 
  and beyond. As a result, those soldiers the populace sees are 
  one of two kinds: the kind that are about to depart for the 
  North, or the kind that have just returned from it. In both 
  cases, they tend to be fairly grim men, and the attitude of 
  the city reﬂ ects this. Chanos has a strong work ethic, with a 
  soldier’s attitude toward partying (i.e., do it while you can, 
  for it could be your last chance).
  Chanos is also known for its indoor entertainment. Many 
  of the soldiers enjoy violence—both watching and participat-
  ing—so many of the rougher taverns and caravansaries also have 
  basement pit ﬁ ghting leagues. One brothel, the Plum Blossom, 
  even has ﬁ ghts between their whores, with two sets of bidding 
  going on in addition to the normal betting pools: one to sleep 
  with the winner, the other to sleep with the loser.
  Not all of its local entertainment is so rough, however. 
  Chanos is renowned for the Black Robe Discipline of theatrical 
  performance. This style of puppet drama uses puppets half the 
  size of men, crafted of porcelain and attached to the front of 
  masked black robes. The movement of the puppeteer’s feet 
  moves those of the puppet, while the puppeteer controls 
  its arm and head movement with his arms from above the 
  puppet. Chanos is also home to an elite class of dramatists 
  who specialize in taking old military stories and turning them 
  into moving puppet plays.
  The Air Fleet is also stationed out of the city of Chanos, 
  and its roughly 1,400 ships occupy much of its dock space 
  (though most of the ﬂ eet is away at any given time). Among 
  these ships is the Utmost Pledge of Victory, the First Age ﬂ ag-
  ship of Fleet Admiral Ragara Feria.
  TOWNS
  Tabuhareth (Pop. 1250): The mining town of Tabuhareth 
  is a commodity hotly contested by the Great Houses. House 
  Ragara claims it currently, and has done so for the last century. 
  House Sesus recently pressed a suit, however, claiming that 
  the town was part of the properties of an ancestral manse of 
  House Sesus, according to a set of old legal documents from 
  around the founding of the Realm. Of course, with no one 
  to make a ﬁ nal decision in this matter, the forces that both 
  Houses have dispatched have already clashed, and the mag-
  istrate who stepped in to arbitrate the issue was mysteriously 
  murdered. Now, both Houses have sent out-of-favor scions 
  to win back the town and its precious gemstone mine. Now, 
  with the Dragon-Blooded presence on the scene, the damage 
  can only become greater.
  WONDERS
  The manses of Chanos Prefecture are apportioned 
  among many owners. No one House or organization can be 
  said to hold most of them. Many of them are given to the 
  use of the Air Fleet of the Imperial Navy, however, while 
  the Immaculate Order has very few.
  The Pillar Hall of the Righteous (Fire Manse •••):
  The Pillar Hall of the Righteous (Fire Manse •••): 
  The Pillar Hall is one of the six remaining chapter houses 
  of the Wyld Hunt. In recent years, however, the Righteous 
  Brethren of the Pillars (as shikari from this chapter house 
  are called) suffered a tremendous loss. Many of their fel-
  
  110
  lows died in attempts to destroy the Anathema known 
  as the Bull of the North and his minions following 
  the destruction of the Tepet Legions. To this day, it is 
  grossly understaffed, and the Azimuth Spire in Arjuf 
  has discussed returning the Pillar Hall to House Ragara 
  and dividing up the remaining shikari among the other 
  chapter houses.
  Tojuun Palace (Earth Manse •••):
  Tojuun Palace (Earth Manse •••): The estate of 
  Ragara Nova just outside Chanos city, Tojuun Palace has 
  been a haven for the Dragon-Blooded prefect of Chanos 
  since he was assigned the onerous duty of governing a mere 
  prefecture. Tojuun Palace is known for its fantastic Dome 
  of the Night Sky, with walls that become as transparent 
  as glass when the bearer of the hearthstone wills it, to 
  provide ﬁ ne night viewing.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  A variety of important figures resides in Chanos 
  Prefecture.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Ragara Nova is a Dragon-Blood with a 
  reputation as a wastrel and a fop. He was assigned the 
  prefecture as a means of getting him to shape up and 
  take responsibility in his House duties. Against all ex-
  pectations he seems to have done so, developing a keen 
  military and tactical sense that his family has urged him 
  to keep secret, maintaining his reputation as a useless 
  scion and holding his adeptness as a surprise. Nova has 
  also developed a long-distance friendship with Tepet 
  Ejava, whom he met at a gala in Chanos many years ago. 
  The two often talk for long hours into the night, thanks 
  to Nova’s reﬁ nement of Charms that allow speech with 
  another on the wind.
  Air Fleet Admiral: The vixen Ragara Feria is the 
  Air Fleet’s admiral, granted her commission through 
  her incredible service in the Imperial Navy. Known as 
  something of a seductress, Feria is also something much 
  more than that: a powerful leader. Those who serve under 
  her are ﬁ ercely devoted, to a degree that simple beauty 
  could not ensure. She has been called upon to use her 
  position for her House’s beneﬁ t several times, and she 
  has done so, despite considering such acts betrayals of 
  the trust House Peleps showed her by making her a Fleet 
  Admiral. The time may come soon when her loyalties 
  are tested.
  HOUSE RAGARA
  House Ragara has more than a little inﬂ uence in the 
  Chanos and surrounding prefectures, to the point where it 
  was able to position one of its own scions into the position 
  of Air Fleet Admiral. Many Ragara consider one of the 
  four Ragara estates within a week’s ride from Chanos to 
  be their proper ancestral home.
  
  111
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  THE WHITE COAST
  The other prefectures of the White Coast vie with one 
  another for the honor of ﬁ nest wine producer in the Blessed 
  Isle. The truth is, many of them make similar vintages—all of 
  them ﬁ ne enough to practically guarantee nearly any vintner 
  ﬁ ne, fat contracts with merchants for all the wine he cares 
  to make. Life is simple and rustic in the White Coast and 
  the Pauha Basin, far from the schemes and intrigue of the 
  Imperial City.
  THE IMPERIAL RIVER BASIN
  To the minds of most of the Blessed Isle, there is no 
  difference between the Imperial River Basin and Juche 
  Prefecture. Indeed, Juche Prefecture takes up the entirety 
  of the region. Despite the incredible size of this prefecture, 
  it is still not accorded full dominion status because of its 
  population density. Although it covers a vast area, the actual 
  population along the Imperial River is fairly small, despite 
  its being prime agricultural land.
  The reason for this low population density is simple. Due 
  to the importance of the Imperial River acting as a conduit for 
  powerful Essence lines between the Imperial Mountain and 
  the Imperial City, the Scarlet Throne has enacted severe laws 
  and regulations to keep the Imperial River and its surrounding 
  valley relatively pristine and wild. To change it too dramati-
  cally might shift the ﬂ ow of Essence that provides a signiﬁ cant 
  amount of power to the Imperial Manse. Therefore, to change 
  the river overmuch endangers the power of the Imperial Manse, 
  which endangers all of Creation in turn.
  As a result of both incredibly high taxes and required 
  geomantic maintenance on the part of those who rent property 
  along the Imperial River, only the genuinely wealthy can af-
  ford land along its brilliant blue length. As a result, most of 
  the farming estates are massive plantations, maintained by the 
  Great Houses or patrician families. Extensive retreat housing 
  has also been built for those who simply wish some time away 
  from the chaos and intrigue of the Imperial City.
  CLIMATE
  The river basin of the Imperial River practically deﬁ nes 
  the term temperate. The favorable Essence that runs along 
  it keeps the weather here mild, rarely too warm or cold. 
  As a result, the lush green lands along the river are highly 
  desirable property.
  Those areas nearer the Imperial Mountain are typical for 
  high-mountain terrain, with snow in its highest reaches much of 
  the year. As a result, these areas are favored getaways during the 
  truly oppressive heat of deep summer. Every House maintains 
  a charming mountain chateau for precisely such escapes.
  ANIMALS
  The river basin lands are highly domesticated. Outside 
  of a few kinds of birds and small rodents, the idea of a wild 
  animal is foreign here. The mountains of Juche Prefecture are 
  also home to many eagles, wild goats and other high-mountain 
  wildlife. Of particular note are the feared crag cats, a breed 
  of hunting cat adapted for climbing nearly sheer rock faces. 
  These cats often prey on sheep or goats that wander too far 
  from their herds, and visiting Dragon-Blooded occasionally 
  undertake hunting expeditions to kill many of these luxuri-
  ously furred creatures.
  JUCHE PREFECTURE
  According to imperial records, Juche Prefecture covers 
  the entirety of the Imperial River Basin. The prefecture 
  proper, however, extends only from the Dragon’s Nest Range 
  at the base of the Imperial Mountain to the headwaters of 
  the Imperial River.
  Juche Prefecture maintains the largest Dragon-Blooded 
  presence outside the Imperial City. Every House has at least 
  one or two properties here at the foot of the Imperial Moun-
  tain, as it is important for the Great Houses to lay claim to 
  the symbolic center of the Blessed Isle and Creation itself. 
  Moreover, since the need for hard labor is so great here, and 
  only the Dragon-Blooded may own slaves, a Dynastic pres-
  ence is utterly necessary here.
  The farmers of Juche Prefecture are well-known sheep 
  and goat herders. Of particular note is the Juche longhorn, 
  known for its thick, soft wool that holds dyes well, making 
  it a favorite for clothiers who craft warm clothing in bright 
  colors for patrician and Dynastic customers.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Juche Prefecture is made up of high mountain land, with 
  just enough farming done in valleys to provide food for the 
  local population (which is signiﬁ cant, given the vast slave 
  populace). Juche Prefecture not only acts as the main source 
  for jade used in coinage and artifacts in the Realm, but it is 
  also the largest quarry source in the Blessed Isle.
  Most of the settlements in Juche Prefecture are based 
  around local farming, including goat herding, or a mine or 
  quarry. The largest settlements are founded around both.
  CITIES
  JUCHE
  Population: 130,000
  Governor: Gemstone Jade, granddaughter of the prefect, 
  Gemstone Opal, is the governor of Juche. The Gemstone 
  clan traditionally considers the position of governor of Juche 
  as an apprenticeship period before assuming the role of 
  prefect later in life. Jade has a very strong relationship with 
  the Mountain Folk. Although she is careful to maintain the 
  public appearance of simply being an ally, she has taken a 
  Mountain Folk lover. Jade is very careful to avoid any hint 
  that the Mountain Folk have any control over her.
  Perhaps the third most populous city in all of the Blessed 
  Isle, Juche is a bustling center of commerce, art and bureau-
  
  112
  cracy. Rather than forcing bureaucrats in the Imperial City 
  to rely on messages from the mine overseers and emissaries 
  to the Mountain Folk, the Scarlet Empress established an 
  extensive ministry in this city: the Imperial Ministry of Jade 
  Management and Mountain Folk Relations. Now a huge 
  and bustling bureaucracy in its own right, the ministry works 
  closely with the Gemstone clan of patricians and other local 
  ﬁ gures of importance.
  Three Mountain Folk emissaries dwell at the ministry 
  proper: Alies Wildﬂ ower, Karlie Scarlet and Cory Stone. These 
  three ﬁ nd themselves in a delicate situation since the disappear-
  ance of the Scarlet Empress. As less and less imperial attention 
  has been paid to the ministry, its bureaucrats seem to cast about 
  more and more for ﬁ gures of authority. As a result, the Mountain 
  Folk are careful to avoid meddling in the fragile politics of the 
  Realm for fear of the wrath of the Dragon-Blooded.
  Juche is also quite well known for its artisans and jadesmiths. 
  An entire tradition of sculpting, referred to as the Juche School, 
  exists, founded over 300 years ago by a skilled Dragon-Blooded 
  sculptor who taught his apprentices this unique style.
  Likewise, the Thundercloud style of armor-craft found 
  its genesis here. This style, which uses fantastic animal and 
  monster symbolism, embossing armor with images of terrible 
  beasts from the edge of the Wyld, sometimes including fear-
  some masks and talons at the end of gauntlets. This style is 
  considered very risqué in the aniconic culture of the Blessed 
  Isle, and many who wear these gryphon, dragon and manti-
  core-styled armors are considered quite rebellious.
  In all, Juche is bustling and busy. There is little time for 
  nonsense, and the rulers of the city are well aware of their im-
  portance to the Realm. As a result, the city is kept in excellent 
  condition—or at least, the best condition that one can expect 
  from a city whose primary population includes slaves, miners 
  and quarrymen, and the merchants who deal in such goods.
  TOWNS
  Arum’s Rest (Pop. 800): A small village, Arum’s Rest has 
  grown up around the V’neef estate of the same name. The estate 
  itself is a horseman’s paradise, meant as a place for stables and 
  a center for the V’neef horse-breeding enterprise. More than 
  a few of the Great House’s scions retreat here during various 
  parts of the year, seeking a simple life of horseback riding along 
  the Imperial River’s vistas for a few weeks. V’neef newlyweds 
  are often sent here after their Imperial City wedding, arriving 
  to ﬁ nd the entire village has decorated and prepared a festival 
  to celebrate the continuation of the V’neef line.
  WONDERS
  As one of the cradles of civilization, the Imperial River 
  Basin is home to many old ruins and ancient manses. The 
  manses in Juche Prefecture are, almost to a one, owned by 
  one of the Great Houses. The Immaculate Order or the 
  Scarlet Throne owns those rare exceptions.
  The Foremost Vault of the Imperial Treasury (Earth Manse 
  The Foremost Vault of the Imperial Treasury (Earth Manse 
  •••••):
  •••••): Located just outside Juche proper, the Foremost Vault 
  of the Imperial Treasury is a gargantuan building, with incred-
  ible defenses built into the manse. Additionally, a contingent of 
  imperial legionnaires and a crack unit of Mountain Folk guard-
  ians serve as its defenders as well. All of the jade mined in Juche 
  goes here. Since it is all technically the property of the Scarlet 
  Throne, it is catalogued and sorted by quality and color. Much 
  of the jade is minted into currency form here, by automated 
  processes run by the Essence of the manse itself.
  Additionally, the bearer of the manse’s hearthstone can 
  imbue a single mote of Essence into an outgoing shipment of 
  jade, designating a ﬁ nal destination, down to the city level. 
  This mote investment fades once the shipment reaches its 
  destination, but until then, the bearer of the hearthstone can 
  tell where every piece of that jade shipment is in Creation 
  by simply concentrating.
  A number of ancient ruins can also be found in Juche 
  Prefecture. Many of them are ruins from the First Age, set 
  deep in mountain valleys. Adventuresome archaeology has 
  long been an interest of many Dragon-Blooded, an endeavor 
  encouraged by the Scarlet Empress in hopes of discovering 
  useful ancient technologies or magics.
  The Kleinen Har Dig:
  The Kleinen Har Dig: The site known as Kleinen Har 
  (Old Realm for “Vault of Glass”) is perhaps one of the best 
  known continuing archaeological digs in Juche. Most of 
  the work to be done here is fairly safe and dull, but it has 
  uncovered more than a few magical, demonic and automaton 
  guardians, necessitating a constant presence by Dragon-
  Blooded warriors and sorcerers. The treasures discovered have 
  made it more than worth this necessity. More adamant and 
  glass-like compounds have been discovered at this single site 
  during the last decade of work here than in all other Realm 
  archaeological sites combined.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  Juche Prefecture attracts some very powerful and inﬂ u-
  ential individuals.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Gemstone Opal, the well-regarded matriarch 
  of the Gemstone family of patricians, acts as the prefect for 
  Juche Prefecture. She is a very strong ﬁ gure and is known for 
  her ability to hold her own in dealings with Dragon-Blooded. 
  Those Terrestrial Exalts who deal with her assuming that she 
  will bow and scrape to them because they are the Princes of 
  the Earth are often disappointed and ﬁ nd themselves going 
  away from their dealings with her with the impression of 
  being scolded by an elder aunt. Of course, she is properly 
  deferential to those who treat her with the respect that she 
  has earned in running the prefecture impeccably for most of 
  her life, a job for which she is training her granddaughter, 
  Gemstone Jade.
  GREAT HOUSES
  Each of the Great Houses is represented in Juche. To 
  not maintain some kind of holdings in this prefecture is con-
  
  113
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  sidered inauspicious, placing oneself away from the currents 
  of prosperity that ﬂ ow out of the Imperial Mountain. Those 
  who tell tales note that just before their fall, the Iselsi had 
  sold off their holdings in Juche.
  Of particular note in Juche Prefecture is the presence 
  of House Nellens. House Nellens claims Juche as its primary 
  holdings while it negotiates with House Ragara, seeking to 
  gain appointments in a wing of the Imperial Palace.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  THE IMPERIAL RIVER BASIN
  The majority of the prefectures south of the Juche Pre-
  fecture are referred to as the Imperial River Basin Prefectures. 
  They are fairly similar and unremarkable, possessing ample 
  farmland, with a scattering of orchards and pastures. Those 
  prefectures that abut the Dhorash Mountains also boast 
  occasional mines and quarries, but these tend to contain 
  simpler ores and stone rarely exported and primarily used 
  in the prefectures and the Basin in general.
  THE DRAGONSWRATH PLAINS
  The Dragonswrath Plains get their name from the 
  hundreds of small rivers and creeks that descend from the 
  Mhaltin and Dhorash Mountains. Local legend states that 
  these creeks and riverbeds are the talon-marks of the twin 
  dragons Mhaltin and Dhorash, who despise one another. 
  The landscape of the Dragonswrath Plains is fairly wet, and 
  the rains that come in off the ocean and break along the 
  mountain ranges in spring and autumn swell these bodies 
  of water, turning the area into swampland.
  Of course, this very same trait is what makes the pre-
  fectures of the Dragonswrath Plains perfect for growing 
  rice. Many of the rivers have been diverted and dammed, 
  creating ample rice paddies and the ability to open levee 
  gates to water them. The prefectures of the Dragonswrath 
  Plains are considered absolutely rustic and backward by the 
  rest of the Blessed Isle. At best, the inhabitants are seen 
  as unfortunates trying to carve a life out of swampland. At 
  worst, they are said to be inbred swamp-folk only half a 
  step above Wyld barbarians.
  Nonetheless, the Dragonswrath Plains are known for a 
  number of products, including ﬁ ne leather from a variety of 
  large reptiles that dwell in the region’s waterways, and the 
  produce of cranberry bushes and other select swamp foods. 
  The cooking of the Dragonswrath Plains is quite spicy, and its 
  cuisine is considered avant-garde in far-off places, including 
  the Imperial City.
  
  114
  THE MHALTIN AND 
  DHORASH MOUNTAINS
  The Mhaltin and Dhorash mountain ranges encircle the 
  Dragonswrath Plains like two cupped hands. It is thanks to 
  these mountains that the Dragonswrath Plains see the amount 
  of rainfall that they do. Few weather systems can manage to 
  pass these high walls without dropping their precious rain.
  Local legends say that these mountain ranges are not simply 
  named after the twin, eternally warring dragons Mhaltin and 
  Dhorash—they claim that the ranges are the dragons. There 
  is perhaps some truth to this, for savants who have studied the 
  dragon lines here indicate that they are strange and ﬂ uctuate 
  dangerously, though the manses that cap them are in no danger 
  of damage, unless a manse is truly mediocre in design.
  Other dangers have cropped up in these mountains, 
  however, since the disappearance of the Empress. Many bandit 
  gangs have taken up refuge here. While the Dragon-Blooded 
  of Pasiap’s Stair are willing to hunt down and destroy the 
  occasional bandit camp as a training exercise, most bandits 
  remain unmolested by any real defense, save what the locals 
  can provide for themselves. The bandits focus their efforts 
  primarily on the prefectures of the Dragonswrath Plains, 
  being careful to avoid bothering the more carefully watched 
  prefectures on the other side of the mountains.
  PASIAP’S STAIR
  The only real Dragon-Blooded presence in the Dragon-
  swrath Plains are the outcastes of Pasiap’s Stair, the military 
  academy that prepares non-Dynastic Dragon-Blooded who 
  arise from the population of the Blessed Isle (or occasionally 
  in a satrapy in the Threshold) for service in the legions. Oc-
  casionally, the school permits a few of its students to descend 
  for infrequent rest and relaxation in the town of Amber 
  Well, in Martiss Prefecture. Even though they are merely lost 
  eggs by the reckoning of the Realm, these students are still 
  Dragon-Blooded in a place that almost never sees Children 
  of the Dragons other than the vartabeds of the scattered Im-
  maculate temples. Therefore, they are accorded tremendous 
  respect and deference.
  SWEET RADIANCE
  This island, off the coast of the Dragonswrath Plains bears 
  two prefectures, Cliffrise and Saltmount Prefectures, named 
  for the island’s sole cities of any decent size. Until recently, the 
  ruling patrician clans of these two prefectures, Clan Heron of 
  Cliffrise Prefecture and Clan Blacklily of Saltmount Prefecture, 
  were locked in a generations-old feud. Although this island was 
  a natural stop-off point for merchants, who purchased many 
  of the Dragonswrath goods here without actually having to 
  venture into one of its tiny ports, it was considered of little 
  worth, and the feud was largely ignored.
  That is, until the coming of House Peleps. As part of 
  his House’s goal to control the islands off the Blessed Isle, 
  Peleps Arkan arrived one day with a small ﬂ eet of personal 
  warships and marines. In short order, citing their feuding as 
  a disturbance of the imperial peace, Arkan arranged to have 
  the local authorities clap the feuding heads of the Heron and 
  Blacklily clans into irons and threatened with execution if 
  the feuds continued.
  Unfortunately, while these tactics might have worked 
  anywhere else in the Blessed Isle, the headstrong people of 
  Sweet Radiance (like their cousins in the mainland Dragon-
  swrath Plains) don’t take to such methods peacefully. There 
  is a full uprising brewing (organized by a mendicant monk 
  of Daana’d, according to some reports).
  Arkan has asked for more men, and the elders of House 
  Peleps ﬁ nd themselves in a difﬁ cult position. They want the 
  land, but if it becomes public knowledge that they arranged 
  for the clumsy overthrow of patrician houses that were 
  ruling just ﬁ ne before their interference, there will be an 
  ofﬁ cial inquiry. Such attention risks an undesirable amount 
  of public exposure.
  The situation remains volatile.
  SHADOWED COAST
  The Shadowed Coast lives up to its name. Home to 
  an island of strange occurrences, usually shrouded in storm 
  clouds and sitting (sometimes literally) in the shadow of the 
  Imperial Mountain, the Shadowed Coast has a reputation as 
  an unpleasant, haunted place.
  CLIMATE
  The weather in the Shadowed Coast tends toward colder 
  temperate climes. It often sees snow earlier than most other 
  places in the Blessed Isle, thanks to the Imperial Mountain’s 
  bulk stopping the progress of the strong winter storms that 
  often sweep from the Northeast and causing them to unleash 
  their fury on the Shadowed Coast itself.
  ANIMALS
  The Shadowed Coast still contains many kinds of 
  wildlife, a rarity on the Blessed Isle, some of which is even 
  dangerous. The hills contain large populations of bears, 
  hybrocs and smaller hunting cats, and the Dragon-Bloods 
  of many Dynastic Houses come here to secure hunting per-
  mits from the prefect, one of the major sources of income 
  for the prefecture.
  VENTUS PREFECTURE
  Made up primarily of farming communities, there is little 
  in Ventus Prefecture that interests the rulers of the Great 
  Houses save the hunting that its forested foothills provide.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Ventus Prefecture produces more than enough crops 
  to feed itself, selling the surplus to Chanos for the Ragara 
  Legions. Ventus is known for its hardy, cold-resistant crops, 
  which savants say are actually a product of the soil, somehow 
  transformed to resist the worst chills by the miracle workers 
  
  115
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  of the First Age. It also boasts the largest orchards of sweet-
  tart apples on the Blessed Isle.
  Its true draws, however, are the forested hillsides, pep-
  pered with Dynastic hunting lodges. These wilderness areas 
  contain many substances used by healers, alchemists and 
  sorcerers. There are also many deposits of sulfur, mercury 
  and coal, though imperial decree forbids processing them, 
  for fear of destroying the natural balance that provides the 
  rare and valuable substances so sought by savants.
  CITIES
  BRIGHT OBELISK
  Population: 11,800
  Governor: Holly, a descendent of human and Mountain 
  Folk blood known for her wisdom and impeccable man-
  ners, despite a questionable birth. In fact, her ability to 
  win the favor of those in power is what put her in position 
  as governor.
  Bright Obelisk is named for the gleaming silver obelisk 
  erected by its founders centuries ago, which is located in the 
  center of the town square. Apart from a few Dynasts traveling 
  to and from hunting lodges in the foothills, Bright Obelisk 
  rarely sees any trafﬁ c, save for the occasional caravans who 
  come here to purchase furs and rare herbs.
  TOWNS
  Blackwater (Pop. 1,550): Blackwater is a small mining town 
  near an underground lake in the foothills. It is largely unremark-
  able save for that underground lake, which is an eerily silent, 
  blue-black abyss. Water from the lake that is drawn up into a 
  vessel retains its dark hue and slowly eats through whatever vessel 
  contains it. The locals know better than to try to drink or even 
  touch the water, for it irritates skin and numbs limbs. Those who 
  investigate the lake have noted that sometimes movement can 
  be seen just beneath the surface of the water.
  WONDERS
  There are few manses or ruins of any true noteworthi-
  ness, save for the ruins of the Versino on the Isle of Voices. 
  Most of the manses and similar places of power here are 
  apportioned among imperial holdings and a smattering of 
  the Great Houses.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  Government Figures
  Government Figures
  Prefect: Sage Lake, of the old moneyed patrician Sage 
  family, is the prefect of Ventus Prefecture. The older man 
  is something of a drunkard, tending to leave the day-to-day 
  operation of the bureaucracy to Holly, the governor of Bright 
  Obelisk who was once his assistant.
  THE ISLE OF VOICES
  Along the northern shore of the Blessed Isle, under skies 
  that often see storms blowing in from the bitter North, lies 
  the Isle of Voices. Most who live on the Blessed Isle know 
  of the Isle of Voices as a place where magic and demons live. 
  To those who practice the arts of sorcery and thaumaturgy, it 
  is a place of promise, where the knowledgeable and the wise 
  reward the diligent with greater power. To everyone else, it 
  is a place of terror, where sorcerers and demonologists need 
  not restrain their sadistic urges as they must in civilization. 
  The truth, most likely, is somewhere in between.
  The people who work the land and sea around the 
  island are quite knowledgeable in the folk magics common 
  to peasantry, and even to some of the higher thaumatur-
  gies of mortals. People who hail from the Isle of Voices are 
  considered to be strange at best, mad at worst, for most 
  people on the Isle of Voices have seen and experienced 
  stranger and more arcane things than the average graduate 
  of the Heptagram.
  THE RUINS OF THE VERSINO
  Once a school of sorcery, the Versino was nowhere near 
  as prestigious as the Heptagram. Indeed, it was the Scarlet 
  Empire’s ﬁ rst attempt at creating a scholastic program. (What 
  better ﬁ eld of study than the supremely dangerous sorcery?) 
  Every precaution was taken, from establishing the place 
  on a remote island far from innocents to making sure that 
  there were no less then 20 Immaculate monks on hand at all 
  times, to aid with spirits and demons and to act as the moral 
  compass for sorcerers of questionable ethics.
  Regardless, something went terribly wrong in RY 
  385. The precise nature of what happened is unknown, 
  save that some agency was loosed on the Versino that 
  its defenders could not overcome. Everyone there was 
  utterly destroyed, save for a single student: the Empress’s 
  16-year-old daughter, Mnemon.
  The bones of the dead are now long since rendered into 
  dust, but the screams of the dying can still sometimes be heard 
  on the night winds there. The ruins have collapsed in on them-
  selves into a pitted crater, and wards of salt and sorcery hem in 
  whatever horrible, cursed things might yet dwell there.
  THE HEPTAGRAM
  The Heptagram is one of the four Great Academies 
  of the Scarlet Empire. At any given time, there are no 
  more than 70 regular students here, plus upward of 10 
  advanced students, directly apprenticed to one of the 
  masters of the Heptagram.
  The Heptagram is named for its symbol, a seven-pointed 
  star. Each point of this star represents one of the great libraries 
  of the academy. These libraries represent the greatest accu-
  mulation of lore in all the Realm, and those who study here 
  know precisely how fortunate they are to have access to them. 
  The students of the Heptagram study sorcery, demonology, 
  alchemy, divination and Essence manipulation to a degree 
  unseen anywhere else in the Realm (and comparable only 
  in places such as Lookshy’s own sorcerous academy or the 
  great collegia of the Shogunate Era).
  
  116
  TEACHERS
   • Mnemon Duhalva: The foremost alchemist at the 
  Heptagram, Duhalva always stood likely to be appointed as 
  the next dominie. At least, she did before the Scarlet Empress 
  disappeared. Now, she knows that her future is questionable 
  at best, and she has done everything she can to demonstrate 
  her support for the Heptagram itself, going so far as to alienate 
  members of her family who want her to use her position to 
  the House’s advantage. She knows that this is likely dooming 
  her should Mnemon seize the Scarlet Throne, but she hopes 
  that her loyalty will show through to any other.
  • Tepet Senex: Called “Old Man” Tepet behind his back, 
  Tepet Senex has been at the Heptagram longer than any other 
  instructor here save the dominie. He desires the position of 
  dominie when the day comes that Ragara Bhagwei sees ﬁ t to 
  retire or die, but the old master of the Heptagram has thus 
  far shown no desire to do either. Senex is the one most likely 
  to question the dominie’s decisions, but he considers this his 
  sole prerogative. Dragons help anyone else who shows the 
  position of the dominie disrespect in his presence.
  • Sorrowful Leaf: A Wood-aspected Dragon-Blood 
  originally from the East, Sorrowful Leaf is the acknowledged 
  expert in the Heptagram on wood elementals and magical 
  herbalism. She is covered in blue woad tattoos, which lend 
  her face a particularly sinister aspect while she is teaching. 
  She is never found without a wood spider nearby to act as 
  her servant and bodyguard. It is known that she has some 
  kind of pact with a court of wood elementals somewhere 
  in the East.
  STUDENT LIFE
  Students may be taught at the Heptagram for a total 
  of seven years, one for each of its libraries. It is rare that 
  students remain for the entire length of this time, however, 
  as they may graduate after they have completed four years 
  of instruction. After an initial year in the Hall of Terrestrial 
  Puissance, a student may choose what library he wishes to 
  learn in his following years.
  The classes are grueling. Early in the year, all of the 
  students in a given library have group classes, as taught by 
  multiple teachers, but as they begin to show proﬁ ciency, 
  they ﬁ nd personal instruction to be most useful. It is also 
  very difﬁ cult to achieve a passing notation in the libraries. 
  Even those students who chose to complete only four years 
  are unlikely to have attended for merely four actual years. 
  In general, only half of those students who enroll for a year 
  in one of the libraries actually pass muster. Those who fail a 
  year have one of two options: to retake that year and hope to 
  pass it a second time or to abandon that ﬁ eld of study forever. 
  Those who move on or fail it a second time are dishonorably 
  removed from that library and forbidden entrance into its 
  halls ever again.
  All of the students here learn the speciﬁ cs of mortal 
  thaumaturgy. While they learn these techniques, however, 
  the instructors keep an eye out for those Dragon-Blooded who 
  
  117
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  show real talent with the mortal magics. Those who do are 
  often taught those theories as they apply to Exalted sorcery. 
  Most Dragon-Blooded students are puissant in Terrestrial 
  Circle sorcery by the time they have completed two or three 
  years, and they usually possess several Occult specialties in 
  mortal thaumaturgy as well.
  LAYOUT
  There are 14 great buildings set up in a ring around a tall, 
  central tower in the compound that makes up the Heptagram. 
  Along the outer ring, the largest of these buildings are the Librar-
  ies of the Heptagram, and the smaller buildings between them 
  are the dormitories. Each one of the dormitories is equipped 
  with eating space, luxurious two-student accommodations, and 
  personal laboratories and workspace appropriate to the library 
  to which that dormitory is assigned. The Libraries include:
  • The Hall of Terrestrial Puissance: A student’s ﬁ rst year 
  in the Heptagram is spent in the Hall of Terrestrial Puis-
  sance, learning the very basics of magic itself, as well as 
  theories of elemental Essence. Students are taught the use 
  of their Charms and gain an understanding of the ways that 
  elementals work. They also study the nuances of elemental 
  Essence, including ample study of the Immaculate Dragons 
  and demesnes and manses.
  • The Hall of the Nesting Dragon: The library where 
  theories of mortal geomancy are taught, along with a deeper 
  understanding of demesnes and manses. Those who show 
  the aptitude are given private lessons in manse architecture 
  design and building, which they may take over subsequent 
  years even though they passed the ﬁ rst year.
  • The Hall of the Jade Cauldron: Alchemy, herbalism 
  and similar endeavors are the topics at the Hall of the Jade 
  Cauldron, which teaches the properties of distillation and 
  alchemical transformation.
  • The Hall of Ancient Lore: The Hall of Ancient Lore 
  teaches not only basic mortal enchantment technique, but 
  also the art of artiﬁ cing, the creation of artifacts. Those who 
  excel here often take another year or two even after they have 
  passed, in order to permit them to continue working with the 
  masters of the Hall of Ancient Lore to develop these skills.
  • The Hall of the Cerulean Glyph: The magical theories of 
  warding and sanctiﬁ cation make up the bulk of this Library’s 
  curriculum. Those who understand the nuances of Exalted 
  sorcery are likely to learn a variety of protective and warding 
  spells here as well.
  • The Hall of Celestial Puissance: The students of the 
  Hall of Celestial Puissance learn about the vagaries of the 
  Heavenly sky and those that dwell there. It is a course in 
  not only the nature of those spirits referred to as gods and 
  their culture, but also the insights into the nature of Fate so 
  often reﬂ ected in the sky, through astronomy. Other forms 
  of divination are studied here, as well, particularly Exalted 
  sorcery of revelation.
  • The Hall of Verdigris: Not all students are permitted entry 
  into the Hall of Verdigris, the Heptagram’s Library of Demon-
  ology. Only those who have excelled in their previous classes 
  and managed to acquire a sponsor from among the teaching 
  staff ever receive invitations to learn here. In addition to the 
  techniques of summoning demons by mortal means, students 
  here also learn to do so by way of Exalted sorcery.
  The central tower is called the Dominie’s Tower, and it 
  is a powerful (i.e., ﬁ ve-dot) Air-aspected manse. It contains 
  the dominie’s quarters and personal workspace, as well as 
  the libraries of full Terrestrial sorcery. Rumor has that it also 
  boasts vaults ﬁ lled with artifacts and ancient wonders of the 
  First Age. The bottom ﬂ oor of the Dominie’s Tower is the 
  Great Hall, a huge chamber where the entire population of 
  the school can be gathered.
  There is a bell atop the Dominie’s Tower that remains 
  silent save by the will of the bearer of the hearthstone of the 
  Dominie’s Tower. Should this bell be rung, it is considered 
  imperative that every student and instructor stop what he or 
  she is doing and go immediately to the Great Hall. Needless 
  to say, this bell rings only in emergencies, for fear of inter-
  rupting delicate magical operations and the disasters that 
  usually come of doing so.
  DEFENSES
  The Heptagram is well defended, indeed. Even ignoring 
  the fact that there are, at any given time, at least 40 Dragon-
  Blooded sorcerers (and a small handful of Sidereal sorcerers 
  as well), the Heptagram grounds and the lands surrounding 
  it for out to two miles are patrolled by bound demons. The 
  grounds of the Heptagram are also well patrolled by elementals 
  and automaton constructs.
  Powerful spells of warding are woven into the walls of the 
  Heptagram, spells cast not merely by the Dragon-Blooded, 
  but by Sidereals wielding Celestial Circle Sorcery. Addition-
  ally, these Sidereals have woven the fate of the Heptagram 
  to aid it in standing against foes and invaders. It is arguably 
  one of the best-defended places on the Blessed Isle outside 
  the Imperial Manse.
  THE DRAGON’S NEST RANGE
  The rocky mountain range that utterly surrounds the 
  Imperial Mountain for miles in every direction is called the 
  Dragon’s Nest Range, as the Imperial Mountain sits in its 
  midst, like a brooding beast in its nest. These mountains 
  (which also include the Juche Prefecture) are fantastically 
  rich in both Essence and mortal riches. Many of the valleys 
  tucked away between peaks are also quite fertile, fed as they 
  are by the rains that wash down the Imperial Mountain.
  CLIMATE
  Due to its elevation, the lands of the Dragon’s Nest 
  Range tend to be slightly colder than a typical temperate 
  locale, which serves more to make the seasons more extreme 
  in weather from one another than to mute any one of them. 
  The summers here are quite hot, though some of the moun-
  tainside communities remain quite cool. Winters are heavy 
  
  118
  who are grieving, rather than sit still to be eventually blamed. 
  Parades of homage have been made, and the Great Memorial 
  of Lord’s Crossing is a massive marble wall, with the names of 
  all those slain inscribed upon it. The scions of House Tepet 
  are not held in higher honors in this Great Memorial but 
  are rather scattered in and among the names of the simpler 
  soldiers—a decision calculated to communicate the fact that 
  House Tepet lost sons and daughters too.
  Lord’s Crossing is also well known for the Academy of 
  the Wondrous Hall, a college of architecture that specializes 
  in Air- and Earth-aspected manse design. It is also widely 
  recognized as the foremost academy in the techniques of 
  hearthstone adaptation.
  PORTEE
  Population: 7,500
  Governor: Gempeak Thunder, a boisterous patrician 
  of the Gempeak family. The Gempeaks have begun to look 
  enviously at the wealth of the Whitecloud clan, and Thunder 
  himself has begun to look upon the Whitecloud matriarch’s 
  widow daughter, Rose, as a potential wife.
  Portee is dominated by two patrician families: the 
  Gempeak clan and the Whitecloud clan. For decades, the 
  Gempeaks were in a superior position, in terms of both 
  wealth and political power. Part of that has changed recently, 
  however. The matriarch of the Whitecloud clan, Whitecloud 
  Orchid, has spent her entire life on the breeding of small, 
  white lap dogs called “Portee ivories.”
  These little dogs have become quite fashionable among 
  Dynastic families as perfect lap dogs for ladies and children. 
  This sudden fad among the Great Houses has resulted in an 
  incredible upswing in the Whitecloud fortune. As a result 
  of both the Whitecloud breeders and the Starlight facility 
  in Traiter, Lord’s Crossing Dominion has gained the unlikely 
  reputation as the source of many purebred animals.
  As a result of the sudden arrival of Dynastic representa-
  tives seeking pets for their masters, Portee has built a number 
  of ﬁ ne new teahouses and luxury accommodations and makes 
  quite a bit of money from them.
  TRAITER
  Population: 9,600
  Governor: Starlight Black, a thin, noble-seeming man with 
  close-shorn black hair and a trimmed beard acts as the governor for 
  Traiter. He is accustomed to dealing with Dragon-Blooded hunters 
  and soldiers and is not easily intimidated by mere mortals.
  The Starlight family has made its fortune on the breeding 
  of black, oversized, menacing dogs called “blackstar mastiffs.” 
  Unlike the sudden fame of the Whitecloud animals, the 
  hunters and warriors of the Realm have favored Starlight 
  hounds for over 100 years, and that trust has been repaid to 
  the Starlight clan’s family wealth many times over, making 
  them the most powerful patricians in Traiter.
  The Starlight clan maintains a massive estate on the 
  outskirts of Traiter. This estate is only partially of use to the 
  and cold, with thick snows descending on the range from 
  the Imperial Mountain.
  ANIMALS
  Unlike in some of the wilder mountain vistas in Juche 
  Prefecture, Lord’s Crossing Dominion has been settled for 
  so long that wildlife here is relatively rare and unassuming. 
  The wild bears and hunting cats of Juche are almost never 
  seen here, save when they wander over from the wilds in that 
  prefecture. There is plentiful hunting in the form of herds of 
  deer and elk, as well as boar in some of the lower mountain 
  valleys. The breeds of goats and sheep ubiquitous in Juche 
  are found here as well.
  LORD’S CROSSING DOMINION
  Aside from Juche Prefecture, Lord’s Crossing Dominion 
  is the only prefecture within the Dragon’s Nest Range. One 
  of only two prefectures in the Blessed Isle to be denoted as 
  a dominion, Lord’s Crossing is quite important enough to 
  the Realm to designate it such. Many of the settlements in 
  the Lord’s Crossing Dominion are quite old, dating back at 
  least to the Shogunate Era.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  The mountains that make up the Lord’s Crossing Do-
  minion produce ample jade, marble and gemstones, as well 
  as more common mining and quarry products. Additionally, 
  the fertile valleys and riverside land produce large amounts 
  of rice, vegetables, fruits and hearty cattle. Many agricultural 
  areas also produce gorgeous high-quality cloth and silks. Fi-
  nally, many of the settlements in the dominion take pains to 
  provide ﬁ ne quality bed-and-breakfast style accommodations 
  for visiting patricians and Dynasts.
  CITIES
  LORD’S CROSSING
  Population: 48,000
  Governor: Red-headed Sawyer Shadow, said to have 
  been born of a Dynast’s un-Exalted daughter’s tryst with a 
  Southern prince and given to the Sawyer patrician family 
  to adopt, acts as the governor of Lord’s Crossing. She is a 
  passionate woman with keen economic sense and dark good 
  looks. Shadow currently plans festivals to help bolster the 
  morale and economic stability of Lord’s Crossing.
  Lord’s Crossing is a massive Shogunate Era city and the 
  primary residence of House Tepet. A center of trade thanks 
  to the exportation of the great riches of the dominion, the 
  economy of Lord’s Crossing Dominion has been cast into some 
  chaos with the destruction of the Tepet Legions at the hands of 
  the Bull of the North. Nearly every citizen of Lord’s Crossing 
  (and the dominion as a whole) lost a parent, sibling or child 
  in that destruction, and morale is at an all-time low.
  House Tepet isn’t stupid, though—its elders are very 
  careful to place themselves directly in the middle of those 
  
  119
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  family. The rest of it consists of extensive facilities for the 
  breeding of the blackstars, as well as luxurious accommoda-
  tions for would-be buyers, who are required to spend two weeks 
  at the facility being introduced to and trained to handle their 
  new hound. (Those who have been trained in the past need 
  spend only a week getting to know their new beast.)
  WONDERS
  The vast majority of the manses in Lord’s Crossing Do-
  minion are owned by House Tepet, apportioned among their 
  scions. Several of these manses no longer have hearthstones, 
  those treasures having been seized as the spoils of war when 
  their owners fell in combat against the Bull of the North. 
  Even now, the elders of House Tepet agonize over whether 
  to hire geomancers to alter the architecture of these manses, 
  shattering the old hearthstones and beginning the growth 
  of new ones. Several of these manses are quite powerful, 
  however, and the risk and expense of changing them is great. 
  The Tepets have many of the masters of the Academy of the 
  Wondrous Hall looking into it, though.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  There are many important ﬁ gures in Lord’s Crossing 
  Dominion, thanks to the presence of House Tepet. Those 
  in positions of importance are either ﬁ rm allies of the Tepet 
  family or strong enough to resist their inﬂ uence.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Carpenter Reason, who is working with Sawyer 
  Shadow to rebuild the local economy, trying to balance 
  the need to mourn with the need to get back on one’s feet, 
  including the re-establishment of the Tepet Legions. He is a 
  self-assured patrician from a long line of patricians
  HOUSE TEPET
  House Tepet claims Lord’s Crossing Dominion as its 
  ancestral holdings away from the Imperial City. Nothing 
  goes on here of which the Tepets are not cognizant, generally 
  speaking. They are justly famous as ﬁ ne hosts, often holding 
  lavish summer parties when members of other Houses are 
  in the dominion.
  OTHER HOUSES
  The sole presence that other Houses maintain in Lord’s 
  Crossing Dominion is in the form of summer vacation homes 
  in the hills here, for use when the heat of summer drives them 
  from the Imperial City into the cooler hills at the foot of the 
  Imperial Mountain. Many of these summer homes are used 
  as hunting lodges of some sort.
  THE JAEN-HA PLAINS
  Approximately half of the Jaen-ha Plains are taken up by 
  Arjuf Dominion. The other prefectures of the Jaen-ha Plains 
  tend to be farming prefectures, made up of small ranching 
  and agricultural settlements.
  CLIMATE
  The lands of the Jaen-ha Plains are well regarded for their 
  fairly warm climate, with fair, balmy winds that blow in from 
  the South. The summer storms here are often spectacular to 
  behold, and once every few years, the Jaen-ha Plains suffer 
  a hurricane-strength squall, which the architecture is built 
  to resist.
  ANIMALS
  Although the population of wild animals is practically 
  non-existent there, nearly every variety of domesticated 
  animal can be found in the prefectures of Jaen-ha. Addi-
  tionally, many of the lands in this area are ﬁ ne ranch land, 
  with entire ranches specializing in breeding strong horses for 
  pulling caravan wagons.
  ARJUF DOMINION
  Called the Passage into Fire due to its nearly exclusive 
  use as the travel path into the South by those of the Realm, 
  the Arjuf Dominion is one of only two actual dominions on 
  the Blessed Isle. Its strategic inﬂ uence and ﬁ nancial power 
  warrant this bureaucratic honor, and its size reﬂ ects it. 
  The Arjuf Dominion descends from the southern foothills 
  of the Dragon’s Nest Range, with the Caracal River as its 
  eastern border.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Arjuf Dominion is made up of coastline, river basin and 
  foothills, generally speaking. It produces a fair amount of food, 
  though the population of Arjuf Dominion is such that there is 
  almost nothing left to export, save for the excellent quantities 
  of sugar cane grown in the ﬁ elds in southern Arjuf.
  It might be said that Arjuf’s primary product is trade 
  itself. Many of the settlements in the dominion focus on 
  trade, although their local agriculture is enough to provide 
  their populations with food. Quite a few of the settlements 
  are based around one or two merchants, many of whom owe 
  fealty to one or two of the trade confederations of Arjuf. Those 
  confederations are merchant companies that specialize in areas 
  of the Blessed Isle, buying the unique products of those places, 
  bringing them to the great markets of the Imperial City and 
  Arjuf, and bringing needed goods to their target areas.
  CITIES
  ARJUF (CAPITAL)
  Population: 225,000, though there may be up to 
  half-again this number in the city during the height of 
  trading season.
  Governor: Rainbow Faith, a shrewd businesswoman 
  with a great deal of inﬂ uence at the city’s docks and in the 
  vast Arjuf Market.
  Arjuf is the second largest city in the Blessed Isle, with a 
  massive population. It has grown quickly, but it has not taken 
  on the ramshackle appearance that many cities in similar 
  
  120
  period, Tuchara was growing, the population attracted by the 
  wealth and success of the master armorers, weaponsmiths and 
  manse architects that could be found here.
  The genteel environment that grew up around this artist’s 
  haven is the direct inﬂ uence of the Sweetsky family and its 
  Ledaal patrons. As a result, the city itself is a masterpiece of 
  urban planning, with many of the ﬁ nest artists competing 
  to create ﬁ ne works for the city every year. Those who are 
  chosen to work on civic projects are permitted to do their 
  work in lieu of taxes. This plan, called the Sweetsky Initia-
  tive, has made Tuchara easily one of the most beautiful cities 
  on the Blessed Isle.
  One artist of note is called only Windrunner, the fore-
  most armorsmith in the elemental style of armor design. Like 
  other elemental stylists, his works incorporate smooth ﬂ owing 
  lines, with elemental iconography and uniquely tinted steel 
  that highlights certain elemental themes. An Air-aspected 
  Dragon-Blooded of uncertain origins, Windrunner is also 
  an amazing jadesmith and artiﬁ cer, though he rarely crafts 
  artifact armor any longer, having grown weary of sneering 
  legion ofﬁ cers marching off into the Threshold somewhere 
  and losing his work.
  TOWNS
  Yarrowstalk (Pop. 8,000): The river-port town of Yar-
  rowstalk has fallen on bad times. Once a major stop on the 
  river route between Lord’s Crossing and Arjuf, trade and travel 
  in general has lessened with the tensions of late. More than 
  this, though, Yarrowstalk is the headquarters for the Ofﬁ ce 
  of Harmony, the bureaucracy of the Wyld Hunt. Although 
  the Ofﬁ ce of Harmony receives the support of its governor 
  (Ledaal Zavel, an un-Exalted Dynast of House Ledaal), the 
  locals are a little less supportive.
  With times as hard as they’ve become, they see that the 
  Wyld Hunt’s members do nothing to bolster their economy. 
  The Wyld Hunt considers whoring and drinking unseemly, 
  regardless of how it might put coin in the purses of locals. 
  Therefore, the low tension builds between the locals and 
  those who serve at the Ofﬁ ce of Harmony and the nearby 
  Wyld Hunt manse known as the Azimuth Spire.
  THE HOUSE OF BELLS
  The House of Bells is one of the four prestigious secondary 
  schools of the Blessed Isle. A military academy meant to turn 
  out not simply soldiers, but competent military leaders and 
  heroes of the Dragon-Blooded Dynasty, the House of Bells is 
  the ﬁ rst step for those who seek a great future in the legions. 
  By unspoken tradition, those who have ﬂ unked out of the 
  House of Bells will never hold a position of leadership in the 
  Imperial Army. Those in power in the legions who themselves 
  did graduate from the House of Bells make sure of that.
  TEACHERS
  Most of the instructors of the House of Bells are retired 
  legionnaires who have a vested interest in making sure that 
  circumstances have, thanks to skilled governors and prefects 
  and the wise governing of House Ledaal. House Ledaal quite 
  carefully oversees infrastructural and civic necessities, and 
  more than a few of its scions are themselves ﬁ ne architects, 
  city planners and sorcerers employed to aid in the improve-
  ment of the city using Exalted magics.
  Arjuf is the most important port on the Blessed Isle, and it 
  boasts an incredibly huge bazaar, the Arjuf Market. Ships dock-
  ing in the city have their portage fees halved if they sell goods 
  in the market, so it has an incredible variety of things for sale. 
  It outshines even the markets of the Imperial City for the sheer 
  variety of products, although the ﬁ nest and most expensive items 
  are usually reserved for the capital of the Scarlet Empire.
  House Ledaal uses Arjuf as a port for its Threshold 
  explorations. Moreover, the Imperial Merchant Fleet, re-
  sponsible for patrolling the coastlines of the Blessed Isle, 
  and for preventing piracy near the island, is based out of 
  Arjuf as well.
  NISHIMO
  Population: 6,400
  Governor: Carver Bear, an overweight former quarry 
  master. Many in the city blame the Carver family for 
  Nishimo’s misfortunes, and Bear doesn’t usually listen to 
  such talk without answering with violence. “Bear-baiting” 
  has become something of a local spectator sport, so Bear has 
  become something of a recluse.
  Once a booming quarry town that grew into a full city in 
  the span of a generation or two, Nishimo was almost entirely 
  abandoned after the quarry ran dry and its workers had to ﬁ nd 
  work elsewhere. Only a few buildings made of the original 
  local marble remain, as they were pulled down and sold for 
  the marble during the hardest times, replaced by ramshackle 
  wooden buildings in some cases. In others, there are simply 
  empty, rubble- and weed-strewn mud lots where houses once 
  stood, pock-marking the face of the city.
  Criminals and bandits have taken up residence here, 
  ranging out occasionally to prey on those prefectures that 
  possess fewer defenses. At one point, Nishimo was in danger 
  of becoming an openly bandit-dominated city, until House 
  Ledaal dispatched one of its Dragon-Blooded daughters to 
  identify and destroy the bandit leaders and installed Ledaal 
  mercenaries in the city.
  TUCHARA
  Population: 21,000
  Governor: Sweetsky Swan, the eldest son of the patri-
  cian Sweetsky family. Though not an artist himself, Swan 
  is well known as a patron of the arts, sometimes paying the 
  apprenticeship fees for promising young artists, in return for 
  receiving incredible works from them for his family’s collec-
  tion once they have attained skill and experience.
  Tuchara began as an artist’s colony, situated at a crossroads 
  between iron ore mines and silver mines. As a result, many of 
  the best smiths in Arjuf Dominion ended up here. In a short 
  
  121
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  the cadets are taught, ﬁ rst and foremost, how not to endan-
  ger their fellows. These instructors are terribly harsh and 
  demanding. The closest a cadet gets to praise in the House 
  of Bells is when an instructor stops actively haranguing him 
  for that day. In all other respects, the abuse—both physical 
  and verbal—comes nonstop. Even if a given cadet is damn 
  near perfect, she can be taken to task for allowing one of her 
  squad-mates not to excel.
  The dominie of the House of Bells is Cathak Eli, a Fire-
  aspected grandson of Cathak Cainan and a driven taskmaster. 
  He carefully watches his instructors to make sure that they 
  are rendering an appropriate military education to the cadets 
  that he considers his property from the moment they arrive 
  until graduation. Some of the other instructors include:
  • Dojin: An Earth-aspected outcaste who served for many 
  years in the Imperial Army, Dojin fought beside Cathak Eli 
  for most of their mutual career. Dojin and Eli began as rivals, 
  the Dynast often taunting the young graduate of Pasiap’s Stair 
  for his lack of lineage. But Dojin’s personal honor always 
  prevented any retaliation, and when the young soldier saved 
  Eli’s life when their legion encountered Fair Folk in the South, 
  Eli’s opinion of the young outcaste changed dramatically. 
  From that day forward, Dojin and Eli have been inseparable, 
  and there are whispers that they are lovers.
  • Tepet Chaio: A woman of great honor, Chaio is very 
  sensitive to her family’s recent loss. Those who speak dis-
  missively of the tragedy or berate Tepet cadets for the loss 
  of the Tepet Legions earn Chaio’s unending ire, and she is 
  both vindictive and unforgiving. She expects unﬂ inching 
  excellence from all Tepet cadets, however, and often drives 
  them to exhaustion, urging them toward improvement by 
  whispering a litany that consists of the names of the Tepet 
  scions who died in the engagement with the Bull of the North. 
  She considers her great-uncle Tepet Arada a base traitor for 
  his ﬂ ight after the destruction, and she would like nothing 
  more than permission to ﬁ nd him.
  • Ledaal Mazhorie: The battleﬁ eld sorcery instructor, 
  Mazhorie is an Air-aspected master of Terrestrial sorcery and is 
  also quite skilled at dealing with spirits in wartime situations. 
  He teaches Dragon-Bloods not simply how to use sorcerous 
  advantages tactically, but how to combat them.
  STUDENT LIFE
  Students, who are called cadets, who arrive in the same 
  year are grouped into a single unit. Within each such unit, the 
  cadets are divided into squads, and each squad does everything 
  together: attends lectures, eats, trains and ﬁ ghts other squads 
  and class years. There is a strong rivalry between naval cadets 
  and the rest of the House of Bells cadets, and ﬁ ghts between 
  naval and regular cadets are incredibly frequent.
  Individual cadets do not get graded. Squads do, though, 
  and the testing here is such that the weakest link in a 
  squad is almost always revealed. Thus does the House of 
  Bells emphasize the need to see that one’s fellows are as 
  strong as possible, encouraging the weak to work hard and 
  
  122
  of the Great Houses, should it come to civil war. The dominie and 
  instructors of the House of Bells are some of the ﬁ nest warriors 
  in the Realm, and they wield potent weapons given to them by 
  their Houses or the Realm for service rendered.
  WONDERS
  Most of the manses of Arjuf Dominion are claimed by 
  House Ledaal. Of course, House Ledaal is quite supportive 
  of the Immaculate Order, so quite a few of these manses are 
  leased to the Order for use as monasteries and temples, and, 
  in one case, as a base for the Wyld Hunt.
  The Azimuth Spire (Air Manse •••••):
  The Azimuth Spire (Air Manse •••••): The Azimuth 
  Spire, though a powerful manse owned by House Ledaal, was 
  rendered to the Immaculate Order and Wyld Hunt as an 
  act of piety on the part of the House. Since that time, it has 
  become the primary headquarters for the Wyld Hunt.
  The Palace of Vines (Wood Manse •••••):
  The Palace of Vines (Wood Manse •••••): The Palace 
  of Vines is the massive, ancestral holding of House Ledaal 
  in Arjuf Dominion, found a day’s ride west of Arjuf proper. 
  Currently under the household of elder Ledaal Caros, most 
  members of House Ledaal have memories of time spent in 
  its vine-covered halls, picking sweet berries from sunny, 
  tucked-away alcoves while their elders met in council to 
  discuss the family’s future.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  Arjuf Dominion boasts quite a number of important 
  personages to the well-being of the Realm.
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Ledaal Maris, the mortal daughter of Ledaal Kemar, 
  a powerful Dragon-Blooded sorcerer. Maris is ruthless and cun-
  ning, with one trait that makes her stand out from others in her 
  position—she is fanatically loyal to her father. It is a common 
  knowledge among the Great Houses that Maris and Kemar are 
  lovers, though the two believe that their secret is unknown.
  THE WYLD HUNT
  The Wyld Hunt’s primary headquarters is in Arjuf 
  Dominion. As such, the Azimuth Spire headquarters is the 
  center of Wyld Hunt operations. Most new members of the 
  Hunt come here for training and placement at one of the 
  other chapter houses, and when an imperial or Immaculate 
  envoy pays an ofﬁ cial visit to the Wyld Hunt as a whole, it 
  is to Arjuf Dominion that he comes.
  THE MERCHANT FLEET
  The Imperial Merchant Fleet is based out of Arjuf proper, 
  and its sailors and marines swell the population of that city.
  • Fleet Admiral V’neef Ririon: The Water-aspected 
  admiral of the Merchant Fleet, Ririon is a tall, gangly 
  Dragon-Blood. Though not a particularly skilled warrior, 
  he is an incredible sailor. He is eminently competent, and 
  while not the most innovative tactician, he is intelligent 
  and thorough, providing his deliberate methods success 
  where less-diligent men might fail. He is very close to his 
  the strong to help them. A squad that suffers from a truly 
  inept squad-mate might arrange for additional work for 
  its failure, and in some cases, even go so far as to arrange 
  training accidents for its weak link.
  Five days a week, the cadets attend morning lectures in 
  the Four Keeps, receiving the ﬁ nest training in tactics, strat-
  egy, military history, battleﬁ eld sorcery and logistics. During 
  the afternoon, they are in the yard, practicing the nuances 
  of direct combat and the techniques for putting what they 
  learn in morning class into action.
  Occasionally, squads of cadets are taken into the wil-
  dernesses nearby and simply left there to put in practice the 
  techniques of wartime survival and guerilla warfare they are 
  taught. These expeditions usually take up days on end and 
  are quite hazardous.
  It is not uncommon for fatalities and severe injuries to 
  occur in training. Although skilled healers are on hand, a 
  few fatalities occur every year. Cadets who die in training are 
  buried in the Cadet’s Rest, the small graveyard that visitors 
  and new students to the House of Bells ride through on their 
  way to the main compound.
  LAYOUT
  The House of Bells sprawls over several leagues of terri-
  tory found southwest of Arjuf, south of the Great Coast Road. 
  Its grounds include a variety of ﬁ elds, a stretch of shoreline 
  where amphibious assaults are practiced and a stretch of rocky 
  terrain. A ﬁ ve-foot-high stone wall surrounds the entirety of 
  the House of Bells compound, pierced by ﬁ ve gates.
  A pair of villages called Sword and Shield stands on 
  these grounds, intended primarily to provide food and menial 
  labor for the House of Bells. These two villages have also 
  been used in training exercises for assaulting and defending 
  structured battleﬁ elds. They are also preferred off-hours rec-
  reational spots. Both of the villages have a couple of bars and 
  teahouses, and Sword even maintains a brothel. Shield, with 
  its less-impressive facilities is intended for lower classmen. 
  Any student of less than four years who is found at Sword by 
  upper classmen is usually beaten within an inch of his life.
  The buildings on the grounds include the Students’ 
  Compound, a series of barracks, one for each of the seven 
  years that can be found here, as well as facilities for eating, 
  clothing care, hygiene and an armory. Nearby stands the 
  Five Keeps, a set of large buildings set up with lecture halls 
  and the living facilities of the instructors.
  There are also miscellaneous buildings and structures 
  scattered on the House of Bell’s grounds, including Fort 
  Misery, meant for the practice of siege warfare. Finally, along 
  the coast, is a fortiﬁ ed military dock called the Port of Bells, 
  meant for the training of Imperial Navy cadets.
  DEFENSES
  The House of Bells is defended by all of its students. All of 
  them know that at any given time, they could be called upon to 
  give their lives in the defense of this academy—even against one 
  
  123
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  family and often spends time with his wife and children in 
  his estate outside Arjuf.
  HOUSE LEDAAL
  House Ledaal claims Arjuf Dominion as its ancestral ﬁ ef. 
  As a dominion, Arjuf Dominion must be governed by one of 
  the Great Houses, a task to which House Ledaal was assigned 
  when that change was made. Although it has proven to be 
  something of a drain on Ledaal resources, the House has 
  made Arjuf Dominion run smoothly and without problems, 
  administrating the bureaucratic processes and defense of this 
  area almost ﬂ awlessly. Those members of House Ledaal who 
  do not grow up in the Imperial City likely call one of the 
  many Ledaal estates of Arjuf Dominion home.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  THE JAEN-HA PLAINS
  The other prefectures of the Jaen-ha Plains exist in 
  Arjuf Dominion’s shadow. The southerly prefectures are 
  major agricultural centers, growing ﬁ elds of sugar cane and 
  raising pigs, while those found farther north are excellent 
  pasturelands for cattle, horses and sheep.
  THE PLAINS OF RUSTED IRON
  The Plains of Rusted Iron are broad plains scattered with 
  ﬁ elds of clay just under the surface of thin, poor soil. Agriculture 
  is difﬁ cult here, save along the shores of the Serpentine River. Far 
  more common are potters and porcelain-makers, craftsmen who 
  have learned to use the abundant clay of the lowlands between 
  the shore and the Serpentine River to craft ﬁ ne works of art. 
  Nonetheless, true craftsmen in these areas are rare, and most 
  folk tend small ﬁ elds of mediocre crops that probably wouldn’t 
  grow if not for the presence of auspicious dragon lines carrying 
  Essence of enrichment from the Imperial Mountain.
  The Plains of Rusted Iron have been named thus because 
  they are the site of many ancient battleﬁ elds. There are more 
  archaeological digs here than anywhere else in the Blessed 
  Isle save the foot of the Imperial Mountain. Most are either 
  sites where great battles of the First Age or Shogunate Era 
  took place or the funereal grounds that resulted from those 
  battles, with mighty domed burial sites built entirely of deep, 
  red clay the color of rusted iron.
  RADAMANT PREFECTURE
  One of the many large prefectures of the Plains of Rusted 
  Iron, Radamant is of a large size for the same reason that most 
  of the others are: There are too few large cities in this area 
  of the Blessed Isle and too few settlements in general. It is a 
  bit more prosperous, due to having a coastline from which it 
  might ﬁ sh and harvest its own shells (so as to avoid having 
  to buy them from Diu Xie), but Radamant is quite like most 
  of the other prefectures here, save for one thing…
  Deep in its interior, in a valley that springtime ﬂ oods ﬁ ll with 
  water and clay, lies the Stalwart Temple. Its walls are covered 
  with a layer of caked-on clay, but those who happen upon it can 
  tell that it is clearly an ancient manse. Reaching it is treacher-
  ous, however, for it requires navigating through wet clay-ﬁ elds 
  that can swallow horses and riders entire. A small court of earth 
  and water elementals dwells here, and the gods are still bound 
  by ancient pacts to defend the Stalwart Temple.
  Although those masters that bound them there were 
  destroyed long ago, the Stalwart Temple—a Solar manse 
  (with a three-dot rating) and temple to the Unconquered 
  Sun—yet remains undiscovered. The spirits here hide it, 
  working together to sink it in mire and conceal its presence by 
  illusions and misdirection. They tell tales among themselves 
  of the Radiant Dowager, an ancient Solar queen, who will one 
  day return here to reclaim the treasures she left behind.
  THE STORM COAST AND 
  THE AHBREM VALLEY
  The land between the Storm Coast and the northern 
  shores of the Serpentine River is often called the Ahbrem 
  Valley, for the mountain range that cuts directly from the 
  western coast to the Dragon’s Nest Range. The lands here 
  are quite wealthy and prosperous. In fact, it is likely that, 
  should another dominion ever be established from among 
  the Blessed Island’s prefectures, it will be here.
  The prefectures of the Storm Coast and the Ahbrem 
  Valley are agricultural centers. Along the rivers are many 
  rice paddies, with other agriculture (particularly tobacco, 
  grains and other field-crops) ranging farther from the 
  rivers. Mining is also prevalent in these areas, with the 
  foothills of the Ahbrem Mountains pockmarked with 
  mines and quarries.
  THE AHBREM MOUNTAINS
  Like most of the major mountain ranges on the Blessed 
  Isle, the Ahbrem Mountains are believed to be a dragon. Un-
  like the dragons of the Mhaltin and Dhorash ranges, however, 
  the dragon Ahbrem is thought to be kindly, like a favored 
  uncle who is fond of giving gifts. Most of the peasants of the 
  Ahbrem Valley understand that their prosperity comes, in 
  one fashion or another, from the mountains. Indeed, the Im-
  maculate Order is very careful to make sure that no cults to 
  the dragon Ahbrem pop up in the wake of such superstitions. 
  (It should be noted, though, that the Immaculate Order is 
  unaware of any such dragon, if it does exist.)
  CLIMATE
  The Storm Coast is named that for a reason. Much of the 
  year, storms come rolling in off the ocean, crashing on the 
  Ahbrem Valley with great displays of thunder and lightning. 
  Spring sees gentler weather, and late-summer and early-au-
  tumn hurricanes are rare, though not unheard of. Perhaps 
  the bitterest time, though, is during the terrible blizzards of 
  winter, when howling Northern winds descend on the low-
  lands between the coast and the Ahbrem Mountains.
  
  124
  ANIMALS
  As with most of the Blessed Isle, wild animals are fairly 
  rare here. Domesticated animals are quite plentiful, with a 
  hardy breed of cattle bred to withstand extreme weather, and 
  many sheep and goats roaming along the mountain ranges 
  that mark the eastern and southern border of these lowlands. 
  Of note, however, are the hearth-cats of Stargazer Prefecture, 
  highly sought-after living relics of the First Age.
  EAGLE PREFECTURE
  Eagle Prefecture is called the Gateway to the West. It 
  is also considered the ancestral home of House Sesus. Eagle 
  Prefecture is quite far off from the bustle of the Imperial City 
  and from the desperate bureaucracy at the foot of the Imperial 
  Mountain. It is a serene place, overlooking the West.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Most of Eagle Prefecture is coastal or riverside, and ﬁ sh is one 
  of the major foodstuffs of the people here. Most of the farmable 
  land here is used as pastureland, to provide milk, cheese and meat 
  to sell for high prices to the islands off the western coast.
  CITIES
  EAGLE’S LAUNCH
  Population: 16,000
  Governor: Orchid Sand is the son of the prefect. Al-
  though his father is of House Sesus, Sand doesn’t have the 
  same loyalty to that House. Even as a child, he could tell 
  that it was watching him carefully. He worked to please the 
  Great House, until he realized that his only worth was based 
  on whether or not he Exalted. He has not and is unlikely to 
  do so at this point. Indeed, he will happily take bribes from 
  merchants who seek to make their passage easier, effectively 
  countering his mother’s efforts to harass them.
  Eagle’s Launch is a major port city along the western 
  shore, and it boasts a deeply impressive market, with all man-
  ner of goods from the sea and the traders of the West. Eagle’s 
  Launch is also home to a variety of siaka- and whale-hunters, 
  and these adventurers bring great riches to the city as well. 
  (They also liven things up occasionally by hanging a new 
  siaka corpse off a 50-foot platform at the Great Docks.)
  TOWNS
  Cloaka (Pop. 1,800): Prism Flame acts as the governor 
  of Cloaka, and with good reason—her family is the rich-
  est and most inﬂ uential clan of patricians in the area. The 
  Prism clan breeds ﬁ remanes, incredibly fast horses known for 
  their brilliant red manes. Every summer, the city of Cloaka 
  hosts a series of horse races, a third of which are open only 
  to Dragon-Blooded horsemen, allowing them to compete 
  against one another for ﬁ ne rewards, including the pick of 
  the Prism herds.
  Glalo (Pop. 750): Glalo is a small ﬁ shing town that 
  has slowly readopted a body of quaint traditions from the 
  prefecture’s past. In truth, these practices are the beginnings 
  of a full-on heresy, leading to the worship of a variety of 
  small, local gods. Unfortunately, a traveling Ragara recently 
  discovered this state of affairs and reported it back to the 
  Immaculate Order.
  Guin (Pop. 600): In contrast to Glalo, Guin is a river 
  town made up of fanatical adherents of the Immaculate 
  Philosophy. Unfortunately, this fanaticism recently led to 
  the torture and murder of an old couple for “unwholesomely 
  propitiating spirits” (i.e., putting out milk for a materialized 
  cat-spirit). This barbaric act shocked the town, whose people 
  have covered the fact up out of fear of punishment. Mean-
  while, a terrible river dragon has begun eating livestock and 
  threatening ﬁ shermen, who must now go farther from their 
  homes to escape its hunting grounds. Many believe that the 
  river dragon was sent as punishment for the atrocity they 
  committed, and the town is afraid to report it, for fear that 
  its secret will be uncovered.
  WONDERS
  Most of the manses in Eagle Prefecture belong to House 
  Sesus, with the Immaculate Order’s monastery-manses and 
  imperial holdings running a close second and third.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Orchid Coral, a woman of tremendous politi-
  cal inﬂ uence acts as the prefect for Eagle Prefecture. She is 
  married to the Dynast Sesus Lilon, an un-Exalted scion of 
  House Sesus. As a result of her marriage, she is quite loyal to 
  House Sesus, which pays her quite well. She tends to badger 
  those merchants and others who travel from Eagle’s Landing 
  to the Peleps-held Tongma Isle.
  HOUSE SESUS
  House Sesus considers Eagle Prefecture to be its ancestral 
  holding away from the Imperial City. In recent years, it has 
  worked to have Eagle Prefecture and some of the surrounding 
  prefectures declared a dominion.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  THE STORM COAST
  The majority of the prefectures in the Storm Coast and 
  Ahbrem Valley are agricultural or coastal prefectures, with 
  a smattering of mining towns.
  AYREON PREFECTURE
  Ayreon is an all-but-forgotten prefecture in the area. Ignored 
  by Dynasts for quite a long time, it is an excellent example of a 
  prefecture that develops in the shadow of the Great Houses, but 
  beneath their notice. Dominated by a guild of weaponsmiths 
  known as the Talon League and the Starfall patrician clan, 
  Ayreon is home to both fanatical Immaculate devotees and 
  heresies worshiping a lion god deep in the hills.
  
  125
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  STARGAZER PREFECTURE
  Like many of its neighboring prefectures, Stargazer 
  began as a simple agricultural prefecture, growing crops to 
  feed the rest of the Blessed Isle. But perhaps 300 years ago, 
  the prefect of Stargazer Prefecture, Stargazer Aveal, made 
  an interesting discovery in an old library: a book that talked 
  about a variety of ancient wonders of the First Age. Among 
  them were descriptions of a kind of cat that generated a great 
  deal of heat, sufﬁ cient to maintain a comfortable tempera-
  ture around itself. Most interestingly, however, its physical 
  description bore similarities to many of the domesticated 
  cats of the region.
  So this prefect and her family, the Stargazer clan, un-
  dertook a program in secret, attempting to breed the ancient 
  hearth-cats back into existence. For years, they bred the cats, 
  encouraging the development of those animals that showed 
  the traits of the ancient hearth-cat. Then, after 50 years of 
  trial and error, the ﬁ rst hearth-cat seen in Creation since the 
  twilight years of the First Age was born.
  The Stargazer clan presented the creatures to the Scarlet 
  Empress in court, and she was so pleased with the rediscovery 
  that she ofﬁ cially changed the name of the prefecture to their 
  family name. She also named the Stargazers the Imperial 
  Keepers of the Bloodlines of Hearth-Cats and forbade anyone 
  else to breed the animals, save by permission of the Stargazer 
  family. Now the family is quite rich and inﬂ uential, with many 
  breeding catteries and more than 14 separate bloodlines of 
  hearth-cats, which must be carefully cultivated to maintain 
  their unique abilities.
  TONGMA ISLAND
  Save for a few coastal areas, Tongma Island is sparsely 
  populated. Between the occasional pirate raid and other 
  dangers from the sea, life can be fairly difﬁ cult on the island. 
  A few farming communities exist toward the center of the 
  island, away from the coast, but they don’t produce sufﬁ cient 
  food to feed the whole of its population.
  CLIMATE
  Tongma Island sees ﬁ ne temperate island weather, with 
  bright, warm summers and chilly winters with plenty of 
  freezing rain. Lush spring storms often blow from the West 
  during spring, providing ﬁ ne, salt-scented warm showers 
  that often turn into near-typhoons during late summer and 
  early autumn. The occasional typhoon blows in from out of 
  a stormy Western horizon, but for the most part, Tongma 
  Island’s weather systems are tame and comfortable.
  ANIMALS
  Tongma is home to an incredible variety of sea birds, 
  as well as a cove of sea lions along its northern shore, in 
  Sharu Prefecture. Other animals, including a breed of 
  monkeys brought to the island from the West that have 
  adapted to the cooler temperatures of Tongma, make their 
  homes here. Tongma also boasts a population of boar and 
  herds of wild deer in the ample wilderness areas in the 
  center of the island.
  WAVEHOLD PREFECTURE
  The central prefecture of Tongma Island, Wavehold 
  Prefecture is home to the Water Fleet, perhaps the largest 
  of the Imperial Navy’s ﬂ eets. Wavehold Prefecture is almost 
  entirely a naval prefecture, existing to provide one of the 
  naval ﬂ eets a headquarters. It is only in the last 50 years or 
  so that Wavehold has served the function. Before then, the 
  Water Fleet was based out of Eagle Prefecture. It soon outgrew 
  the bustling trading port, however, and the Imperial Navy 
  moved its port of call across the stretch of sea that separates 
  Tongma Island from the rest of the Blessed Isle.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  Wavehold Prefecture occupies the tallest points on Tongma 
  Island. From the center of Wavehold, land sweeps downward 
  toward the other prefectures. Away from the coasts, the land 
  is fairly green and rolling, with more than a few naturally wild 
  areas. The biggest of these forests, the High Wood, is said to 
  be home to a mighty stag. According to local legends, it is the 
  God-Blooded get of the forest god of the High Wood.
  CITIES
  PORT WAVEHOLD
  Population: 24,500
  Governor: Peleps Haru seeks to rectify the shame of his 
  not Exalting by being at the forefront of his House’s efforts to 
  seize power on Tongma Island. To this end, he has installed 
  spies in nearly every settlement of the over 300 that dot the 
  island and is quickly ferreting out which bureaucrats in his 
  employ do not work for him.
  Port Wavehold is somewhat of a ramshackle city, as its 
  large size is a very new phenomenon. When the Imperial 
  Navy moved the port of call for the Water Fleet away from 
  Eagle’s Launch, it chose the then-smaller Port Wavehold for 
  the honor of hosting it. Shortly thereafter, the city’s popula-
  tion swelled dramatically, forcing the city bureaucracy to 
  mandate a quick upswing in the infrastructure that nearly 
  decimated its funds. It stabilized within a few years, though, 
  and is now a bustling port city.
  The city sits on a fairly steep downward slope that over-
  looks a deep-water harbor bordered by a crescent of land. 
  On the outer horns of this crescent are two large pillars of 
  red and black jade that burn with ﬁ re eternally, powered by 
  a dragon line that runs the curve of the harbor. The docks 
  here are impressively extensive, and the city is divided into 
  three sections, separated by height on the slope and acces-
  sible among one another though tunnels into the slope upon 
  which they are built. These three sections are Docktown, the 
  Commons and Upslope, where patrician, Dynastic and rich 
  merchant holdings overlook the rest of the city.
  
  126
  WONDERS
  The manses and similar areas of Wavehold are not 
  speciﬁ cally held by any one faction. The Immaculate Order 
  and the Water Fleet hold quite a few of the manses here, 
  using them for their purposes, and now that House Peleps 
  has turned its eye to the islands surrounding the Blessed Isle, 
  it has begun securing several of these as well.
  NOTEWORTHY PERSONAE
  GOVERNMENT FIGURES
  Prefect: Seagull Star acts as the appointed prefect. A 
  member of one of the Five Families of Tongma, Star is doing 
  everything in his power to prevent the usurpation of power that 
  House Peleps clearly plans. Unfortunately, he is hard pressed to 
  resist the Essence-powered administrative tricks that a skilled 
  Dragon-Blooded bureaucrat has at his disposal.
  Admiral of the Water Fleet: Ledaal Calin is the admiral 
  of the Water Fleet, and he takes his job quite seriously. He is 
  loyal to the Imperial Navy as a whole, but he is not willing to 
  use his position to help House Peleps seize power on Tongma 
  Island, perhaps the primary reason why it has not done so. 
  He has also forbidden the men under him from taking part 
  in such activities.
  Elements within House Peleps have sought to get the man 
  removed from power, but cooler heads have prevailed. After 
  all, House Peleps must maintain a certain number of admiral-
  ties in the hands of other Houses. Additionally, the man is 
  superbly suited for the job, and the Empress herself appointed 
  him. Finally, no one really wants to be the admiral of the Water 
  Fleet. The real reason House Peleps does not remove him is 
  simple: He is an admiral of incredible skill, and should House 
  Peleps seek to dominate the waters of the Inland Sea, they 
  don’t want Ledaal Calin as part of the opposition.
  HOUSE PELEPS
  Since the disappearance of the Empress, House Peleps 
  has chosen to absent itself from the race of those seeking to 
  hold the Scarlet Throne. Its scions have not turned their 
  backs on power, however. Instead, they have decided to use 
  this opportunity to cement their hold on as many of the 
  small, bureaucratically unimportant islands that surround 
  the Blessed Isle as they can. House Peleps has brought a 
  great deal of its resources to bear on this island, sending 
  in groups of bureaucrats and spies to determine who holds 
  the power. It is only a matter of time before it belongs to 
  House Peleps.
  THE FIVE FAMILIES
  The ﬁ ve most powerful families on Tongma Island 
  maintain a long-standing alliance with one another, work-
  ing to keep the lesser families in their places and power 
  in their own hands. Never have they been more pressed 
  than with the coming of the Peleps. Clans Seagull, Blue-
  star, Wave, Sweetwind and Sealion ﬁ nd themselves hard 
  pressed. Their only defense is their secrecy. Not even the 
  Peleps realize how much inﬂ uence the families wield. It is 
  only a matter of time before they do, however, and the Five 
  Families fear what might happen once that occurs. They 
  pray for a resolution to the question of the Scarlet Throne, 
  that they might request an interdiction from the Imperial 
  Bureaucracy on this matter.
  OTHER PREFECTURES OF 
  TONGMA ISLAND
  The other two prefectures of Tongma are simple farming 
  and ﬁ shing prefectures, for the most part.
  THE SILK & PEARL PENINSULA
  The Silk & Pearl Peninsula is the closest thing to an 
  untamed frontier the Blessed Isle has. Although it was clearly 
  populated in the past—ruins all over the place attest to this 
  fact—the population here hasn’t risen signiﬁ cantly since the 
  Great Contagion. The cities here are bureaucratic necessities. 
  Rather than placing a prefectural government in a convenient 
  large town, more than one of the cities of the peninsula was 
  established by the Imperial Bureaucracy for the purpose of 
  making it grow to meet the government’s needs.
  The majority of the settlements here are ﬁ shing villages and 
  small trading port towns. The cities themselves serve as centers 
  of trade, taking the extensive goods produced by the settlements 
  and shipping them elsewhere on the island for sale.
  The shallow seabeds that surround the peninsula are rarely 
  of any real use for large ships. Only light ships are able to get 
  anywhere near the shore. These shallows are home to count-
  less miles of clam and oyster beds, which are the main product 
  of the peninsula’s ﬁ shing villages. The clams are coveted all 
  over the Blessed Isle for their rich taste, and the oysters here 
  provide the pearls for which this area is justly known.
  Further inland is a wilderness, but not of trees. These lands 
  show deﬁ nite signs of having once been agricultural ﬁ elds, but 
  now they are merely the home to mile after mile of towering, 
  whistling bamboo. Some of these forests have been cleared and 
  the land planted with the already-native mulberry bushes, in 
  order to cultivate silk-worms and the ﬁ ne pearlsilk of the Silk 
  & Pearl Peninsula, coveted for its strange, ethereal sheen and 
  incredibly high price. The silk-makers here craft other, lesser 
  forms of silk as well, for more common purchasers.
  CLIMATE
  The Silk & Pearl Peninsula is well known as a balmy, 
  warm place, with gentle rains during the warm months of the 
  year. Winters tend toward mildness, and the warm, wet air 
  here tends to create large banks of fog most mornings, turning 
  the bamboo forests into places of eerie, ghostly silence. The 
  weather here is tended by the Principality of the Shore .
  ANIMALS
  The coastal areas are home to a variety of ﬁ sh and 
  large sea serpents, as well as the occasional pod of whales. 
  
  127
  CHAPTER FIVE • THE LAND
  The farms here possess many of the typical domesticated 
  animals, though smaller goats are preferred over cattle 
  for milk. The forests of bamboo are home to a variety of 
  animals, from small groups of wild pigs (not quite large or 
  fearsome enough to be truly called “boars”) and a sizeable 
  population of pandas.
  NOTEWORTHY PREFECTURES
  For the most part, the prefectures of the Silk & Pearl 
  Peninsula are unremarkable. The prefectures themselves 
  are quite large, due to the scarcity of settlements in the 
  peninsula. There are too few large cities that are capable 
  of acting as prefectural capitals, so those cities that do 
  exist are required to oversee villages many times farther 
  away than is normal. Most of these prefectures are reached 
  by the Bamboo Road, a circular road that cuts directly 
  through the incredible forest of bamboo in the center of 
  the peninsula. It is not unknown for bandits to lurk among 
  these dense groves, waiting for traveling merchants and 
  other easy prey.
  THE DAOSHIN PENINSULA
  The Daoshin Peninsula is sparsely populated, with large 
  prefectural borders due to the difﬁ culty of ﬁ nding appropri-
  ately sized cities to act as capitals of those prefectures. The 
  Daoshin Peninsula’s prefectures are sparsely populated due 
  to deliberate efforts, though, as their farms have been long 
  since overworked, leaving much of the soil dry and dusty.
  A decade ago, it was decided that the land here needed 
  assistance. The Empress established the Ministry of Renewal, 
  a special and temporary bureaucracy meant to reestablish 
  the lands in the peninsula as rich, productive farmland. 
  This ministry consists of the prefects of all the prefectures 
  in Daoshin, as well as three Immaculate monks and a pair of 
  Heptagram geomancers, and it is overseen by Ragara Usha, a 
  Wood-aspected graduate of the Spiral Academy, appointed 
  as the Minister of Renewal.
  One of this minister’s ﬁ rst undertakings was to uproot 
  the population of half the villages in the prefectures. These 
  people were then moved to the Isle of Eternal Leaves, a large 
  forested island off the coast of Daoshin that had recently been 
  divided into two prefectures. These families were taught log-
  ging techniques, allowing them to continue to be productive 
  by providing lumber to the needs of the Realm.
  In the meantime, the prefects work to renew the farms 
  that now lie abandoned, adding in soil components long since 
  leached out. The Immaculates work with the spirits of the 
  area, urging them to assist in the renewal of the land, as is 
  their mandate under Heaven. (In some cases, they are assured 
  a higher importance on the Immaculate Calendar in order 
  to provide them with the Essence they need to work these 
  miracles.) Meanwhile, the geomancers work to improve the 
  power of the local dragon lines of fertility, aiding the work 
  of the spirits through sorcery and geomancy.
  By current estimates, the farms currently abandoned 
  will be perfectly renewed in two years. At that time, the 
  ministry will oversee the return of those families to their 
  original homes, while leaving them the option of remain-
  ing and continuing to act as loggers and lumberjacks should 
  they choose. Then, the second batch of farms will have to 
  be abandoned, with those families moving either onto farms 
  that are now abandoned or to the Isle of Eternal Leaves to 
  work themselves.
  The Ministry of Renewal estimates that in ﬁ ve years, 
  it will have the entire Daoshin Prefecture producing more 
  crops than it has in generations, as well as having established 
  a new lumber economy for the prefectures.
  CLIMATE
  The Daoshin Peninsula receives many dry, warm winds 
  from the South. This, combined with the slow degradation 
  of the soil to a dry, dusty mass, was beginning to transform 
  the formerly green ﬁ elds of its prefectures into dry patches 
  occasionally blown over by blinding dust storms. That 
  condition has begun to improve somewhat, with the steps 
  taken by the Ministry of Renewal, but the hot, dry winds 
  still chase away much of the moisture of summer days. The 
  Daoshin Peninsula is spared most terrible sea-storms by the 
  Isle of Eternal Leaves.
  ANIMALS
  The Daoshin Peninsula proper has very few true wilder-
  ness areas left. The farms there usually maintain domesticated 
  animals, but just in numbers sufﬁ cient to sustain a family. The 
  Daoshin Peninsula is not a ranching or herding locale.
  The Island of Eternal Leaves is a different story. Large 
  herds of wild deer roam the forests here, as do wolves, boars 
  and bears. Large raptors and strix can be found here as well, 
  and the new families here are taught to watch carefully and 
  never go into the forests alone. This proliferation of good 
  hunting has attracted the attention of the Dragon-Blooded, 
  who have begun to show up here in numbers.
  EMERALD PREFECTURE
  Based around Emerald Port on its westernmost spar of 
  land, the Emerald Prefecture has seen tremendous growth in 
  the recent past. As a result, those few settlements that already 
  existed are becoming overcrowded, while other villages are 
  being founded along its outer rim.
  The forests of Emerald Prefecture are still lush and 
  impressive, clearly holding many secrets. Recently, one 
  of the ﬁ rst new lumber villages, Three Stags, discovered 
  a set of ruins from the First Age. Although the explorers 
  activated some kind of automaton defense that killed those 
  brave enough to enter the ruins, it was clear that the place 
  was a manse, lined with moonsilver in vital locations. 
  The local prefect believes that this is some temple of the 
  Anathema from the First Age and has dispatched a request 
  for assistance.
  
  128
  Arjuf Dominion
  Arjuf Dominion, a Magnitude 6 Dominion
  Military:
  Military: 2 
  Government:
  Government: 3 
  Culture:
  Culture: 4
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Awareness 3 (Heliograph +1), Bureaucracy 3, Craft 3 (Famed Metalworkers +3), Integrity 2 (Religious 
  Edict +1), Investigation 2 (Wyld Hunt Presence +3), Occult 2 (Immaculate Alliance with the Red Tables +3), 
  Performance 3 (Organized Crime +3), Presence 3, Stealth 2, War 4 (The House of Bells +3)
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 4, Valor 3
  Virtue Flaw:
  Virtue Flaw: Temperance Current Limit:
  Current Limit: 3
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 7
  Bonus Points: 
  Bonus Points: 30 External Bonus Points:
  External Bonus Points: 10
  Notes:
  Notes: Prefect Ledaal Maris is a sorcerer with legitimacy in Arjuf Dominion. The dominion’s bonus points have been 
  used to buy one extra Temperance and Willpower, as well as for the various specialties. Arjuf’s external bonus points 
  are not assigned (allowing for easier Storyteller customization). The proﬁ ts of the dominion’s ubiquitous merchants 
  depends on the region’s stability. Therefore, its Virtue Flaw often manifests as an unwillingness of the population to 
  accept change of any sort while in Limit Break, whether that change would beneﬁ t them or not.
  Lord’s Crossing Dominion
  Lord’s Crossing Dominion, a Magnitude 6 Dominion
  Military: 
  Military: 2  
  Government:
  Government: 4 
  Culture:
  Culture: 3
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Awareness 3 (Heliograph +1), Bureaucracy 2, Craft 3 (Architectural Innovation +3), Integrity 3 (Shared 
  Loss +1), Investigation 3 (Wide Contact +3), Occult 2, Performance 3 (Fool the Populace +3), Presence 3 (Military 
  Spectacle +3), Stealth 2, War 4
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, Valor 4
  Virtue Flaw: 
  Virtue Flaw: Valor 
  Current Limit:
  Current Limit: 9
  Willpower: 
  Willpower: 8
  Bonus Points:
  Bonus Points: 30 External Bonus Points: 
  External Bonus Points: 5
  Notes:
  Notes: Prefect Carpenter Reason is the dominion’s legitimate sorcerer. Some of the dominion’s bonus points were used to 
  buy an additional dot of War and Willpower. The remainder are tied up in various specialties. Lord’s Crossing Dominion’s 
  external bonus points are not assigned (allowing for easier Storyteller customization). A region that’s always prided itself 
  on the exemplary military service of its people, the recent loss of the Tepet legions has deeply wounded the dominion’s 
  pride. During Limit Break, the people of Lord’s Crossing lose their will to ﬁ ght, seeing loss as inevitable.
  Eagle Prefecture
  Eagle Prefecture, a Magnitude 6 Dominion
  Military:
  Military: 2 
  Government:
  Government: 3 
  Culture: 
  Culture: 4
  Abilities: 
  Abilities: Awareness 2 (Heliograph +1), Bureaucracy 2 (Well-Placed Bribe +1), Craft 3 (Public Works +3), Integrity 
  4 (Tight-Knit Heritage +2), Investigation 3 (Conduct Interviews +1, Due Diligence +2), Occult 2 (Religious Zealotry 
  +3), Performance 2, Presence 3 (Organized Crime +1), Stealth 3 (Agents Provocateurs +3), War 3
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 3
  Virtue Flaw:
  Virtue Flaw: Conviction 
  Current Limit: 
  Current Limit: 4
  Willpower: 
  Willpower: 8
  Bonus Points: 
  Bonus Points: 30 External Bonus Points: 7
  Notes: 
  Notes: Orchid Coral, the prefect, is a sorcerer with legitimacy in Eagle Prefecture. A number of it bonus points are tied 
  up in an extra dot of Temperance and of Willpower. The rest make up its specialties. The dominion’s external bonus 
  points are not assigned (allowing for easier Storyteller customization). The piety of the people of Eagle Prefecture is 
  without question (though it sometimes veers into heresy). The dominion’s Conviction Virtue Flaw often drives the 
  inhabitants to commit great atrocities in the name of religion while in Limit Break.
  
  129
  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  
  130
  CHAPTER SIX
  CHAPTER SIX
  THE HEART OF THE REALM
  THE HEART OF THE REALM
  Many of those who travel to the Scarlet Prefecture 
  think of it as only the home of the Imperial City, but the 
  capital takes up only a small portion of the prefecture itself. 
  Ranging from the most metropolitan to the most rural, and 
  from towering cliffs to gentle valleys, the Scarlet Prefecture 
  truly is a diverse region. The Imperial City represents only 
  a portion of its immeasurable variety.
  NATURAL FEATURES
  While the single most notable feature of the Scarlet 
  Prefecture is undoubtedly man-made, travelers to this region 
  are often surprised by the natural beauty of the prefecture. 
  Even that beauty, however, is as often crafted as natural, the 
  result of centuries of occupation by some of the most powerful 
  individuals in all of Creation. Regardless, whether formed by 
  nature or by the hands and wills of the Dragon-Blooded who 
  have made their home there for generations, the “natural” 
  beauty of the Scarlet Prefecture is a wonder to behold.
  GEOGRAPHY
  Although it is diminutive compared to some of the 
  sweeping prefectures that span the Blessed Isle, the Scarlet 
  Prefecture has been the single most important region in Cre-
  ation for over 700 years. A scant 150 miles wide, it stretches 
  from the Imperial City in the west to the eastern coast of 
  the Blessed Isle, where Dragonsmouth, its principal port, is 
  located. Juche Prefecture borders it on the western edge, and 
  its northern and eastern edges are coastline, following the 
  rocky shores of the Imperial Bay out to where it becomes 
  part of the Inland Sea.
  Bordered on one side by the Imperial River Basin and 
  the other by the rocky Jade Coast, the prefecture largely 
  consists of low rolling hills and shallow pastoral valleys. Near 
  the eastern edge, the land becomes decidedly more craggy. 
  The cliffs south of Yolin Am are among the highest prized 
  lands on the Blessed Isle, outside the Imperial City itself. 
  House Mnemon has a long-term lease on a manor house 
  
  131
  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  and particularly extensive grounds just south of the city, but 
  other of the Great Houses also ﬁ nd the dramatic cliff vistas 
  well worth the equally lofty lease rates.
  While the Imperial River technically ﬂ ows alongside, 
  rather than through, the Scarlet Prefecture, and it is not 
  home to any other major river systems, the area does not 
  lack for water. Thanks to the combined attentions of the 
  Children of Pasiap and Daana’d, there is not a farming com-
  munity or village in the Scarlet Prefecture without access 
  to at least a functional well to provide them fresh water. In 
  some areas, entire irrigation and aqueduct systems have been 
  commissioned, although such projects are much more com-
  mon on Dragon-Blooded estates or the wealthiest patricians 
  holdings. The vast majority of the outlying prefecture relies 
  on far simpler and less expensive methods of water distribu-
  tion. The Imperial City, of course, has the ﬁ nest and most 
  advanced water-provision system in all of Creation. The 
  Empress’s recent disappearance and the possibility of a power 
  structure change, however, have shifted attention that was 
  once placed on municipal maintenance and improvement 
  into more pertinent areas—such as political maneuvering 
  and power-mongering.
  CLIMATE
  The climate around the Scarlet Prefecture is near to 
  perfect, although how much of it is natural, and how much 
  the result of almost a millennium of constant attention from 
  Creation’s most powerful Dragon-Blooded is uncertain. Five 
  full growing seasons are possible in this area every year, and 
  those who ply their trade by tilling the soil in the region are 
  well rewarded for their labors. The gentle valleys serve to 
  provide pockets of semitropical weather almost year round, 
  while the rolling hills provide enough diversity of elevation 
  to allow for chilly weather in the heights, although hard frosts 
  are rare within the prefecture’s borders. Even the coastlines, 
  where storms would normally ﬂ ail the rocky cliffs on a regular 
  basis, are generally milder in climate than they would be 
  without the inﬂ uence of the high density of elementally 
  aspected individuals who make their homes here.
  NATURAL RESOURCES
  Eight hundred years of occupation will take their toll on 
  any area, and the Scarlet Prefecture is no exception. Much 
  of the area’s once abundant natural resources have long 
  since been depleted in the Imperial City’s incessant growth 
  over the past eight centuries, despite the Terrestrial Exalted 
  attention the region has received.
  WOODLANDS
  Especially around the Imperial City, once-forested lands 
  have been cleared to allow the area to be used for building 
  or farming. Those trees large enough to be harvested for 
  building materials have long since been incorporated into 
  dwellings, stores and craft shops within the city’s walls. As 
  the supply of building materials close to the city waned in the 
  third century of the Realm, construction teams were forced 
  to look farther and farther away for materials to keep up with 
  the ever-growing demand for new buildings. Forests across 
  the Blessed Isle were cleared to cater to the Imperial City’s 
  incessant demand for expansion. Now, the deepest forests 
  in the Scarlet Prefecture are those cultivated by the Great 
  Houses able to afford the luxury of surrounding their dwellings 
  outside of the city with large forested tracts of land.
  MINERALS
  Despite its proximity to the Elemental Pole of Earth, 
  the Imperial River Basin is not overly laden with jade or 
  other precious minerals, that being more the purview of the 
  rugged hills and mountains closer to the Imperial Mountain. 
  Occasional deposits of beryl and sapphire are discovered in 
  the southern edges of the Scarlet Prefecture, but never in 
  signiﬁ cant enough amounts to warrant a full-scale excava-
  tion operation.
  WILDLIFE
  As often happens with any area where the population 
  of cities and farmlands steadily increases, the once-wild 
  land of the Scarlet Prefecture has been tamed, and the vast 
  array of ﬂ ora and fauna that once could be found there has 
  made way for cultivated crops and domesticated animals. 
  Even more than the explosion of civilization, the presence 
  of thousands of long-lived and adventure-seeking Dragon-
  Blooded has decimated the game population of the prefecture 
  many times over.
  Once thickly populated with boar, bear and stag, as well 
  as countless smaller game species, the larger beasts have been 
  predominantly driven away from the region around the Im-
  perial City as land there is cleared for farming and dwelling 
  space. For a sizeable wild population, one must travel far away 
  from the city and the more sizeable towns of the prefecture. 
  Even these areas are nowhere near as densely endowed with 
  large game as they once were.
  A plethora of small game can be found in the prefecture, 
  ranging from hares and foxes to pheasants and quail. For 
  the most part, those animals that remain in any signiﬁ cant 
  numbers in the wild are those considered to be no challenge 
  for aspiring Dragon-Blooded hunters. Near the Imperial 
  City, however, their populations have been devastated by 
  the hungry denizens who dwell in the low-class city that has 
  sprung up outside the city’s walls. For the most part—other 
  than those on Dragon-Blooded reserves, protected by threat 
  of death from city poachers—the only non-domesticated 
  animals that remain around the Imperial City are scavengers 
  who have adapted to the spread of civilization onto their 
  once-pristine territories. Rats, crimson vultures, raccoons, 
  wild dogs and feral cats slink through the crowded alleys 
  and convoluted pathways in and around the Imperial City 
  and have created their own niche there, and to a lesser 
  degree around all of the villages, towns and cities of the 
  Scarlet Prefecture.
  
  132
  AGRICULTURE AND RURAL COMMERCE
  While the Scarlet Prefecture is no longer as richly en-
  dowed with metals or lumber as other regions of the Blessed 
  Isle are, it is nigh perfect for agriculture. Chief among the 
  agricultural crops of the area are luxury items, much in demand 
  by the Dragon-Blooded and their patrician compatriots, but 
  which do not travel well by ship or merchant caravan. These 
  crops include delicate fruits, such as caimo—whose fragile, 
  caramel-ﬂ avored ﬂ esh bruises with anything but the most 
  vigilant care—and durian—a prickly fruit that has a picking 
  season of only a single day between its green and overripe 
  stages. While farmers also plant less care-intensive crops, it 
  is the luxury items upon which they often place their hopes 
  for rising above subsistence farming.
  Of course, with delicate items, farmers prefer to be as 
  close as possible to their preferred markets. Yet, as lease rates 
  for land within a day’s travel of the Imperial City cost more 
  than most farming families could raise in an entire year, the 
  lands within a 30-mile radius of the city walls are almost 
  entirely leased to Dynasts and patricians. These extensive 
  estates host manor houses and vacation homes for those 
  who wish a respite from the hustle, bustle and crowding of 
  the Imperial City.
  Further out, however, especially in the 100 miles of land 
  between the “estate ring” and the Jade Coast, several decent-
  sized farming communities can be found, along with other 
  scattered rural undertakings. There are roughly a half dozen 
  agricultural settlements in the Scarlet Prefecture of note. A 
  few are true towns, including Nachin, Crescent Mills and the 
  immodestly named Glorious Haven. Each such town boasts 
  of thousands of permanent citizens, and each is auspiciously 
  located along a major trade road into the Imperial City. 
  Others, such as the villages of Juxu or Clear Creek, are off 
  the beaten path and consist of little more than a grouping of 
  a few dozen farm families large enough to support a simple 
  market and teahouse.
  TRANSPORTATION WITHIN 
  THE PREFECTURE
  Without the presence of major rivers within its borders, 
  much of the travel that happens within the Scarlet Prefec-
  ture is done over land. Whether on foot, riding or by cart or 
  palanquin, it is far easier, faster and very often safer to travel 
  via the established roads. Not only are there conveniently 
  located hostels and lodging houses for travelers along the 
  main routes, but all but the most adamant brigands are kept 
  clear of the imperial roads due to the presence of traveling 
  legions of the Empress’s troops assigned to the task.
  THE GREAT COAST ROAD
  While it completely circumnavigates the Blessed Isle, 
  the Great Coast Road can be said to begin—and end—in 
  the Imperial City. Stretching for many thousands of miles, 
  the Great Coast Road is without peer in Creation in terms 
  of transportation routes. As is ﬁ tting, it spans the entirety of 
  the Scarlet Prefecture, running roughly diagonally from its 
  northwest corner to the far southeast where it takes a sharp 
  southern turn and proceeds along the Jade Coast.
  Many of the lesser roads in the Scarlet Prefecture branch 
  off of the Great Coast Road, taking travelers to towns, farm-
  ing communities or private estates. Some, such as the Bay 
  Highway, are well maintained—publicly or privately—and 
  are marked on maps. Others, depending on the frequency and 
  density of travelers, and the wealth of their end destination, 
  are less well preserved and patrolled.
  Where the Great Coast Road traverses the eastern edge 
  of the Scarlet Prefecture, it is sometimes called the Jade Coast 
  Road. Those who travel its length are treated to some of the 
  most amazing views to be found anywhere in Creation. The 
  Jade Coast Road runs southward along the eastern coastline 
  of the Blessed Isle and curving west at Sion, near the Palace 
  Sublime. Many claim that the portion of the Great Coast Road 
  along the Jade Coast was originally a pilgrimage path, but as 
  more and more wealthy devout and aspiring pre-acolytes made 
  the journey each year, the road was widened and improved 
  to ease their travels. While the Jade Coast area of the Coast 
  Road is patrolled by both imperial legionnaires and traveling 
  monks of the Immaculate Order, the presence of well-paid 
  caravan guards hired by nobles making the journey down the 
  coast also contributes signiﬁ cantly to its safety.
  THE BAY HIGHWAY (THE STRONG AND 
  FLOWING THROAT OF THE DRAGON)
  Running north-south from Dragonsmouth to the Impe-
  rial City, the Strong and Flowing Throat of the Dragon—often 
  shortened simply to The Throat—is the remains of a First 
  Age road. Also called the Bay Highway, it is still well cobbled 
  for most of its more than 100-mile route, though some of the 
  stones have had to be replaced after having been removed 
  clandestinely for use in building projects along the way. At 
  one point, the thefts were so debilitating to travel that the 
  Imperial Bureaucracy was forced to make such theft punish-
  able by a month’s indentured service repairing roads in the 
  prefecture for each stone removed. Since then, the road has 
  remained mostly unmolested.
  As the most common route for military and merchant 
  shipments into the Imperial City, the Throat is well main-
  tained and is the best-patrolled minor route in the Realm. 
  Small villages dot its length, providing travelers easy access to 
  accommodations. Many of the stopping places include well-
  cleared bivouac areas to accommodate merchant caravans 
  or legions on the march, with an emphasis on providing the 
  basic necessities rather than luxurious lodgings.
  THE PATH OF PLEASANT HILLS
  Beginning in the upscale town of Yolin Am, the Path 
  of Pleasant Hills runs just over 100 miles, leading—as do 
  all good things—to the Imperial City. It is, like everything 
  
  133
  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  associated with Yolin Am, pristinely maintained and of im-
  maculate appearance. From the town gate for an entire day’s 
  travel westward, the sides of the Path of Pleasant Hills are 
  landscaped with dramatic groupings of bamboo and ﬂ owers 
  by gardeners in service to the city, making sure that those 
  who enter—or leave—the city will long remember their 
  journey. This landscaping includes delicate pavilions where 
  travelers might rest beside reﬂ ecting pools populated with 
  domesticated waterfowl to foster a sense of serenity and gra-
  cious accommodation.
  URBAN AREAS IN THE PREFECTURE
  Obviously, as the largest city in all of Creation, the Impe-
  rial City stands alone as a model of urban civilization in the 
  Scarlet Prefecture. When faced with such a striking primary 
  example, it is easy for other notable locations to become 
  eclipsed by its glory. A number of other towns of note exist 
  within the Scarlet Prefecture, though.
  DRAGONSMOUTH
  As the largest port in the Scarlet Prefecture—with more 
  than 60,000 full-time residents—Dragonsmouth is an avenue 
  for most of the sea trade that supplies the Dragon-Blooded and 
  patricians of the Imperial City with food and ﬁ nished goods. 
  The notion of goods ﬂ owing into Dragonsmouth, down the 
  Strong and Flowing Throat of the Dragon to the all-consuming 
  throngs of the Imperial City is not lost on those who make their 
  living unloading cargo day after day in the port town.
  Like the Imperial City itself, Dragonsmouth is built over 
  and around the ruins of a First Age fortress. Unlike the capital, 
  however, most of what once was “the Eternal Gate” fell before 
  Dragonsmouth was reborn on the same site, victim to attacks 
  by sea raiders and disrepair. Little remains of the former stalwart 
  settlement save for a few elegantly crafted walls.
  Upon ascending to the Scarlet Throne, the Empress 
  made supply lines a major priority, and Dragonsmouth was 
  founded on the ruins of the Eternal Gate. Taxes were poured 
  into building not only the most extensive dock system on 
  the Blessed Isle, but the Imperial Shipworks, rivaling the 
  shipyards of the Western islands in efﬁ ciency.
  To say Dragonsmouth is a loyal city would be an under-
  statement. Only the most trusted bureaucrats and military 
  leaders are stationed in the port city, so vital is it to fulﬁ ll-
  ing the needs of the Imperial City itself. The Governor, 
  Cathak Brynna, is an un-Exalted human who served as the 
  city’s harbormaster for 20 years before being installed as its 
  governor. Brynna has always felt the call of the sea. Her 
  decades of work supervising ﬁ rst her family’s interests in the 
  imperial port and then those of the city as well have given 
  her an understanding of the city on an intrinsic level. Brynna 
  possesses an uncanny knack for knowing which situations 
  can be allowed to work themselves out and which require 
  her particular attention.
  The city’s new harbormaster, a position with only slightly 
  less inﬂ uence in the city than the governorship itself, is Nellens 
  Alamar, formerly head bureaucrat of House Nellens’ ﬁ shing 
  interests out of the Imperial Bay. Also un-Exalted, Alamar 
  provides a good balance for the new governor’s instinctive 
  decision-making policies, tempering them with constant 
  reminders of the laws and regulations of which she might 
  not always wish to be reminded.
  GLORIOUS HAVEN
  Located at the southeastern edge of the Scarlet Prefecture, 
  Glorious Haven caters to those who wish to enjoy the striking 
  vistas of the Jade Coast but cannot afford to lease their own 
  vacation homes there. Its permanent population is relatively 
  small, numbering just under 5,000, and the vast majority of 
  those who live in Glorious Haven all year are involved in 
  the service industry in one form or another.
  At any given time, there are easily as many visitors and 
  guests in the town as permanent residents. Accommodations 
  in Glorious Haven number more than 100 lodges—varying 
  from small wooden houses of only a few rooms to the palatial 
  Jade Auberge, which boasts of its ability to host rival Houses 
  in its sprawling wings without the members ever having to 
  meet. Glorious Haven welcome tens of thousands of guests 
  every year, and those visitors pay royally for the privilege of 
  enjoying one of the most dramatic landscapes the Blessed 
  Isle has to offer.
  Glorious Haven is just off the Great Coast Road, and its 
  siren call is a temptation few pilgrims making their way south 
  to the Palace Sublime can resist. Unlike Yolin Am, Glorious 
  Haven does not cater only to the wealthiest of the wealthy, 
  making it a popular stopping point for those who aspire to live 
  the life of the upper crust without bankrupting themselves. 
  Therefore, it does not retain the same bragging rights for the 
  high society of the Realm that a stay in Yolin Am does. Those 
  who visit are more likely to refer to their stay as “on the Jade 
  Coast” rather than referencing Glorious Haven itself.
  YOLIN AM
  While many of the largest—and wealthiest—cities in the 
  Realm are located directly along the Great Coast Road, the 
  island-bay port of Yolin Am is several days off it, connected 
  by the Path of Pleasant Hills. Yolin Am is set atop a majestic 
  wall of cliffs, offering its 13,000 inhabitants a breathtaking 
  view of the Inland Sea. Yet, it is not the cliffs that bring the 
  hoi polloi ﬂ ocking to Yolin Am, nor the view that has given 
  the town its reputation. Like many of the cliffs of the Jade 
  Coast, the ones upon which Yolin Am rests protect a small 
  bay far below. Unlike other towns on the northern Jade Coast, 
  however, the bay—and the gleaming green-sand beach it 
  protects—is accessible from the cliff tops.
  The bay beach is warm and tranquil, quite unlike the 
  rest of the rugged Jade Coast, and has been valued for cen-
  turies as a respite destination for those desiring to “take the 
  waters.” The bay is so shallow that Yolin Am is unreachable 
  by water for any but the smallest of ocean-going vessels, 
  but the inlet is ringed at a distance by a small chain of tiny 
  
  134
  islands. While each is too small to support more than the 
  most basic of structures, industrious architects have built 
  an extensive docking system reaching seaward from this 
  chain. This system sits at the edge of an underwater shelf 
  that allows even the deepest-bellied sea vessels to put up in 
  the expansive docks there.
  Passengers bound for the Imperial City who wish to 
  avoid Dragonsmouth can put into port at the Yolin Am docks 
  and—for a fee—be ferried across the shallow inlet and up the 
  cliffs to the town proper. This route avoids the port town of 
  Dragonsmouth altogether, but the convenience is paid for 
  by the added expense of the ferry and the likewise rich fee 
  for riding in the artifact lift known as Gracious Ascentup the 
  sheer cliff face. Therefore, the route is a favorite of travel-
  ing patricians or Dragon-Blooded who can both afford the 
  expense and the bragging rights of having come into the 
  prefecture through Yolin Am.
  The town, for its part, has played up its elitist clientele, 
  offering some of the most exclusive, extravagant and expen-
  sive lodging and dining to be found in the Scarlet Prefecture. 
  For this reason, military or merchant vessels rarely use it, as 
  the expense of ferrying large numbers of troops or extensive 
  cargoes would be cost prohibitive. Plus, the city is not well 
  suited to billeting legions inexpensively nor to handling any 
  but the most luxurious of cargo.
  Unlike most areas of Creation where peasants and disen-
  franchised are an expected and common part of the average 
  population, Yolin Am is almost eerily devoid of them. Situated 
  almost a full day’s travel north of the intersection with the 
  Throat, there is little reason for anyone but the wealthy—or 
  those who cater to them—to travel into or out of Yolin Am. 
  Osprey Yanisin, the city’s governor, maintains a strict loiter-
  ing law, which is stridently enforced. Those who attempt to 
  avoid imperial scrutiny by bypassing Dragonsmouth without 
  the ability to ﬁ t in with the upper crust of Realm society will 
  quickly draw the attention of the Eagle’s Talon, Governor 
  Yanisin’s utterly efﬁ cient Guardians of the Realm.
  NOTABLE MANSES
  Not all of the important features of the Scarlet Prefecture 
  are located within a city. Nowhere in Creation are there as 
  many dragon lines as on the Blessed Isle, and the Scarlet 
  Prefecture contains some of the strongest in Creation. Two 
  of the most powerful cross at the location of the Imperial 
  Manse at the heart of the Imperial Palace, but a plethora 
  of manses of each element exist within the region, ranging 
  from fairly weak to very powerful.
  FLAWLESS RILL FREEHOLD (WATER •)
  Located at the site where one of the Scarlet Prefecture’s 
  purest underground streams comes to the surface, this manse 
  is one of the most beautiful, if not powerful, manses on the 
  Blessed Isle. Built by House Iselsi in RY 224, the Flawless 
  Rill Freehold’s walls are crafted of translucent rainbow obsid-
  ian, which rises up out of the ﬁ rst few feet of the spring bed, 
  forcing the water to run around and through the building’s 
  split-foundation base. The manse itself shimmers in the re-
  ﬂ ected light from the constantly ﬂ owing stream and remains 
  cool and peaceful even during the height of summer. As the 
  demesne beneath it is more powerful than the manse itself 
  (level 2, compared to the manse’s level 1), the Iselsi architects 
  who created the manse channeled the extra Essence into a 
  striking aesthetic effect. The energy lights the building from 
  below, casting a beautiful silver-black glow into the spring, 
  which is then reﬂ ected back up onto the manse itself.
  After House Iselsi’s doomed coup attempt, the manse was 
  ceded to House Mnemon, and is the dwelling of Mnemon 
  Araska, Water-aspected granddaughter of Mnemon Caras, 
  who takes no end of pleasure at putting to devout use what 
  was once a haven of “Iselsi treachery.”
  The Deepstone Pearl, the Freehold’s hearthstone, al-
  lows the bearer to access the manse’s illuminating inﬂ uence 
  even from a distance. The bearer’s player may also add three 
  dice to any sight-related physical Investigation rolls. The 
  hearthstone glows with the same silver-black gleam as the 
  manse while being used in this fashion.
  THE ENDURING BREATH OF HESIESH (FIRE ••••)
  While manses built over geothermal vents might seem 
  to be the natural purview of Air-aspected Dragon-Bloods, the 
  Enduring Breath of Hesiesh leaves no question as to its ﬁ ery 
  nature. Situated over a millennia-old ﬁ ssure that constantly 
  spews explosively hot sulfurous steam into the air, this manse 
  is as deadly as it is powerful. Save for the Dragon-Blooded 
  members of House Cathak who hold it, few can tolerate 
  continued exposure to the heat produced from the vent, 
  even channeled as it is by the manse itself.
  While many manses are designed as dwelling places, the 
  living quarters at the Enduring Breath of Hesiesh ring the 
  manse itself, which takes the shape of a giant dragon sculpture. 
  It is constructed of mahogany-red obsidian, carefully crafted 
  so that the blood-colored veins in each individual block ﬂ ow 
  to the next, giving the structure the illusion of having been 
  crafted from a single stone. The sculpture—which is large 
  enough to enter via a cunningly hidden door but inhospitable 
  to any but the most stalwart Fire-aspected Dragon-Blood—is 
  hollow and situated over the ﬁ ssure so that the steady stream 
  of elementally hot breath churns up through it, emerging 
  from the dragon’s mouth and nostrils. This feature is a trick 
  of architecture rather than the Essence-diverting effect of 
  many lesser manses. The expert architects who designed the 
  Enduring Breath of Hesiesh did their job particularly well, 
  and the manse channels Essence quite efﬁ ciently.
  The entire manse compound sits atop a craggy hill in 
  the southern lands of the Scarlet Prefecture and has been 
  steadily churning out its sulfurous smoke since early in the 
  Scarlet Empress’s reign.
  Hesiesh’s Ember, the manse’s hearthstone, calls upon the 
  hostile environment within the manse to protect its bearer. 
  When the bearer concentrates to activate the hearthstone, 
  
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  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  the bearer and companions are protected from ranged weapon 
  attacks. The hearthstone wraps its bearer in a cloud of thin, 
  yellow mist that extends 10 to 15 feet around him. The mist, 
  which has a particularly foul sulfurous smell, swirls around the 
  hearthstone’s bearer and pushes away any incoming missile 
  attacks. Wooden darts and arrows are ignited and fall burning 
  to the ground, while stone, metal or other non-ﬂ ammable ma-
  terials are deﬂ ected. Non-magical metal missiles soften upon 
  contact with the mist, losing their aerodynamic abilities, and 
  will be unusable if recovered.
  Like the Terrestrial Circle spell Impenetrable Frost Barrier, 
  this hearthstone gives any ranged attack against the bearer, or 
  anyone standing within the mist, an external penalty equal to 
  twice the bearer’s permanent Essence rating and is limited to 
  protection from missiles weighing less than 30 pounds.
  FIRST AGE RUINS
  The Seat of Splendor upon which the Imperial City was 
  built is the most notable of the First Age ruins in the Scarlet 
  Prefecture, but it isn’t the only one. Some are located in 
  known places of power. Others seem to have been placed by 
  their First Age architects with seclusion in mind—though 
  few places in the Scarlet Prefecture could truly be considered 
  remote in this day and age. Many have been reclaimed, 
  either repaired to be put to use again or dismantled to use 
  the building materials for new structures. Others, however, 
  are left untouched: either remaining undiscovered by some 
  twist of fate, or labeled as haunted or cursed and avoided by 
  all but the bravest (or most foolhardy) of souls.
  CARTHAN’S WASTELAND
  Located in the furthest southwest corner of the Scarlet 
  Prefecture, Carthan’s Wasteland is a mile-wide swath of deso-
  late, rocky ground, quite unlike the rest of the surrounding 
  area. While the ﬁ elds around it are rich with thick topsoil and 
  lush grasses, nothing grows in the ruined ground around what 
  once was rumored to be a well established First Age town. All 
  that remains are the wrecked vestiges of once-tall towers and 
  sweeping archways, now broken off at jagged angles above the 
  ground like a street-brawler’s mismatched teeth, and many deep 
  craters, large enough to hold an entire fang of soldiers. While 
  other First Age ruins in the Realm have been picked clean, 
  none but the most stalwart scavengers have ventured into 
  the stony wasteland—and of those, only a few have emerged 
  again. Even the Scarlet Empress has not sent ofﬁ cial reclama-
  tion parties into Carthan’s Wasteland, after the ﬁ rst ﬁ ve scales 
  of troops she sent were swallowed whole in its rocky depths. 
  Rumors have it that she has had better luck with sending small 
  scouting parties, although, ofﬁ cially, the area is designated as 
  forbidden entry, on pain of death.
  PERSONS OF NOTE
  As the center of the Realm, the Scarlet Prefecture boasts 
  more than its fair share of notable individuals, both human 
  and Exalted, and an even larger population who believe they 
  are of singular import. Prior to her disappearance, individual 
  import was starkly clear: Those who had the Empress’s favor 
  were powerful (although, of course, not compared to the Em-
  press herself), while those who did not scrambled desperately 
  to acquire it. Now, however, things are much more uncertain. 
  The leaders of the Great Houses hold a great deal of power, as 
  do those who held important positions at the Empress’s behest. 
  Chejop Kejak is certainly a force with which to be reckoned. 
  Although he resides primarily at the Palace Sublime, his 
  inﬂ uence and that of the Immaculate Order runs throughout 
  the Realm. Less obvious, however are the various magistrates, 
  ministers, merchants, patricians and politicians who are 
  involved in a constantly evolving game of risk and luck just 
  below the surface of the Scarlet Prefecture’s society.
  TEPET FOKUF
  As the August Lord Regent of the Scarlet Throne, Tepet 
  Fokuf is theoretically, the single most powerful individual in 
  all of Creation. The reality, however, is quite different. Ap-
  pointed speciﬁ cally for his ineffectiveness and lack of ambition, 
  Fokuf has proven to be even more of an empty ﬁ gurehead 
  than those who appointed him intended. After discovering 
  that the Regent would literally sign and seal any document or 
  decree placed before him, his self-appointed councilors have 
  found themselves bombarded with petitions for the Regent’s 
  attention. These incessant requests and requisitions are quickly 
  muddying and eating away at what little remains of the tenta-
  tive power balance left in the Empress’s absence.
  The pressure of the Scarlet Throne rests heavily upon 
  the Regent’s shoulders. Never a strong-willed individual, 
  Fokuf now spends the vast majority of his time hiding in his 
  chambers in the Imperial Palace, engaging in increasingly 
  bizarre behavior, leading observers to wonder which will 
  crumble ﬁ rst, the Realm or its Regent.
  MNEMON BATA
  The headstrong human son of the head of House Mnemon, 
  Mnemon Bata is the de facto prefect of the Scarlet Prefecture. 
  As an un-Exalted mortal, Bata was not of primary import to his 
  family until appointed to his position by the Scarlet Empress. 
  Now, as head bureaucrat in the most important region of the 
  Realm, his once-condescending siblings and cousins now ﬁ nd 
  themselves scrambling to court his favor.
  As prefect, Bata does an admirable job, or did before 
  the Scarlet Empress’s disappearance. While it is in his best 
  interest to make sure that the prefecture runs seamlessly in 
  her absence, he knows that the chances of him being retained 
  if a new regime comes into play are almost zero. Therefore, 
  he has implemented a clandestine twofold agenda since the 
  Empress’s absence stretched out beyond previous disappear-
  ances. First, he is doing what he can to tilt the scales in favor 
  of a successor rising from his own House, while maintaining an 
  outwardly impartial political visage. In case this scale-tilting 
  is not effective, however, he is also amassing as much portable 
  
  136
  wealth in the form of jade obols as possible, arranging for it to 
  be sequestered at a private manor in the Threshold. He has no 
  less than three sailing ships on long-term standby should he 
  need to ﬂ ee the Imperial City: one in Dragonsmouth, another 
  ported in Yolin Am and a third in a tiny ﬁ shing village at 
  the mouth of the Imperial River. If the chosen successor to 
  the Scarlet Throne proves unlikely to allow Bata to retain 
  his position—or his life—Bata’s preparations will allow 
  him to make a discreet and speedy withdrawal from Blessed 
  Isle politics with sufﬁ cient wealth to live out the rest of his 
  existence in comfort. Or so he hopes.
  OSPREY YANISIN
  A quiet man of impeccable bearing, Osprey Yanisin is 
  the governor of Yolin Am. Despite being the son of a long 
  line of the city’s most noble patrician family, Yanisin is quite 
  handily in the pocket of House Ragara, speciﬁ cally the Calel 
  household. While no one in Yolin Am would dare rufﬂ e 
  the Osprey family’s ﬁ gurative feathers by speaking of it, it 
  is commonly held that Yanisin’s father was not his mother’s 
  husband, Cerf, but instead the young and vibrant Ragara 
  Calel Marat. As is common for his family, Marat traveled 
  from his home in Juche Prefecture in his youth, spending 
  the majority of one summer coming and going—literally and 
  ﬁ guratively—through Yolin Am. There, he was seen to spend 
  an inordinate amount of time in the company of Cerf’s young 
  wife, Yotaka. Yanisin was born early the next spring. Had 
  Cerf not been nearly 30 years older than his young wife, or 
  had they had previous children to carry on the prestigious 
  family line, perhaps more note might have been made of the 
  fact that Yanisin’s swarthy features were quite unlike those of 
  his pale, blonde father. Instead, Cerf and the entire Osprey 
  line welcomed Yanisin’s arrival, as the continuation of the 
  family name. When his father passed on, Yanisin—now in 
  his late 20s—was surprised to ﬁ nd himself appointed as his 
  successor. Despite the strings House Ragara likely pulled to 
  arrange the appointment, Yanisin has done a respectable 
  job, maintaining the high standards his family established 
  for Yolin Am centuries ago. As for the Calel household, it 
  watches his career with interest from its private docks on one 
  of Yolin Am’s ring of islands and from the extensive estate 
  it recently leased in Yolin Am proper.
  SPIRIT COURTS
  Nowhere in Creation are the little gods favored with the 
  diligence and grandeur with which they are given reverence 
  in the Imperial City. Several thousand temples—dedicated 
  to the spirits of everything from organized warfare to baked 
  goods to beeswax—line the streets and pathways of the 
  Imperial City’s Temple District, a greater concentration of 
  non-Dragon dedicated temples than can be found in any one 
  location anywhere else in the Realm.
  In contrast, outside of the Imperial City’s formal structure 
  for reverence, the heretical worship of the little gods is more 
  tightly monitored—and punished—than it is anywhere else 
  in Creation. The Immaculate Order’s policy that the Dragon-
  Blooded are the only individuals in Creation who are capable 
  of dealing with the spirits appropriately is strictly enforced, 
  especially in the villages and farming communities between 
  the Imperial City and the Palace Sublime.
  This paradox—plentiful worship, but only from a very 
  speciﬁ c source—along with the rigid control enforced by 
  the high density of Immaculate monks in the region, has led 
  to some strangeness among the spirit courts in the Scarlet 
  Prefecture. Here, the structure and hierarchy of the spirit 
  courts remained uncorrupted by the absence of the Celes-
  tial Exalted. The rigid and regimental sacriﬁ ces offered by 
  the Immaculate Order to the small gods eliminates a great 
  deal of the jockeying for position that is found outside the 
  Realm where spirits are often worshiped directly, tempting 
  them to strive for power outside the Celestial Order. There-
  fore, despite the absence of the Celestial Exalted who were 
  tasked to oversee them, the majority of the spirit censors 
  in the Scarlet Prefecture remain on duty, and the spiritual 
  bureaucracy carries on much as it always has.
  Another side effect of the Immaculate Order’s strength 
  in the area is that there is a higher proportion of “converted 
  spirits” in the Scarlet Prefecture than in any other location 
  in Creation. Assured of a constant source of sacriﬁ ce without 
  fear of their adulation being commandeered by interlopers, 
  many spirits in and around the Imperial City condone the 
  constructed Immaculate Philosophy. While they are not a 
  frequent sight, it is not unheard of for the less powerful of 
  the little gods to spout Immaculate doctrine, to make ap-
  pearances at Immaculate temples, even going so far as to 
  purport the “truth” of the Immaculate faith to the humans 
  they encounter. Some do so out of fear—either of other spirits 
  or of the inherent threat that in an area so strongly devoted 
  to the Immaculate Philosophy, their worship could entirely 
  disappear without the Immaculate Order’s reverences. Others 
  see the proselytizing as an easy way to increase the possibility 
  they will receive added reverence, unconcerned with the 
  deception as long as the sacriﬁ ces continue.
  THE ALL-EMBRACING AND INTRICATE 
  PROCESSION OF PAPER
  Headed by Shin Lao, the God of Imperial Documents within 
  the Scarlet Empire, the All-Embracing and Intricate Procession 
  of Paper is one of the core spirit courts of the Imperial City. 
  Reporting directly to the Goddess of Factual Writing Related to 
  Imperial Procedures, Shin Lao has been responsible for ensuring 
  the veracity of imperial documents for close to four centuries. 
  (He was promoted to the position from the ranks of the Lesser 
  Gods of Treaties and Treatises of the Imperial City, which he 
  now commands.) As suits a spirit of his responsibility, Shin Lao 
  appears as a venerable gentleman of modest dress and comports 
  himself at all times with the utmost of decorum. A tiny pair of 
  spectacles perches on each of his three noses, granting his six 
  ink-black eyes preternatural sharpness. His tactic in adversarial 
  
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  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  situations is one of unyielding and yet apologetic calm. He will 
  wait for decades if need be, for a particular piece of paperwork to 
  be handed in properly, but no power in Creation will convince 
  him to hurry along an improperly ﬁ led form.
  THE BRIGADE OF WESTERN-FLOWING BREEZES
  While all spirit courts take their work very seriously, not 
  all jobs are as mundane as processing paperwork. Bordered 
  to the north by the Imperial Bay and the east by the Inland 
  Sea, the entirety of the Scarlet Prefecture would be buffeted 
  by sea storms were it not for the faithful diligence of Mar 
  Surrease, the First Lady of Western Winds and her Brigade 
  of Western-Flowing Breezes. Sweeping across the land, these 
  air elementals push back the sea winds, wafting the Imperial 
  City in gentle inland breezes. Mar Surrease takes the form of 
  an ethereal gray-green mare with sharp white hooves, and 
  she is always accompanied by at least one of the lesser spirits 
  who report to her. Those spirits include Karga Shina, the 
  elemental of western morning wind; Lu Far Win, the sneaky 
  minor spirit of winds that carry away unprotected possessions; 
  or Cho, the corpulent elemental of summer storms.
  THE IMPERIAL CITY
  The Imperial City is the ostentatious crown jewel set in 
  the ﬁ nely wrought diadem that is the Realm. Eight centuries of 
  the greatest and most innovative of Creation’s architects have 
  spent lifetimes stretching their dreams across the framework 
  of possibility, striving to surpass their masters and mentors in 
  glorious structural homage to the glory of the Scarlet Dynasty 
  and the Elemental Dragons. Here, more than any other place 
  in Creation, are combined the time, talent and resources to 
  craft a city that truly reﬂ ects the majesty of the Elemental 
  Dragons and those who represent them in Creation.
  Unfortunately, eight centuries of imaginative craftsmen, 
  each dedicated to outdoing those before them, have been 
  granted an almost limitless amount of resources but a very 
  ﬁ nite space in which to work. Hemmed in by the limits of 
  the city’s resolute granite walls, architects have been forced 
  in recent centuries to turn their eyes skyward as the limited 
  space neared its capacity. As a result, the city’s earliest build-
  ings are often evidenced by their expansive footprint and 
  diminutive stature, while recent structures (or architecture 
  that has been recently expanded) tower above their elder 
  siblings to sometimes ridiculous heights.
  Jade is, of course, the pinnacle of building materials, re-
  served by expense for the Imperial Palace and the most elite of 
  temples and Dynastic dwellings. But even in the obsidian walls 
  of a merchant’s shop or tenement, the unrivaled architects of 
  the Imperial City showcase their creative genius, creating an 
  overwhelming concentration of municipal beauty unlike any 
  found elsewhere in Creation. Only the huts and hovels that 
  surround the exterior of the looming stone city walls lack the 
  
  138
  sometimes-chaotic but always impressive touch of Pasiap’s 
  Children. Nonetheless, they do their own part by playing 
  counterpoint to the glory that is the Imperial City.
  POPULATION
  As beﬁ ts the center of the Realm, the Imperial City is the 
  greatest municipality in all of Creation. Well more than one 
  million souls dwell within its crowded border walls, with hun-
  dreds of thousands more scrambling to survive in the makeshift 
  perimeter town that clings to its exterior. More than half the 
  Dragon-Blooded population of the Realm calls the Imperial City 
  home. In the ﬁ ve years since the Scarlet Empress’s disappearance, 
  many who had previously dwelled elsewhere have been subtly 
  summoned to the capital by their families as the Great Houses 
  consolidate their potential claims to the long-empty throne.
  When coupled with the inﬂ ux of servants, slaves, func-
  tionaries and myriad hangers-on who accompanied them, the 
  inﬂ ux of Dragon-Blooded to the Imperial City in the last ﬁ ve 
  years would be a signiﬁ cant increase to the city’s population in 
  and of itself. But far from self-sufﬁ cient, these newcomers also 
  directly or indirectly create the need for a plethora of other 
  individuals to cater to their needs. Merchants, chefs, tailors, 
  jewelers, weapon- and armorsmiths, cosmetic crafters, apoth-
  ecaries, shoemakers and scribes cater to the physical needs of 
  the city’s swelling upscale population, while playwrights, actors, 
  musicians, singers, courtesans and poets fulﬁ ll a more esoteric 
  but no less important role. Add in those who provide support 
  or raw materials for these service providers, and it quickly 
  becomes obvious why the already bloated Imperial City has 
  swollen to the bursting point during recent years.
  Although they make up the most important portion of 
  imperial society—a fact they would never hesitate to con-
  ﬁ rm if asked—the Children of the Dragons are drastically 
  outnumbered by the un-Exalted, even within the Imperial 
  Palace. Human servants, slaves, artists, assistants, tutors and 
  tradesmen number more than 300 for every Dragon-Blood 
  within the city walls, and when the throngs outside the wall 
  but still near to the city are taken into consideration, the 
  ratio is closer to 400 to one.
  Out of the human population, approximately one in 
  every 20 individuals is related to one of the Great Houses in 
  some way: un-Exalted children, patrician spouses, cousins by 
  marriage and the like. Unfortunately for them, unless they are 
  directly related—within a generation or two—by marriage or 
  blood, there is a good probability that the wealth and power 
  of the Great Houses has little effect on their day-to-day lives. 
  After the heads of households, powerful Dragon-Bloods, less 
  inﬂ uential Dragon-Bloods and most powerful of the human 
  relations siphon off as much of the family resources as they 
  can, little is left to trickle down to those whose connections 
  are less direct. Therefore, other than those directly descended 
  from or married to one of the Dragon-Blooded, the vast 
  majority of the human population lives life quite differently 
  than those of the Terrestrial ruling class do.
  The changes in the past ﬁ ve years have been subtler than 
  they might have been, but things are changing nonetheless. 
  In the upper levels of imperial society, belts are a bit tighter, 
  purchases and expenditures a bit more thoughtfully weighed. 
  Some of the jade once squandered on luxuries is now being 
  stockpiled or diverted to more political or martial pursuits. 
  Parties and extravaganzas are still thrown, but a bit less often, 
  and waste is more tightly controlled. These decisions affect 
  the common folk of the city more than those who make them. 
  One traditional party cancelled might be of little concern 
  to a socialite, but to those whose income relies on providing 
  the food, ﬂ owers, clothing, gifts and entertainment, it is a 
  devastating blow.
  Within the city walls, mortal people worry about whether 
  they will have enough to pay their rent and feed themselves 
  and their children each day. Outside the city walls, in the 
  makeshift town that has grown up around the capital, the 
  number of concerned mortals is even larger.
  There are several social classes within the Imperial 
  City’s human population. At the top—but signiﬁ cantly 
  below the Dragon-Blooded—are those afﬁ liated with the 
  Great Houses. While they are seen as inferior and a disap-
  pointment to the families who expected them to Exalt, they 
  are still apart from the rest of humanity by association with 
  the Terrestrial Exalted. This status, and the connections 
  provided by being raised within the Great Houses, affords 
  them avenues of political and social power unavailable to 
  most of the city. They are more likely than any other humans 
  to hold positions of great responsibility. While it can never 
  fully redeem them in their families’ eyes, they still serve as 
  useful tools to the Dynasty.
  Beneath the Dragon-Bloods’ kin are the patrician families 
  of the city. Most are at least distantly related to one of the 
  Great Houses in some way, although some merely aspire to join 
  their houses with those of the Dragon-Blooded. Bureaucrats, 
  the most powerful of the shipping magnates, merchants who 
  trafﬁ c in the rarest of luxury items—while times are tighter 
  now than in the past, these individuals are better off than 
  most of the city’s human population.
  Far more numerous are the general population, butch-
  ers and bakers, weavers and tailors, those who provide the 
  goods and services that the million or so common folk like 
  themselves need to survive on a daily basis. At a similar 
  level are the couriers, copiers, lowest level account keepers, 
  political aides and secretaries—the lowest level of political 
  and bureaucratic toadies who have but the smallest hope of 
  ever clawing their way up the career ladder and out of this 
  class to the one above it.
  Below these not-wealthy/not-destitute exists a so-
  cial category all to itself. While the indentured servants 
  and slaves of the city normally have food, clothing and 
  accommodations taken care of, they pay for their some-
  times-luxurious lifestyles in bitter coin—their freedom. 
  Either out of poverty or because of some civil penalty, 
  indentured servants willingly give up a number of years of 
  
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  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  their lives (most often ﬁ ve, but 10 or 15 is not unheard of), 
  exchanging service for sustenance. The fortunate ones may 
  use this time to learn a trade that will allow them to enter 
  the general population with a marketable skill set at the end 
  of their indenture. Others ﬁ nd themselves at a loss when 
  freed from the rigorous guidance of their service contract 
  and quickly ﬁ nd themselves slipping down to the lowest 
  social division. The least fortunate either never regain their 
  freedom or never had it at all, toiling away all their lives 
  as some cavalier Dynast’s personal property.
  Even below slaves and indentured servants lurk those 
  who, through choice or circumstance, have no gainful 
  employment, few material possessions and generally exist 
  through the contributions of others. Beggars, buskers and 
  cripples hoping to wheedle a yen from those who have them 
  to spare are a frequent sight in the Imperial City. Cutpurses 
  and pickpockets prey upon the unwitting, and although the 
  punishment for thievery is severe, starvation is more of a 
  threat than arrest for most in these times of turmoil.
  SIZE
  Built atop and around the ruins of the First Age strong-
  hold now known only as the Seat of Splendor, the physical 
  sprawl of the Imperial City proper is hemmed in by massive 
  walls on all sides. It stretches almost 40 square miles, a full 
  third of which is occupied by the Imperial Palace and the 
  palace grounds, leaving the remaining land hard pressed to 
  accommodate the remaining more-than-a-million who make 
  their home there.
  As with all property on the Blessed Isle, every inch of the 
  Imperial City’s land belongs to the Empress, who leases it out 
  to those who would live there. During her time on the Scarlet 
  Throne, reducing or increasing lease rates was only one of a vast 
  array of techniques at her disposal for indicating displeasure or 
  rewarding beneﬁ t to her citizens. The rights to lease a plot of 
  land might be revoked or extended depending on her imperial 
  whim, although most property lines and rates were not overly 
  tinkered with once set in place for the contracted number of 
  years, barring signiﬁ cant justiﬁ cation on the part of the tenant. 
  Since her disappearance, lease rates have steadily increased 
  apace with the demand for living space as the Great Houses 
  consolidate their families around them. While most of the 
  Dragon-Blooded in the city maintain their primary residences 
  within the Imperial Palace, many—especially the young and 
  recently Exalted—also prefer to maintain off-premises dwell-
  ings for the purposes of relaxation away from the stresses of life 
  among their rivals. When coupled with the thronging masses 
  of humanity seeking to make their fortune—or at least suf-
  ﬁ cient wage to prevent starvation—there is scarcely an inch 
  of the Imperial City that is not jealously claimed by one or 
  more individuals for daily use.
  To deal with the overcrowding, the architects of the 
  Imperial City have employed a multitude of innovative 
  techniques. Buildings are jammed into every available space, 
  and architects are constantly being hired to simultaneously 
  create masterworks that glorify the patrician or Terrestrial 
  families who patronize them, while expanding buildings out 
  to the very perimeters of the space leased from the Empress. 
  So great is the need for space that enterprising individuals 
  have even been known to lease property on both sides of an 
  existing thoroughfare and build over the pathway, connect-
  ing two barely useable small plots into one tall two-legged 
  tower. In most cases, arches at street level are constructed 
  to allow the public to continue to traverse the roadway. In 
  some circumstances, however, bribes allow the right of thor-
  oughfare to be waived, leading to a building being erected 
  that completely blocks the ﬂ ow of trafﬁ c midway down a 
  path. Even the capital’s main thoroughfare, the Five Talons 
  Road, which once bisected the entirety of the Imperial City, 
  swerving only to ring the Imperial Palace Grounds, has now 
  been reduced to a half dozen sections, each separated from 
  the others by some glorious new piece of construction.
  With the exception of the extensive gardens and parks 
  integrated into the Imperial Palace’s grounds, land is at such 
  a premium within the city’s walls that almost none is spared 
  for cultivation. Only the kitchens of the Imperial Palace have 
  access to enough land to grow anything more extensive than 
  potted herbs or citrus trees, allowing salad greens or vining fruits 
  and vegetables to be cultivated without wasting valuable—and 
  expensive—space. The vast majority of all products—especially 
  foodstuffs—consumed by those who dwell in the Imperial City 
  are imported from other places in the Realm.
  ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION
  Centuries ago, it is said, the Five Talons Road was so 
  wide that an entire scale could be marched shoulder to 
  shoulder down its length. Those days, however, are far in 
  the past. Due to the intense crowding within the Imperial 
  City walls, few roads are wide enough for more than a single 
  ox-cart to pass down it unobstructed. Some have literally 
  become footpaths between buildings that, through creative 
  architectural expansion over the centuries, have swollen to 
  consume every inch of leased space allotted to them.
  Exacerbating the constrictions in recent years is the 
  ﬂ ood of traveling peddlers, entertainers and street-vendors 
  who have ﬂ ocked to the city, hoping to take advantage of the 
  inﬂ ux of Dragon-Bloods and patricians who have immigrated 
  there in the wake of the Scarlet Empress’s disappearance. Set-
  ting up their temporary booths and tents in any unguarded 
  spot, these opportunistic business folk are only slightly less 
  assiduous than the ever-present ﬂ ood of beggars and paupers 
  who have besieged the city streets.
  DISTRICTS
  While the Imperial City was more grown in ﬁ ts and spurts 
  than planned out, certain areas have homogenized out of the 
  city’s chaos over the centuries, resulting in districts devoted 
  primarily to religion, commerce, entertainment and bureau-
  
  140
  cracy. That is not to say that one will not ﬁ nd teahouses in 
  the Temple District or warehouses in the Garden of Crimson 
  Pleasures—quite the opposite. Certain needs—food, access 
  to jade scrip, lodging and the like—are common enough that 
  grouping all access to them in one area of a city the size of 
  the capital would be terribly inconvenient. The principal city 
  districts, however, are where the greatest density and variety 
  of a particular service or business can be found.
  TEMPLE DISTRICT
  Save for the Imperial Palace itself, nowhere in the Imperial 
  City showcases the height and breadth of the architectural glory 
  of the Blessed Isle as much as the Temple District. Second in size 
  only to the space occupied by the Imperial Palace grounds, the 
  Temple District boasts the majority of the city’s 5,000 temples 
  within its several square miles of hallowed ground. Perhaps 
  1,000 temples are strategically placed throughout the rest of 
  the city, their locations carefully orchestrated by the needs of 
  the Immaculate Order, but within the Temple District itself, 
  one is surrounded by some of the greatest and most glorious 
  religious structures in Creation.
  Many of the city’s temples are, of course, dedicated to 
  the Immaculate Dragons. Indeed, with the exception of the 
  private shrines of the Dragon-Blooded households, the major-
  ity of the temples found outside the Temple District itself are 
  thusly devoted. Except on rare occasions, these public temples 
  are open to the public, allowing citizen and patrician alike 
  to enter for purposes of spiritual contemplation, prayer and 
  listening to the sutras being read by the Immaculate Order 
  who staff each temple. Many of these temples are among the 
  mostly richly decorated and ornate buildings in the city. The 
  Order might eschew personal wealth but, as an organization, 
  it is immensely afﬂ uent.
  Within the district itself, however, alongside grandiose 
  temples to the Elemental Dragons are those dedicated to 
  ablations for each of literally thousands of “small gods.” These 
  temples range from ostentatious structures where weekly 
  devotions to the Celestines are held to small structures kept 
  tightly locked save for the one day a year when a spirit of 
  doorways or poultry is given the reverence the Immaculate 
  Order has negotiated with it as proper. These ceremonies 
  are not open to those outside the Order, nor are un-Exalted 
  members of the Order allowed to perform them. It is the Im-
  maculate Order’s strict policy that it is only meet and proper 
  for appeasement to come from the Dragon-Blooded, who, as 
  more spiritually pure and advanced than humanity, have the 
  moral and spiritual wherewithal to deal with them safely.
  Much of the Imperial City has begun to deteriorate during 
  the ﬁ ve years since the Scarlet Empress’s disappearance. As the 
  Great Houses shift their focus from their centuries-long quest to 
  curry and maintain her favor, civic maintenance has plummeted 
  in priority, and corruption is at an all time high. The Temple 
  District itself, however, remains both luxuriously appointed and 
  pristinely maintained, the Immaculate Order’s absolute inﬂ uence 
  there having grown even more resolute in the Empress’s absence. 
  Visitors to the Imperial City are sometimes surprised to see that 
  the area’s orderly inﬂ uence seems to affect the areas outside the 
  district as well, with some of the most well-maintained areas in the 
  city currently being those directly outside the Temple District’s 
  walls. The reason, however, is simple. The Immaculate Order 
  is currently the single most powerful organization in Creation, 
  and none of the Great Houses associated with other areas of 
  the city wish to appear weak or overtly focused on Dynastic 
  politics in the Order’s eyes. Unfortunately for them, however, 
  the Order is not so shallow as to be unable to see past a few 
  blocks of clean streets and scrubbed walls, so their efforts are, 
  for the most part, wasted.
  THOUSAND SCALES DISTRICT
  Little happens in the Realm that is not dictated, regulated 
  or recorded by someone in the Imperial City. From the number 
  and variety of crops grown by a particular farmer to the length 
  and material a patrician’s robes are allowed to be, the Realm 
  abounds with rules, regulations and all of the complications 
  that come with them. The vast majority of these rules originate 
  in the capital. Along with internal matters, entire libraries 
  of policies dictate the manner of trades and treaties with 
  the outlying districts and satrapies, as well as the sometimes-
  ambiguous guidelines for political or commercial interaction 
  with Threshold areas. All in all, most matters of the Realm 
  are ﬁ rmly wrapped in a tangled knot of paperwork, a process 
  deftly woven by the Scarlet Empress to make sure that all true 
  decision-making power originated and ended with herself.
  The Thousands Scales District lies at the heart of that 
  knot. Whether business, legislature or foreign policy, all mat-
  ters of state pass through the Thousand Scales District. Before 
  her absence, this process allowed the Scarlet Empress to keep 
  her reins on the Realm always near at hand. In the continued 
  absence of her iron guidance, however, the denizens of the 
  business district have begun to falter as some individuals suc-
  THE OFFICE OF THE PARAGON OF SEXTES JYLIS
  While the heart of the Immaculate Order lies to 
  the south in the Palace Sublime, all entry to the Order 
  must begin in the Imperial City. Here, in the small 
  and subdued Procession of Gray within the Temple 
  District, supplicants ﬁ rst approach the Order in the 
  person of the Paragon of Sextes Jylis. It is not until 
  after he accepts them—and there is no assurance of 
  this happening, no matter how wealthy or inﬂ uential 
  their associations—that they may begin the weeks-
  long pilgrimage along the Great Coast Road to the 
  Palace Sublime. This pilgrimage between the initial 
  approval of a postulant and the ofﬁ cial acceptance of 
  the postulant as an acolyte is designed to allow the 
  individual one last opportunity to change her mind. 
  Few do, but after beginning the rigorous trials placed 
  upon acolytes, many wish they had.
  
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  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  cumb to the temptation of personal gain while others attempt 
  to hold the Realm together without her leadership.
  Hundreds of accounting houses, trader brokerages, 
  courtrooms and moneylenders ﬁ ll the constantly crowded 
  streets of the Thousand Scales District.
  THE IMPERIAL TREASURY
  Jade is the hearts’ blood of the Realm, the element to 
  which all wealth and power is tied. The Scarlet Empress’s 
  carefully implemented jade scrip program makes sure that her 
  coffers are always full and that all ﬁ nance, from the seemingly 
  limitless reserves of the Immaculate Order to the copper yen 
  exchanged by the Realm’s peasantry are inexorably tied to the 
  Imperial Treasury, and thus to her directly. The Treasury itself 
  is, surprisingly, a rather dour building. Old enough to have 
  claimed a rather vast footprint in the now claustrophobically 
  crowded Thousand Scales District, this two-story marble 
  structure squats at the edge of the district’s main square like a 
  serious and disapproving grandfather surrounded by a too-large 
  petty and bickering family. Five carved columns support the 
  pagoda-style roof, each inlaid with repeating patterns of jade 
  that depict the treasury’s stylized dragon badge. Armed soldiers 
  selected from among the elite of each legion’s infantry guard the 
  treasury night and day, making sure that the precious contents 
  of the building do not fall into the wrong hands. During the 
  time before the Empress’s disappearance, concern was greatest 
  that some foreign invader—Anathema, Fair Folk or human 
  ruler from one of the far off countries not paying homage to the 
  Realm—might, by force or guile, make off with the Treasury’s 
  cache. These days, however, each Great House anxiously 
  proffers a generous supply of its own loyal legions, unwilling 
  to let the others dominate the guardian force and facilitate 
  commandeering the Treasury and its priceless contents.
  THE BANK OF THE SCARLET THRONE
  As the largest ﬁ nancial institution in all Creation, the 
  Bank of the Scarlet Throne is under the direct supervision of 
  Bal Keraz, the head of the Imperial Treasury. The building itself 
  dates back more than 500 years, being one of the ﬁ rst aspects 
  of the Thousand Scales established under the Scarlet Empress’s 
  reign. Unlike other money-lending establishments, it is decid-
  edly insecure in appearance, lacking the formidable walls, barred 
  windows or reinforced doors of lesser banks. In the ﬁ ve centuries 
  the establishment has been serving the Scarlet Throne, how-
  ever, not so much as an eighth yen has gone missing from the 
  bank’s coffers. Roughly once per generation, some brave—and 
  foolish—individual makes the attempt, either through stealth, 
  guile, deceit or force. The would-be perpetrators are inevitably 
  easy to recognize afterward: Their remains are found impaled 
  on the banner post erected above the bank’s front gates.
  Rumors abound as to the nature of the guardian of the 
  Bank of the Scarlet Throne, but only a select few are privy 
  to the truth. These include Bal Keraz, of course, as well as 
  the select host of Immaculate monks tasked with the weekly 
  negotiated sacriﬁ ces to Sharpest Jade Bursar, the bank’s 
  resident god. Dedicated solely to the tallying and security 
  of every jade talent in the bank’s possession, Sharpest Jade 
  Bursar is an unblinking, incorruptible security force the likes 
  of which no embezzler or thief could hope to thwart.
  THE SPIRAL ACADEMY
  Of the four secondary schools located on the Blessed Isle, 
  the Spiral Academy is the only one that sits at the heart of 
  the Realm itself. Its massive marble walls tower above other 
  buildings in the Thousand Scales District, and its grounds 
  are secure and heavily guarded, for the never-ending ﬂ ow of 
  reports, tallies and accounts that ﬂ ow through the hallways 
  of the Spiral Academy are truly the pulse of the Realm. For 
  all that its students are looked down upon by graduates of the 
  other three academies, the destruction of the Spiral Academy 
  would likely be a fatal blow to the Realm, especially in the 
  Scarlet Empress’s absence. Not that any individual within the 
  academy is of singularly vital import to the Realm’s welfare, 
  but the destruction or corruption of the sheer quantity of vital 
  information held within its walls at any given time would be 
  a devastating blow to the Imperial Bureaucracy.
  By necessity, the Spiral Academy is not physically large. 
  Space is of such a premium within the city that even an in-
  stitution as vital to the health of the Realm as the Academy 
  must constantly justify its need for the space it does occupy, 
  and expansion would be nigh impossible. Compared to the 
  sprawling grounds of the House of Bells or even the austere 
  accommodations of the Cloister of Wisdom, the Academy 
  is diminutive. Physically, of the four secondary schools in 
  the Realm, only the Heptagram is smaller.
  Yet, the Spiral Academy’s 240 aspiring apprentice tal-
  lymasters and would-be bureaucrats outnumber the student 
  population of any of the other academies, and the sparse living 
  accommodations necessitated by their close quarters allows 
  little to distract the studious from the tasks before them. To-
  gether, they process a veritable mountain of Realm paperwork 
  each year, handling—in the guise of “apprenticeships” and 
  “experience-building”—a sizeable portion of the mundane 
  tallying, accounting, number-crunching and report processing 
  that keeps the Realm functioning. As the students are not 
  paid for this work, which is incorporated into their scholastic 
  program, the Imperial Bureaucracy keeps its overhead very 
  low and has amassed signiﬁ cantly larger coffers than it would 
  without the Academy’s free paper-pushing labor.
  The Spiral Academy is administered by the Right and 
  Responsible Ofﬁ ce of Ofﬁ cial Education, headed by the 
  Minister of Education, Sesus Valtor, an un-Exalted son of 
  Sesus Magel and Cynis Parovar. Valtor inherited both his 
  mother’s head for politics and his father’s business sense, and 
  both are inordinately proud of their son’s position, even if 
  he was not deemed worthy of Exaltation.
  THE ONYX CURTAIN DISTRICT
  Entertainment is only slightly less important than religion 
  to the majority of the wealthy and powerful population of the 
  
  142
  Imperial City, and the Onyx Curtain District rivals the size of 
  the Temple District. While there is much proﬁ t to be made 
  in the pursuit of leisure within the capital, however, the city’s 
  entertainment district lacks the direct ﬁ nancial backing of the 
  Immaculate Order from which the Temple District beneﬁ ts. 
  For the most part, then, it is less richly turned out than its 
  more pious neighbor. Exceptions exist, though. The Crane 
  Theater, for example, is the oldest professional playhouse in 
  the Realm, a tiny marble building whose few hundred seats 
  must be reserved years in advance. In contrast, the Celestial 
  Stage, while much newer, is capable of seating more than 
  5,000 at a time in its towering balconies that completely ring 
  the elevated center stage and is a favorite of many of the city’s 
  population who cannot afford admission into the Crane.
  As well as encompassing the greatest concentration of 
  theaters, playhouses, concert pavilions and art galleries in 
  Creation, the Onyx Curtain District houses the Honorable 
  Institution of Culinary Delights, the Realm’s premier school 
  of cooking and food preparation. Around this establishment, 
  some of the city’s ﬁ nest—and most exclusive—teahouses and 
  restaurants sit in attendance to the epicurean temple where 
  their masters were taught, and the richest Dynasts and patri-
  cians throughout the Realm clamor for its graduates.
  Even for the less fortunate, visits to public play- or 
  teahouses help ease the stresses of daily life within the Im-
  perial City. From respectable establishments that are simply 
  less reﬁ ned versions of those that cater to the Dragon-Bloods 
  and patricians to the wooden-slatted shacks that ring the 
  exterior of the city walls, refreshment and entertainment 
  is available to almost every class of individual who makes a 
  home in the Imperial City.
  THE GARDEN OF CRIMSON PLEASURES
  While prostitutes—both male and female—are ubiquitous 
  in any city, the eldest occupation is both organized and heavily 
  taxed in the Imperial City by the Scarlet Empress. Therefore, 
  those who ply the trade outside the imperial mandates will 
  never be in short supply, nor will those who seek out the same 
  in back rooms and dark alleys. To avoid disease and the strong 
  possibility of a knife in the back, however, discerning custom-
  ers who are looking for paid companionship most often make 
  their way through the elaborate alabaster gates of the walled 
  district known as the Garden of Crimson Pleasures.
  While this small area comprises only a few dozen city 
  blocks, the pleasures obtainable therein are as varied and 
  numerous as ﬂ owers in the imperial gardens. At the center 
  of the district stands a trio of buildings, each notable in its 
  own way. Two are great sweeping towers, their obsidian walls 
  stretching elegantly skyward in arcs and parapets that join 
  only on the uppermost ﬂ oors by a delicate skywalk. Balconies 
  line both towers, each designed to accentuate the graceful 
  long lines of the architecture as a whole. At ground level, 
  the towers stand on either side of the main path through 
  the Garden. In the space above the walkway between them 
  ﬂ utters a string of bright silk banners that have been expertly 
  calligraphed with romantic—and earthy—poetry singing the 
  praises of the “ﬂ owers” of the Eventide Conservatory, one of 
  the Garden’s two most elite courtesan houses.
  Set behind the Conservatory, the third building should 
  be dwarfed by the expansive and more modern towers. Yet, its 
  marble walls gleam with understated grace, and its reputation 
  exceeds that of the Eventide Conservatory. The marble build-
  ing known only as Haven is the oldest of those in the Garden, 
  a fact attested to by its single story and sprawling hallways. 
  Its doorways and windows are covered in some of the ﬁ nest 
  stained-glass work in Creation, elegant patterns that, when lit 
  from within, cast beautiful colored light out into the night.
  Haven and the Eventide Conservatory have shared a 
  civilized, but bitter rivalry since the Conservatory’s inception 
  several hundred years ago. Established early in the Imperial 
  City’s history by none other than Cynis herself, Haven long 
  held sole true dominion in the Garden as a source of compan-
  ions any patrician would be honored to have serving tea at his 
  or her side while entertaining. After Cynis’s death, however, 
  her daughter Wisel established the Eventide Conservatory as 
  a direct and lascivious rival of the more traditional Haven, 
  which was inherited by her elder sister Belar. Although the 
  siblings have long since come to terms with the unrest left in 
  the wake of their mother’s passing and handle the literal and 
  ﬁ gurative affairs of House Cynis jointly, both establishments 
  remain active in the Garden. While their founders might 
  have mended their differences, the courtesans of the two 
  pleasure houses have not, and there is a constant effort on the 
  part of each to entice clients from the other establishment. 
  The sisters who head the Great House look the other way 
  unless this rivalry escalates to undeniable criminal activity, 
  as it encourages their employees to constantly put forth their 
  utmost in an effort to please their clients.
  There are three main classes of professional prostitute 
  in Creation. Whores who trade sexual satisfaction for pay-
  ment are the most common—in every sense of the word. 
  Whether they work from street corners or small rented rooms 
  in hostels, these men and women (or even children) rarely 
  make more than the bare minimum needed to survive. This 
  is the case even if they don’t end up paying the largest share 
  of their proﬁ ts to a whoremonger in exchange for protection 
  or other nefarious services.
  Less common, and often more talented, are the profes-
  sional “entertainers.” This class includes exotic dancers, 
  singers of lusty ballads, those who write and recite erotic 
  poetry and musicians with nimble ﬁ ngers and talented 
  lips—performers whose talents are for hire both on and 
  off the stage. Of course, not all entertainers are for hire for 
  sexual services, regardless of how earthy their subject matter 
  might be. Some make a wage entirely on stage, avoiding the 
  necessity of peddling other services to their patrons. With 
  the steady increase in tax rates across the Realm since the 
  Empress’s disappearance, however, more entertainers are be-
  ing forced to turn to prostitution in conjunction with their 
  other performances in order to survive.
  
  143
  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  The rarest, and most elite, of those who nominally fall 
  under the career of prostitution are the city’s courtesans. While 
  many ply freely in the ﬂ esh trade, sexual favors are far from 
  the be-all and end-all of their repertoire. A skilled courtesan, 
  such as those trained and employed by Haven or the Eventide 
  Conservatory under the dominion of House Cynis, is educated 
  in history, Realm politics, philosophy and literature. She or 
  he—for just under 25 percent of the city’s courtesans are 
  male—is expected to be a talented poet, dancer and singer, 
  performing well enough to entertain publicly in all of these 
  as well as on at least one musical instrument. As masters of 
  social interaction, courtesans are frequently called upon by 
  discerning patricians to facilitate during intense negotiations, 
  knowing precisely when a gentle word, an offer of refresh-
  ment or an apologetic interruption will best serve those who 
  hire them. The absence of one trained in the courtly skills at 
  treaty or trade negotiations in certain circles might even be 
  seen as an insult to the guest, an unspoken statement that 
  the host is conﬁ dent enough of her capitulation to allow him 
  to eschew the aid of a protocol connoisseur.
  Those courtesans who Exalt either before or after their 
  training have access to an entire world of new possibilities, 
  incorporating special skills and Charms known only to their 
  kind. Even without supernatural assistance, though, the 
  courtesans of the Imperial City are renowned throughout 
  Creation as the bastions of social intercourse.
  Among those most highly acclaimed “blossoms” of the 
  Garden of Crimson Pleasures, very few are Exalted, though 
  House Cynis has several members who have historically been 
  known among the world’s most renowned courtesans. Many, 
  however, are un-Exalted family members—most likely to be 
  Cynis or strongly associated with that House. Others—prom-
  ising young people from across the Realm who aspire to the 
  life of glamour and mystery afforded to these most elite social 
  butterﬂ ies—may apply to train at one of the Garden’s courtesan 
  palaces. The shortness of their youthful existence, however, 
  puts them at a strong disadvantage over those who study the 
  arts before and after their Exaltation. Still, very few can afford 
  the company of a Terrestrial Courtesan, even for a few hours, 
  and so, there is a brisk business even for the less elite.
  THE EMPYREAN BAZAAR
  The vast majority of raw materials to supply goods and 
  services to any large city comes from outside its walls. The 
  Imperial City, with its huge population and limited space, 
  imports almost all of its raw goods, and a large proportion of 
  its ﬁ nished merchandise as well. While many of these goods 
  are bargained for before they ever reach the city gates, com-
  merce of a more direct nature is rampant in the city as well, 
  and nowhere more so than in the Empyrean Bazaar.
  Raw materials are traded predominantly in the Open 
  Market, a sector that encompasses many blocks of stockyards, 
  auction houses, mercantile establishments and brokerages. Due 
  to space constraints, many of these raw-goods dealers stock only 
  a sample of their various wares, the majority of their stock being 
  stored in well-guarded warehouses nearer to Dragonsmouth 
  
  144
  around it. While the city walls are more rectangular than 
  circular, the palace grounds themselves have grown up cen-
  tered around the Imperial Manse—no petitioner being willing 
  to distance himself any further from the Scarlet Empress’s 
  center of power than completely necessary. As a result, the 
  grounds are nearly twice as close to the north and south city 
  walls as they are to those in the east and west.
  The Imperial Palace itself is centered around the Imperial 
  Manse, although none of the wings actually directly connect 
  to it. Between the manse and the rest of the palace stretches 
  the Scarlet Garden, a collection of beautiful ﬂ owering plants, 
  trees and shrubbery. All feature crimson foliage or blossoms 
  and are carefully selected to complement each other’s periods 
  of bloom and decline.
  THE DRAGON GATES
  There are ﬁ ve ofﬁ cial entrance gates to the Imperial 
  Palace’s grounds, although the grounds themselves are not 
  walled from the rest of the city, making entrance through the 
  gates more a matter of protocol than necessity. Each of the 
  ﬁ ve gates, built in the early years of the third century of the 
  Realm, corresponds to one of the ﬁ ve Elemental Dragons. 
  While not a temple, per se, each is dedicated to and glori-
  ﬁ es the teachings of one of the Immaculate Dragons, and it 
  is not uncommon to ﬁ nd trinkets and offerings arranged at 
  the base of the gates, a practice that is tolerated—although 
  frowned upon—by the Immaculate Order.
  The gates’ construction, which began soon after the 
  unsuccessful coup attempt by House Iselsi, took more than 
  14 years to complete and was seen by some as the Scarlet 
  Empress demonstrating that even the attempted revolution 
  of one of her Great Houses was of little consequence to her. 
  Other rumors state that the gates are somehow linked to a 
  defense system centered around the Imperial Palace, designed 
  to allow the Empress to single out for remote destruction any 
  individual within the miles-wide ring created by the gates. 
  She had this defense system installed, the rumors say, in case 
  any of the Great Houses appears to be in danger of successful 
  revolt. The truth behind this speculation remains unknown, 
  but the possibility certainly exists. Coincidentally, none of 
  the Great Houses have staged an overt rebellion in the more 
  than four centuries since the gates’ completion.
  THE SCARLET PAVILION
  While the heart of the Imperial Palace is certainly the 
  Imperial Manse, no one save for the Scarlet Empress has en-
  tered it in well over 1,000 years, and no eyes in Creation save 
  hers have seen inside and lived to hold the secret. Therefore, 
  it is the Scarlet Pavilion—a massive construct of red jade 
  and black marble—that most who have visited the Imperial 
  Palace associate most closely with the Scarlet Empress.
  Audiences with the Empress took place at her whim. 
  Sometimes she forced courtiers and penitents to make their 
  supplications while riding on horseback at the hunt. Others 
  had to do so as they attempted to keep pace with her as she was 
  for ease of sea-shipping. Imperial tariffs on warehousing are 
  yet another of the complex threads the Scarlet Empress used 
  to ensure her complete control over the Realm.
  In other areas of the Bazaar, ﬁ nished goods are more 
  common. From clothing to carts and from furniture to ﬁ sh-
  hooks, there are few things that cannot be purchased ready 
  made at the Bazaar. Shops vary from massive, obsidian-walled 
  structures with many stories owned by wealthy trading families 
  to miniscule buildings wedged wherever their owners could 
  afford to lease space. Unlicensed vendors lay out blankets 
  or set up temporary stalls, which are moved as often as the 
  city’s Black Helms chase them off.
  Few ﬁ nished goods of paramount quality are bought and 
  sold in the Imperial City. It simply isn’t cost efﬁ cient for stores 
  to stock a wide variety of the highest quality goods when the 
  vast majority of those in the city cannot afford them. Merchants, 
  low-level civil servants and laborers might purchase their rice 
  bowls, combs or new slippers from one of the many stores in the 
  Empyrean Bazaar. Mass-market goods of this nature, however, 
  are unsuited for the demanding tastes of the upper class.
  Should a Dragon-Blood—or wealthy patrician—desire 
  a new robe, he would not go to the Bazaar to purchase the 
  same and expect to return with it at the end of his shopping 
  excursion. Instead, he would do business with the upscale 
  Paragon Court, a region of the Bazaar that houses some of the 
  most elite and expensive jewelers, scribes, tailors, shoemak-
  ers, armorers and artisans, all arranged around the First Age 
  fountain and courtyard that gives the area its name.
  While the most powerful might be sufﬁ ciently inﬂ uential to 
  summon even the most exclusive of the Paragon Court’s artistes 
  to their homes for private appointments, many enjoy the “see 
  and be seen” atmosphere of the Paragon Court. For them, a 
  shopping expedition is often as much a social outing of rivalry 
  and one-upmanship as an actual acquisition of goods.
  THE IMPERIAL PALACE
  Covering almost a full third of the square footage within 
  the Imperial City’s walls, the Imperial Palace is a sprawling 
  testament to the Realm’s nearly 800 years of history. Here, 
  more than any other place in Creation, the buildings and 
  grounds stand in a slowly evolving record of the triumphs and 
  failures of the Empress’s reign. Generation after generation 
  of Great Houses have schemed, plotted and risen in imperial 
  favor, and as they have done so, their architects have made 
  their mark on the palace grounds. Wings have been built or, 
  as families grew in number and power, added onto and built 
  higher and more ostentatious. And as households split off 
  from the Great Houses or family lines fall out of favor, entire 
  buildings and wings are emptied or fall into disuse. Sometimes 
  they are claimed—and usually extensively remodeled—by 
  those Houses that are currently more populous or popular.
  LOCATION
  The Imperial Palace sits directly in the center of the 
  Imperial City, with the remaining municipal districts ringed 
  
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  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  carried through the streets of the Imperial City in her elegant 
  crimson palanquin. When it pleased her to have them do so, 
  however, supplicants might ﬁ nd themselves kowtowing their 
  way up a massive aisle lined with ornately carved pillars twice 
  a man’s height in diameter as they reverently approached the 
  Scarlet Throne. While the Throne Room is large enough to 
  house the entire population of a small village, it most often 
  hosted only a handpicked few dozen of the Empress’s courtiers, 
  a selection of personal bodyguards and whichever petitioners 
  she allowed to meet her at any given time.
  The Throne Room is only one of more than 100 rooms in 
  the Scarlet Pavilion, which include more traditionally sized 
  ofﬁ ces, libraries, shrines and galleries. Since its construction, 
  the entirety of the Scarlet Pavilion has been solely for the 
  use of the Scarlet Empress. Staffed by those she has chosen 
  personally, not even the Regent dares to use her space in 
  her absence for anything but the utmost necessities. As a 
  result, the Throne Room has seen only one court in the 
  last ﬁ ve years—the one wherein Tepet Fokuf was named 
  Regent. Other matters of state are handled out of the ofﬁ ce 
  chosen for him by the leaders of the Great Houses—an of-
  ﬁ ce from which he retires as quickly as he can to his own 
  chambers in the Tepet Wing to neurotically contemplate 
  the Immaculate Texts.
  GREAT HOUSE WINGS
  Of the 11 Great Houses currently in existence, only House 
  Nellens has not yet claimed a wing of residence in the Impe-
  rial Palace, although it is currently in negotiation with House 
  Ragara for a foothold in a wing for which Ragara’s kin no longer 
  ﬁ nds use. Yet, even the Houses that maintain signiﬁ cant resi-
  dence in the Imperial Palace also maintain holdings elsewhere. 
  Those holdings include vacation homes and hunting lodges or 
  permanent holdings in outlying satrapies they govern. In the 
  case of House Nellens, the base of the household is actually 
  outside the Imperial City in the city of Juche.
  The term “wing” is somewhat deceptive when applied 
  to the Imperial Palace. The palace is not one building with 
  multiple wings branching off, but a collection of more than 900 
  buildings ranging in size from massive halls leased by the Great 
  Houses to small shrines hidden within carefully crafted gardens 
  where devout residents can often be found in contemplative 
  meditation. Many of these buildings are connected through 
  elaborate passageways. Some such pathways are enclosed 
  hallways or exposed garden paths linking buildings at ground 
  level, while others are lofty sky-passages that connect towers 
  high overhead. Rumors suggest that architects in service to 
  certain of the Great Houses have even designed underground 
  passageways within the palace grounds, hidden from all but 
  the head of the Houses’ most trusted allies.
  Each of the Great Houses (with the aforementioned excep-
  tion of House Nellens) has a wing separated from the others 
  as much as possible by creative architecture and landscaping. 
  Of course, some wings are greater than others. It is a matter of 
  pride to possess as vast a portion of the palace’s grounds and 
  buildings as possible, and since the Empress’s disappearance, 
  each of the Great Houses has done what it can to wrangle as 
  much of the property as possible for its own family.
  GARDENS
  To ﬁ nd a swath of green and growing land in the center 
  of any municipality can be a surprise, but in a metropolis as 
  overcrowded and claustrophobic as the Imperial City, bas-
  tions of greenery are few and far between. The only location 
  in the entire city where expansive gardens—functional or 
  aesthetic—are found in any abundance is within the Imperial 
  Palace’s grounds. Here, among the expansive wings of the 
  Imperial Palace, are some of the most elaborate and ornate 
  gardens this side of the Eastern forests. Tended meticulously, 
  most have been in place since the earliest years of the Empress’s 
  reign, laid out in intricate patterns of beauty and grace long 
  before space was a consideration for design. Ranging from 
  ornamental to practical, they provide only a small portion 
  of the food and foliage used by those who dwell within the 
  Imperial Palace. Compared to the rest of the capital, though, 
  the expansive stretches of green are an incredible luxury.
  SERVANTS AND STAFF
  Not all who dwell on the Imperial Palace grounds are 
  Dragon-Blooded, of course, nor are they all family members 
  of one of the Great Houses. Myriad trusted advisors, servants, 
  councilors and slaves make their temporary or permanent 
  homes alongside the more regal residents.
  Some reside there out of necessity. For each of the 
  thousands of Dragon-Blooded present in the Imperial Palace 
  at any given time, there are literally dozens of human staff, 
  each hand picked by those for whom they work. While those 
  human servants who scrape vegetables, clean lavatories, tend 
  the gardens and brush animals might ﬁ nd it preferable to 
  maintain homes outside the palace, their doing so would be 
  too inconvenient for those they serve. Therefore, they are 
  normally afforded modest quarters in the palace area nearest 
  their place of vocation. This arrangement is a mixed blessing, 
  though. On one hand, it protects them from the increasingly 
  steep housing rates found elsewhere in the city. (Few Dynasts 
  would stoop to charging their live-in staff rent.) On the other 
  hand, they are on duty at all times.
  Others individuals are granted lodging, either interim 
  or long-term, for a variety of other reasons. Tutors might live 
  with Dynast sponsors for a period of several years, teaching 
  their preschool-aged children until they are ready to go on to 
  primary school. Others migrate through the prefecture teaching 
  a particular specialty for a short time in a variety of locations. 
  Tutors’ quarters are normally private and of a modest size and 
  luxury. They are better than lodgings in a tenement or apart-
  ment in other areas of the city, but certainly nothing like those 
  that the Dragon-Blooded keep for themselves.
  In contrast, slaves of Dynasts are most often housed in 
  group dormitories. Only the most valued are allowed the 
  privilege of private rooms and the potentiality to form mar-
  
  146
  riages and possibly raise children. This right is a bittersweet 
  one for the slaves concerned. Dragon-Blooded families 
  separate their slaves—sending them off to other slaves who 
  act as wet nurses or foster parents—with just as much cold 
  calculation as they do their own when they seem in danger 
  of becoming too dependent on each other. Some slaves feel 
  it better not to bear children at all than to risk having them 
  separated at birth or during early childhood.
  THE IMPERIAL MANSE
  Sitting at the center of the Imperial Palace like an 
  elegant spider at the heart of a web of chaos and cunning, 
  the Imperial Manse is timeless. While the palace has grown 
  up around it, the Imperial Manse appears the same today as 
  it did on that fateful day when the sworn brotherhood that 
  included the woman who would become the Scarlet Empress 
  desperately found its way inside.
  Physically, there are far more imposing buildings in 
  the Imperial City. The manse itself is a squat tower of 
  marble, encompassing no more than a few thousand square 
  feet at ground level. It is a single story tall, and its tiled 
  roof is entirely shingled in black jade shot through with 
  gleaming gold metallic veins. It curves outward to end in 
  four jade-steel spikes, which rise from each corner like 
  gleaming dragon claws. Unlike many of the more than 200 
  other known war manses scattered throughout the Realm, 
  the Imperial Manse does not conjure forth tornadoes or 
  hurricanes, call lightning or shoot balls of flame. It has 
  no need of doing so directly, as its depths contain the 
  First Age engines from which a single entity may com-
  mandeer control of any of the other war manses—known 
  or unknown—in Creation.
  Along with exerting master-control over the Realm’s De-
  fense Grid, the manse grants its wielder the ability to manifest 
  her image and voice in every city and village in the Realm 
  simultaneously—as the Empress did when she announced 
  her imperial dominion more than 700 years ago.
  Beyond these functions, the Imperial Manse’s abilities 
  are largely a matter of speculation. The building itself is 
  shrouded in mystery. In fact, no one save for the Empress 
  herself is certain about exactly what element the manse is 
  aspected to—and the Empress isn’t telling.
  In more than a millennium, no human or Dragon-
  Blood—save for the Empress herself—has ever entered 
  through the Imperial Manse’s black jade door and returned. 
  Since her disappearance, many have contemplated braving 
  the dangers that destroyed the other four members of the 
  Empress’s sworn brotherhood, hoping to snatch the Scarlet 
  Throne for themselves. The leaders of the Great Houses have 
  posted copious guards to prevent this, however, and although 
  there are rumors of individuals clandestinely entering the 
  manse, none have ever emerged.
  HEART OF THE REALM
  In recorded history, none but the Scarlet Empress 
  herself has had direct contact with the Imperial Manse’s 
  hearthstone, an oval of smoky quartz crystal that glows with 
  a golden inner light. The gem, known as the Heart of the 
  Realm, has never been lent out to anyone since the Empress 
  emerged clutching it in her shaking ﬁ st. It was often worn 
  in the Imperial Crown, but it could also be set in any one 
  of a multitude of other pieces of ornate jewelry the Empress 
  had commissioned. A non-hearthstone duplicate was made 
  of obsidian to allow craftsmen to complete all but the ﬁ nal 
  touches on each item without having access to the Heart of 
  the Realm itself. When as much as could be done without 
  the hearthstone had been completed, the Empress herself 
  would accompany a carefully selected contingent of guards 
  to oversee the ﬁ nal stages and make sure that the Heart never 
  left her direct supervision. Delicate—but impenetrable—silk 
  gloves are worn by the craftsmen at all times during the brief 
  moments they are allowed to handle the hearthstone. The 
  penalty for any individual who knowingly or unknowingly 
  touches the hearthstone is death.
  THE SCARLET THRONE
  Depictions of the ﬁ ve Elemental Dragons twine 
  in upon themselves to form the Scarlet Throne, each 
  bearing a body carved of red jade and a ﬁ erce yet noble 
  head depicted in its elemental color. The entirety of 
  the throne is carved from the purest jade Creation has 
  to offer. Rumor has it that the Throne was created for 
  the Empress by the Elemental Dragons themselves, as 
  a sign of her rightful rule. The truth, however, is more 
  sinister. Etera Hej, an un-Exalted commoner whose 
  ability to sculpt jade was legendary in the early years 
  of the Scarlet Reign, created the Throne at the Scarlet 
  Empress’s private request. Shortly after ﬁ nishing the 
  chair—his masterwork, which took more than three 
  years of secluded effort to complete—Hej disappeared 
  and was never heard from again.
  Adding to the Scarlet Empress’s impressive appear-
  ance, the ﬁ ve dragons depicted on the Throne appeared 
  to come to life whenever she was seated there. More 
  than one courtier made a hasty retreat from the impe-
  rial presence after watching in terror as the Elemental 
  Dragons slowly stirred themselves to life around the 
  Empress. While thusly animated, the Dragons fully 
  assume their natural coloration, and have been known 
  to snap threateningly at those with whom the Empress 
  is even momentarily displeased.
  On the single occasion when Regent Fokuf dared to 
  seat himself on the Scarlet Throne, the dragons writhed 
  to life, rearing back to glare disapprovingly at the quak-
  ing pretender. Perhaps this explains his reluctance to 
  remount the Throne, preferring to take what audiences 
  he cannot avoid in more private chambers.
  
  147
  CHAPTER SIX • THE HEART OF THE REALM
  powerful manse and hearthstone in Creation. Yet, reliable ac-
  counts of the Scarlet Empress disappearing in a swirling cloud 
  of Essence and reappearing halfway across the Blessed Isle—as 
  well as her immunity to even the most powerful sorceries cast 
  against her—lead many to believe that the Heart of the Realm 
  is more powerful than any other hearthstone in Creation.
  As no one else in recorded history has wielded the Heart 
  of the Realm, no one is certain of the exact extent of powers 
  the hearthstone has bestowed upon her. Witnesses over the 
  past 700 years have reported such a wide variety of abilities 
  and powers to the Empress that it seems impossible she is truly 
  capable of all of them, even with the assistance of the most 
  The Scarlet Prefecture
  The Scarlet Prefecture, a Magnitude 6 Dominion
  Military:
  Military: 3 
  Government:
  Government: 3 
  Culture: 
  Culture: 3
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Awareness 2 (Heliograph + 1, Superior Diplomats + 2), Bureaucracy 4, Craft 2 (Architectural Competi-
  tion +3), Integrity 2, Investigation 3 (Spy Networks + 3), Occult 3 (The Sorcerers of the Scarlet Throne +3), 
  Performance 2 (Fool the Populace +1), Presence 4 (Proximity to the Scarlet Throne +3), Stealth 2, War 4 (Impe-
  rial Army Protection +3)
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 5, Temperance 2, Valor 4
  Virtue Flaw:
  Virtue Flaw: Conviction 
  Current Limit:
  Current Limit: 7
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 8
  Bonus Points:
  Bonus Points: 30 External Bonus Points:
  External Bonus Points: 18
  Notes:
  Notes: Both Tepet Fokuf and Mnemon Bata are both sorcerers with legitimacy, though Regent Fokuf seldom ex-
  ercises his power. The heads of the Great Houses primarily wield their considerable power behind the scenes as 
  savants. The prefecture’s bonus points are tied up in raising the dominion’s Valor and Presence by one apiece and 
  in its myriad of specialties. Its external bonus points are not assigned (allowing for easier Storyteller customization). 
  The citizens of the Scarlet Prefecture are stubbornly loyal to the Realm. The dominion’s Virtue Flaw leads the 
  citizenry to continue following their leaders’ directives even when they’ve been shown to be detrimental to their 
  welfare if not ﬂ at-out self-destructive.
  
  148
  
  149
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  CHAPTER SEVEN:
  CHAPTER SEVEN:
  GODS & CREATURES OF THE 
  GODS & CREATURES OF THE 
  BLESSED ISLE
  BLESSED ISLE
  AMERU
  God of Meru
  Once, there was only great Meru, Jewel of the Gods. 
  The city built by the gods themselves, set upon the slopes 
  of the Omphalos of Creation, Meru was the place from 
  which all the world was guided by the gods, then the 
  Solar Deliberative. The city’s god, Ameru, wielded great 
  power in the Bureau of Humanity, as the embodiment of 
  the Foremost City.
  Then came the Usurpation, and in that violence, Meru 
  was destroyed, rendered in many places to so much rubble 
  tumbling down the slopes of Mount Meru (as the Imperial 
  Mountain was once known). Ameru himself appeared in 
  the city then, attempting to stop the destruction of his city, 
  aiding in the defense of the Solars, but by the time he ap-
  peared, it was too late—the damage was done. Precisely what 
  happened to him then no one truly knows. There are those 
  who postulate that he was attacked by a coalition of Amoth, 
  the god of ruined cities, and several powerful Sidereals, who 
  agreed to see to it that Meru was never again settled, giving 
  Amoth unprecedented power.
  Once, Ameru was clad in celestial vestments and armor 
  beﬁ tting his station. He wore mighty pauldrons crafted of 
  orichalcum, and his brilliant white and silver robes were 
  inlaid with the pattern of a map of the interlocking streets 
  and passageways of his city. In his hands he bore a tall 
  stone staff, crafted of the heart-stone of the Omphalos of 
  Creation and topped with an orichalcum replica of the 
  Palace of the Deliberative.
  Now, although his appearance has not changed over-
  much, the god himself has. He appears sickly, his once lustrous 
  mane of white hair falling—or torn—out in clumps, and his 
  robes are tattered, threadbare and dull. His pauldrons sit in a 
  corner, for they began to weigh too heavily on his weak back, 
  and the pieces of his shattered staff lie on his desk. Ameru sits 
  in his well-appointed ofﬁ ce, a babbling lunatic and cripple. 
  He still retains the small apartments attached to his ofﬁ ce, 
  and the services of a single godly scribe who learned to ignore 
  
  150
  his rambling long ago, but Ameru’s holdings and treasures 
  have long ago been given up to other ofﬁ ces in the Bureau 
  of Humanity—most notably Amoth City-Smiter.
  The traits that follow are for Ameru in his present form. 
  Should some agency manage not only to rebuild Meru, but 
  to reacquire his holdings from those who have them now, 
  Ameru would slowly return to sanity and power, as the city’s 
  population and inﬂ uence in Creation grew once more.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: In the ruins of Meru sit the tumbled stones that 
  once were the Civic Plaza of Meru, the grand bureaucratic 
  headquarters to the city. In the height of its day, it hosted 
  the Chapel of Ameru. Behind the Doors of Mystery lay only 
  a small alcove, but those with the ability to see such things 
  could see the entry to the sanctum of Ameru. This doorway 
  is long since covered over in rubble, and the Sidereals who 
  occasionally visit the ruins believe that something horrible 
  has taken up residence there.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: None, due to the madness that has taken his 
  mind. (Once, it was to see the City of Meru grow great and 
  prosperous.)
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Charisma 1, 
  Manipulation 1, Appearance 2; Perception 4, Intelligence 
  1, Wits 3
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 1, Temperance 2, Valor 1
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Awareness 4, Dodge 2, Linguistics (Native: Old 
  Realm; Others: High Realm) 1, Lore 3 (First Age +2), Mar-
  tial Arts 2, Melee 2 (Daiklave +2), Occult 3, Resistance 2, 
  Stealth 4
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Celestial Manse 2, Followers 1, Resources 3, 
  Sanctum 2
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms: Ameru was once capable of wielding tremen-
  dous power, including sorcery of the Celestial Circle, but he 
  is now reduced to the following:
  Hurry Home—Ameru was once capable of walking the streets 
  of Meru with but a thought, journeying anywhere in its walls. 
  He has not returned there for many a year, however. This 
  costs 10 motes and a temporary Willpower.
  Martial Power—Once a master martial artist, Ameru is still 
  capable of spending three motes to harden his limbs, allowing 
  his punches and kicks to inﬂ ict lethal damage.
  Materialize—It costs Ameru 40 motes to materialize.
  Measure the Wind—Though Ameru was once the canniest of 
  bureaucrats, using this Charm to understand where those he spoke 
  with stood, he almost never has any use for it any longer.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 7
  Attacks:
  Attacks: Though he is unlikely in his current state to engage 
  in combat, should some outside intelligence manage to make 
  Ameru ﬁ ght somehow, he would use the following attacks.
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 5, Damage 2B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 5B, Parry DV 2, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 2B, Parry DV 4, Rate 3
  Soak:
  Soak: 6L/7B (Divine potency, 5L/5B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 4 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 5
  Essence:
  Essence: 3 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 55
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 40
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: None
  FLASHING PEAK
  Goddess of the Imperial Mountain, Shogun of the Hierarchy 
  of Type in the Bureau of Nature
  Appearing as a beautiful, eight-foot-tall woman made 
  entirely of polished basalt, Flashing Peak is the goddess of 
  the Imperial Mountain. More than this, however, she is also 
  one of the two leaders of the Bureau of Nature, holding the 
  position of Shogun of the Hierarchy of Type. Flashing Peak 
  is one of the most powerful deities in Yu-Shan—only the 
  heads of the other bureaus and the Celestines themselves 
  are her equals.
  All of this power is directed toward keeping the opera-
  tion of her bureaucracy as true to the ways of the First Age 
  as possible. She is uninterested in suggestions of divergence 
  from this norm to account for changes in Creation or 
  anything else. It has been good enough, and will always be 
  good enough, if Flashing Peak has anything to say about it. 
  She is the most strictly legalistic of the heads of Heaven’s 
  bureaus, applying the laws of Heaven as strictly now as she 
  did during the First Age. She is not stupid, however. She is 
  aware that many of the censors in this Age are corrupt and 
  that those in charge of the enforcement Heaven’s laws are 
  deeply cynical.
  Flashing Peak has never declared her preference for 
  either the goals of the Gold or Bronze Factions. Indeed, she 
  refuses to acknowledge that such a division exists. Anyone 
  
  151
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  who brings it to her attention is quickly dressed down, 
  asked to kindly refrain from bringing the personal hobbies 
  of Heavenly dignitaries to light.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: Flashing Peak has incredibly opulent estates in 
  Heaven, but she also maintains a modest sanctum from the 
  days when she was only the goddess of the Imperial Moun-
  tain, before the casting down of the Primordials. The Seat 
  of Pasiap, at the top of the Imperial Mountain, was once 
  known as the Chamber of Flashing Peak, where those who 
  were interested in visiting her sanctum stood to address her. 
  Fortunately, it is simple for her to visit this site, as it lies less 
  than an hour from the Glorious Arch.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To keep the Imperial Mountain important and 
  central to Creation, and to cause the Bureau of Nature to 
  become just as important and central to Heaven.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 9, Stamina 20; Charisma 
  9, Manipulation 9, Appearance 6; Perception 8, Intelligence 
  9, Wits 9
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 5, Temperance 4, Valor 4
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 8, Bureaucracy 9 (First Age 
  +2), Craft (Earth) 9, Dodge 4, Integrity 8, Investigation 5, 
  Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Others: High Realm, Low 
  Realm, Riverspeak) 3, Lore 6 (First Age +2), Martial Arts 
  6, Occult 5, Performance 4, Presence 6, Resistance 9, Sail 
  3, Socialize 5, Survival 5, Thrown 8 (Basalt Tokens +3), 
  War 5
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Backing 5, Celestial Manse 5, Contacts 5, 
  Followers 5, Inﬂ uence 5, Resources 5, Sanctum 3
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms: Flashing Peak has all available spirit Charms. 
  Some speciﬁ cs are given here, however:
  Avalanche of the Imperial Mountain—A terrible and fearsome 
  supernatural martial artist, Flashing Peak is capable of dealing 
  tremendous damage with her bare hands. She automatically 
  inﬂ icts lethal damage with her blows. By spending ﬁ ve motes, 
  she may add ﬁ ve dice to her unarmed damage for the scene. 
  Additionally, by spending a Willpower point before making an 
  attack, she may inﬂ ict aggravated damage with that strike. This 
  expenditure must be made before the attack roll is made.
  Basalt Tokens—Flashing Peak can create sharp, rounded 
  tokens of basalt, which are utterly unique. She often gives 
  these to messengers, as proof that the message he bears is 
  from her. She creates these tokens by simply spending one 
  point of Essence each—up to ﬁ ve at a time. They dissolve 
  into nothingness at the end of a scene. She can also throw 
  these tokens as weapons.
  Celestial Circle Sorcery—Flashing Peak knows all Celestial 
  Circle spells and may teach them to others.
  Donning Spiritual Armor—Through the expenditure of ﬁ ve 
  motes, Flashing Peak may add her (Temperance + Essence) to 
  her bashing and lethal soaks. By spending one point of Will-
  power, she may also add her Essence to her aggravated soak.
  Essence Plethora (x5)—Flashing Peak increases her Essence 
  Pool by 50.
  Hurry Home—Through the expenditure of 10 motes and a 
  Willpower point, Flashing Peak may not only appear anywhere 
  on the Blessed Isle, but as the head of one of the Heavenly 
  Bureaus, she may also transport herself immediately anywhere 
  within Yu-Shan. She must still use gates to move between 
  Creation and Heaven, though.
  Materialize—It costs Flashing Peak 95 motes to materialize.
  Principle of Motion—Flashing Peak usually maintains a res-
  ervoir of 10 additional actions.
  Reserve of Will (x4)—Flashing Peak has four additional points 
  of Willpower at her disposal.
  Shogun’s Prerogative—While in Heaven, Flashing Peak may 
  summon any single one of her subordinates in the Bureau 
  of Nature to her side immediately. She does so only in times 
  of danger or other emergency. She must spend a point of 
  Willpower and a number of motes equal to the (Essence + 
  Willpower) of the subordinate she is summoning.
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery—Flashing Peak knows all Terrestrial 
  Circle spells and may teach them to others.
  Flashing Peak has the First, Second and Third Excellencies 
  for the following Abilities: Awareness, Bureaucracy, Craft, 
  Integrity, Martial Arts, Resistance and Thrown.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 17
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 15, Damage 12L, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 15, Damage 15L, Parry DV 7, 
  Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 16, Damage 12L, Parry DV 9, 
  Rate 3
  Basalt Tokens: Speed 4, Accuracy 20, Damage 17L, Rate 
  5, Range 50
  
  152
  Soak:
  Soak: 25L/35B (Basalt ﬂ esh, 15L/15B, Hardness: 5L/5B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 11 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 10
  Essence:
  Essence: 9 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 190
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 95
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: Flashing Peak has a tremendous armory of First 
  Age artifacts that grant her an incredible array of abilities 
  above and beyond what is listed here.
  JAGALZA
  Satrap of the Realm
  The numinous Jagalza is the Satrap of the Realm within 
  the Bureau of Humanity. As the Satrap of the Blessed Isle, 
  all City Mothers and City Fathers on the Blessed Isle answer 
  to her, and she runs a tight ship, careful to make sure that 
  they all adhere to the dictates of the Immaculate Philosophy. 
  She is aware of the subtle nuances of every aspect of the Im-
  maculate Order’s interaction with gods not because she has 
  any love for the Order, but because she despises it.
  Jagalza has close ties to the Bronze Faction and frequently 
  attempts to convince it to change the Immaculate Order’s 
  position on the worship of gods, to little effect. Since the 
  disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, she has also begun 
  speaking with Gold Faction members, seeking to do what 
  she has always done—preserve the Realm, regardless of who 
  rules there. Personally, she would prefer that the fractious 
  and constantly warring Exalted did not rule at all, leaving 
  such things to the gods, who are eternal and know their re-
  lationships to one another, but she realizes that is too much 
  to hope for in this Age.
  Jagalza appears as a seven-foot-tall woman in brilliant 
  scarlet robes, once emblazoned with the symbol of the Scarlet 
  Empress. Now, however, her robes shift through a variety 
  of patterns, as the symbols of the various Great Houses ap-
  pear and disappear, as a thousand minor events determine 
  which House comes the closest to ruling. She wears an 
  impressive moonsilver and starmetal headdress, set with 
  three hearthstones, and she is utterly bald. Her eyes are a 
  brilliant white hue the color of pale jade, and her skin has 
  a luminous, slightly translucent quality, as though she were 
  made of moonstone.
  A servant-god always accompanies Jagalza, carrying the 
  Utmost Censor, her moonsilver grand daiklave envenomed 
  with strange poisons she acquires from the Division of End-
  ings, in the Bureau of Destiny. This servant-god shapechanges 
  itself into a suit of resplendent red jade and starmetal lamellar 
  armor upon Jagalza as she takes a battle stance.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: Jagalza does not maintain a sanctum in Creation, in-
  stead staying at one of her several opulent estates in Heaven.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To make sure that the Realm stands for all 
  eternity.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 8, Stamina 5; Charisma 8, 
  Manipulation 8, Appearance 7; Perception 6, Intelligence 
  5, Wits 5
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 4, Temperance 5, Valor 5
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Bureaucracy 8 (Bureau 
  of Humanity +3), Dodge 6, Integrity 5, Investigation 4, 
  Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Others: High Realm, Low 
  Realm) 2, Lore 5, Martial Arts 2, Medicine 3, Melee 6 (Dai-
  klaves +2), Occult 6, Performance 4 (Dance +2), Presence 
  7, Resistance 6, Ride 3, Socialize 6, War 4
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Backing 4, Celestial Manse 5, Contacts 5, 
  Followers 4, Inﬂ uence 5, Resources 5
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms: Jagalza has all the available spirit Charms. 
  Some speciﬁ cs are given here:
  Celestial Circle Sorcery—Jagalza knows the following Celestial 
  Circle spells and can teach them to others: Blood of Boiling 
  Oil and Sapphire Countermagic.
  Donning Spiritual Armor—Through the expenditure of ﬁ ve 
  motes, Jagalza may add her (Temperance + Essence) to her 
  bashing and lethal soaks. By spending one Willpower, she 
  may also add her Essence to her aggravated soak.
  Essence Plethora (x3)—Jagalza has access to 30 additional 
  motes of Essence.
  Geas—Jagalza may lay a geas upon a spirit, Exalt or mortal 
  for the purpose of fulﬁ lling her duties under Heaven or her 
  Motivation. This is considered unnatural mental inﬂ uence. 
  Jagalza’s player rolls her (Manipulation + Conviction) against 
  the target’s Mental DV. This Charm costs two Willpower 
  points and requires the investment of a number of motes 
  equal to the number of days she wishes the target to be bound 
  by the geas, to a maximum of 28 days.
  Materialize—It costs Jagalza 90 motes to materialize.
  Principle of Motion—Jagalza normally maintains a reserve of 
  10 additional actions.
  
  153
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  Reserve of Will (x3)— Jagalza has access to three additional 
  points of Willpower.
  Satrap’s Prerogative—While in Heaven, Jagalza may summon 
  any single one of her subordinates in the Bureau of Humanity 
  to her side immediately. She does so only in times of danger 
  or other emergency. She must spend a point of Willpower 
  and a number of motes equal to the (Essence + Willpower) 
  of the subordinate she is summoning.
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery—Jagalza knows all Terrestrial Circle 
  spells and may teach them to others.
  Jagalza has the First, Second and Third Excellencies for the 
  following Abilities: Bureaucracy, Dodge, Integrity, Lore, 
  Melee and Presence.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 9
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6 Accuracy 10, Damage 6B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5 Accuracy 10, Damage 9B, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 6B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 3
  Moonsilver Grand Daiklave (The Utmost Censor): Speed 5, 
  Accuracy 20, Damage 18L/4*, Parry DV 9, Rate 2
  * Weeping Conclusion (poison); Damage 6L/minute, Resist 
  5L, Tolerance —/—, Impairment -4
  Soak:
  Soak: 11L/14B (Divine lamellar, 8L/9B, Hardness: 5L/5B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 11 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 10
  Essence:
  Essence: 8 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 160
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 90
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: None
  TACHI-KUN
  Central God of War
  The god of war for the center direction, Tachi-Kun is also 
  the god of Exalted warfare, the patron of the tumultuous clash 
  between those imbued with the power of the gods. In ancient 
  days, when the Exalted marched to war, Tachi-Kun was there, 
  overseeing the clash of battle-Essence, savoring every shake 
  of the earth and mountain toppled by these heroes.
  To say that Tachi-Kun has been disappointed with the 
  warriors of the Blessed Isle since the Usurpation is something 
  of an understatement. He ﬁ nds the Dragon-Blooded focus on 
  unit tactics and dog-packing to lack the honor and glory of 
  the ancient wars, when Solars took to the ﬁ eld against their 
  foes, each a hero in his own right.
  This isn’t to say that Tachi-Kun doesn’t support 
  the Bronze Faction, of course. He is too wise to see the 
  suspicious disappearance of Darunla, the wolf-goddess 
  of the East who supported the Solars, shortly after the 
  Usurpation as chance—especially given that Sunipa, 
  who favors the Dragon-Blooded, was soon after elevated 
  to the position of war-goddess of the East. Tachi-Kun 
  acknowledges that the Dragon-Blooded are mighty war-
  riors; they are simply not heroes, in his mind. But then, 
  foot soldiers rarely are.
  Tachi-Kun maintains a strong rivalry with Voharun, the 
  crow-god of Northern war. Once, in the time of the Solars, 
  Voharun and Tachi-Kun were strong allies, but they have 
  not gotten along since the Usurpation. Neither, however, 
  will reveal the reason.
  The central god of war is nearly eight feet tall and power-
  fully built. He wears an incredible suit of starmetal and jade 
  superheavy plate, with an impressive dragon-face helm. He 
  wields Terrible Mountain Cutter, an impressive divine grand 
  grimcleaver. He is a superb martial artist and soldier, excelling 
  at the use of Charms to their best effects in combat.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: In the Imperial City, there is a temple to Tachi-Kun 
  that is opened only during his festival day. Nonetheless, it has 
  become a tradition for legionnaires who visit the city for the 
  ﬁ rst time to come and see the outside of the temple. Within 
  this temple is an archway behind the altar, and those pass-
  ing immaterial through the archway may enter the opulent 
  warrior’s sanctum of Tachi-Kun. The god spends most of his 
  time in his estates in Yu-Shan, however.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To foster battle that features incredible Exalted 
  heroics.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 10, Dexterity 12, Stamina 8; Charisma 
  6, Manipulation 5, Appearance 5; Perception 7, Intelligence 
  5, Wits 7
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 5
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Archery 4, Athletics 5, Awareness 6, Bureaucracy 5, 
  Craft (Earth) 4, Craft (Fire) 4, Dodge 7, Integrity 6, Investiga-
  tion 4, Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Others: Flametongue, 
  High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak) 4, Lore 6, Martial Arts 
  5, Medicine 3, Melee 7 (Grand Grimcleavers +3), Occult 
  
  154
  5, Performance 3, Presence 6, Resistance 5, Ride 4, Sail 4, 
  Socialize 4, Stealth 3, Survival 3, Thrown 4, War 7
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Backing 4, Celestial Manse 5, Contacts 5, Cult 
  2, Followers 5, Inﬂ uence 5, Resources 5, Sanctum 3
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms: Tachi-Kun has all available spirit Charms. 
  Some speciﬁ cs are given here, however:
  Donning Spiritual Armor—Through the expenditure of ﬁ ve 
  motes, Tachi-Kun may add his (Temperance + Essence) to his 
  bashing and lethal soaks. By spending one point of Willpower, 
  he may also add his Essence to his aggravated soak.
  Essence Plethora (x3)—Tachi-Kun has 30 additional motes 
  in his Essence pool.
  Materialize—It costs Tachi-Kun 80 motes to materialize.
  Principle of Motion—Tachi-Kun regularly maintains a pool 
  of eight additional actions.
  Reserve of Will (x2)—Tachi-Kun has access to two additional 
  Willpower points.
  Shapechange—In the midst of a battle, Tachi-Kun can change 
  into a great and terrible dragon, with wicked scything talons 
  and the ability to ﬂ y.
  Spirit Cutting —Tachi-Kun may attack a physical opponent 
  when he is dematerialized, or he may attack a dematerialized one 
  when he is material. Doing so costs one mote per attack.
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery—Tachi-Kun knows all Terrestrial 
  Circle spells and can teach them to others.
  Uncanny Prowess—By expending two motes, Tachi-Kun may 
  add his Valor to any Dexterity-based roll that has to do with 
  his areas of godly inﬂ uence, such as combat.
  Tachi-Kun has the First, Second and Third Excellencies for 
  the following Abilities: Awareness, Dodge, Integrity, Martial 
  Arts, Melee, Presence and War
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 13
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 17, Damage 10B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 17, Damage 13B, Parry DV 8, 
  Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 18, Damage 10B, Parry DV 10, 
  Rate 3
  Divine Grand Grimcleaver (Terrible Mountain Cutter): Speed 
  6, Accuracy 24, Damage 24L/4, Parry DV 10, Rate 2
  Soak:
  Soak: 19L/23B (Divine superheavy plate, 15L/15B, Hard-
  ness: 10L/10B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 13 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 9
  Essence:
  Essence: 7 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 145
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 80
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: None
  THE ANCIENT OF STONE JOURNEYS
  God of the Great Coast Road and Travel on the Blessed Isle
  The Ancient of Stone Journeys is a well-known god, for 
  his shrines dot the length and breadth of the Great Coast 
  Road, ready to be opened by the nearest Immaculate on 
  one of his several sacriﬁ ce days. Travelers do not ever leave 
  tokens of worship or even thanks at the doors to these small 
  huts, for the Ancient of Stone Journeys is a staunch adherent 
  of the Immaculate Philosophy. Many travelers do stop and 
  picnic in the shade of the great sycamores that grow near 
  his shrines, though, and sycamores are sacred to the Ancient 
  of Stone Journeys.
  The Ancient himself is a tall, impressive ﬁ gure, some 
  seven and a half feet in height. He wears impressively large 
  boots shod in white jade and long, ﬂ owing traveler’s robes, 
  secured with a wide leather belt hung with pouches and 
  bags. He carries with him a large sycamore staff shod in 
  white jade, as well, and this weapon (which takes the traits 
  of a grand goremaul) can be used to utterly destroy rubble, 
  fallen trees and other things that obstruct the Great Coast 
  Road. The large bag of water that he carries with him has 
  healing properties, both for mortals and for the road itself, 
  allowing him to pour water on cracks and other damage to 
  the road in order to “wash away” such occurrences. The god 
  has long hair and a beard the color of the Great Coast Road’s 
  stone, and his eyes are the brilliant blue of the horizon on 
  the Blessed Isle.
  The Ancient spends very little time in his otherworldly 
  sanctum. He can usually be found walking the length of the 
  Great Coast Road, observing it for damage, obstructions or 
  signs of banditry. He can easily will himself anywhere along 
  the road, but walking the road in this way allows him to make 
  a complete circuit of the road in two weeks. During Calibra-
  tion, the Ancient hosts a ﬁ ne celebration in his sanctum, 
  inviting all the gods of the Court of Tireless Treadings, a 
  court consisting of road gods and other minor travel deities 
  
  155
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  throughout Creation. Traditionally, the Empress sent a gift 
  to his sanctum during this time, a habit that Mnemon has 
  taken up in her mother’s absence.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: The Ancient’s small temple in the Imperial City 
  bears an immaterial portal that leads to his opulently ap-
  pointed suite of rooms. In these rooms, furnished with very 
  large furniture and high ceilings, the Ancient allows himself 
  to sit and relax. Any other time he is encountered, he is 
  standing and walking.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To maintain the usefulness and structure of 
  the Great Coast Road, fostering travel and trade along its 
  length.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5; Charisma 3, 
  Manipulation 2, Appearance 2; Perception 5, Intelligence 
  3, Wits 3
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, Valor 2
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Bureaucracy 3, Craft 
  (Earth) 5, Dodge 2, Integrity 3, Investigation 2, Linguistics 
  (Native: Old Realm; Others: High Realm, Low Realm) 2, 
  Lore 2, Martial Arts 1, Medicine 2, Melee 4 (Staves +2), 
  Presence 3, Resistance 4, Stealth 2, Survival 4
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Backing 5, Inﬂ uence 3, Resources 3, Sanctum 3
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms:
  Ancient Waters—The Ancient may pour the water from his 
  bag onto damage to his road, healing it by paying one mote 
  per lethal health level repaired. Likewise, the may grant a 
  traveler on his road a drink, healing her for one lethal health 
  level or two bashing health levels for ﬁ ve motes, but only if 
  the wounds were taken while the traveler was on the Great 
  Coast Road.
  Essence Plethora—The Ancient of Stone Journeys has 10 
  additional motes of Essence.
  Hurry Home—The Ancient of Stone Journeys may instantly 
  transport himself anywhere along the length of the Great 
  Stone Road for 10 motes and a Willpower point.
  Materialize—It costs the Ancient 55 motes to materialize.
  Shapechange—The Ancient sometimes changes his shape 
  to that of a rich merchant or other traveler, in order to lure 
  bandits out into the open.
  The Ancient of Stone Journeys has the First Excellency 
  for the following Abilities: Awareness, Craft, Melee and 
  Resistance.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 7
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 4, Damage 3B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 4, Damage 6B, Parry DV 1, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 3B, Parry DV 3, Rate 3
  White Jade Grand Goremaul (The Marker of Miles): Speed 
  4, Accuracy 11, Damage 20L/5, Parry DV 4, Rate 1
  Soak:
  Soak: 11L/13B (Resilience of the Eternal Road, 8L/8B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 5 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 7
  Essence:
  Essence: 4 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 85
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 55
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: Those who wear the boots of the Ancient ﬁ nd 
  that they can run along the Great Coast Road at a speed of 
  ﬁ ve miles every hour of running without ever becoming tired. 
  The character must be running, however, and the effect ends 
  as soon as he steps off the Great Coast Road. The Ancient 
  of the Stone Journeys rarely lends out his boots, however, 
  though he has been known to do so to itinerant monks who 
  need to travel somewhere in an emergency.
  FIELD GOD
  Field gods are the gods of agricultural stretches of land, 
  from rice paddies to wheat ﬁ elds to orchards and vineyards. 
  Generally, ﬁ eld gods form the majority of the population of 
  a rustic spirit court, though each one rules many acres of a 
  given kind of ﬁ eld. The appearance of a ﬁ eld god changes 
  depending on what is being grown in that ﬁ eld. Rice paddy 
  gods wear short robes of woven rice grains, with big straw 
  hats, and possess perpetually wet feet. Gods of wheat ﬁ elds 
  are usually gracefully tall and fair in hue, while the goddesses 
  of apple orchards tend to be sweetly rounded, ruddy cheeked 
  and mirthful.
  On the Blessed Isle, ﬁ eld gods know better than to demand 
  the sort of harvest sacriﬁ ces that they get elsewhere. They also 
  work the hardest of all the ﬁ eld gods in the world, required by 
  the Immaculate Philosophy to do their part to ensure a ﬁ ne 
  harvest. During winter, when there is no life in their ﬁ elds, 
  ﬁ eld gods generally wander their domain morosely, dressed as 
  paupers. When pressed, ﬁ eld gods can quickly transform the 
  crops of their ﬁ eld (even during winter) into weapons.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: In one place in every ﬁ eld, a small portion of crop 
  is left unharvested. This fruit-heavy tree, bunch of vines or 
  square of ﬁ eld is the entryway into the sanctum of that ﬁ eld 
  god, whose home seems built into the tree or made out of 
  the plant it embodies. Field god homes are comfortable, if 
  a bit rustic.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To see that its ﬁ eld, vineyard, orchard or paddy 
  produces a ﬁ ne crop and is protected from harm.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Charisma 3, 
  Manipulation 2, Appearance 4; Perception 3, Intelligence 
  2, Wits 3
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, Valor 2
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Archery 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Bureaucracy 
  1, Craft (Wood) 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Lore 1, Martial Arts 
  2, Melee 3, Occult 2, Resistance 2, Stealth 4 (Agricultural 
  Fields +3), Socialize 2
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Backing 2, Inﬂ uence 1, Sanctum 2
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms:
  Intrusion Sensing Method—By committing ﬁ ve motes of Es-
  sence and spending a point of Willpower, the Storyteller 
  gets a reﬂ exive (Perception + Awareness) roll for the ﬁ eld 
  god, adding a number of automatic successes equal to the 
  ﬁ eld god’s Compassion, to detect any time an entity with an 
  Essence of greater than 1 enters its domain.
  Materialize—It costs a ﬁ eld god 45 motes to materialize.
  Measure the Wind—The ﬁ eld god may spend a mote to under-
  
  156
  stand the spiritual power of those who come to its ﬁ elds.
  Summon Food—By spending ﬁ ve motes, the ﬁ eld god may 
  create wholesome but simple food appropriate to its purview, 
  in quantities sufﬁ cient to feed up to ﬁ ve people. By spending 
  10 motes, this is food of exquisite quality.
  Field gods have the First Excellency for the following Abili-
  ties: Awareness, Craft, Dodge and Melee.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 6
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 5, Damage 4B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 7B, Parry DV 2, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 4B, Parry DV 4, Rate 3
  Crop-Sword: Speed 4, Accuracy 8, Damage 7L, Parry DV 
  4, Rate 2
  Crop-Bow: Speed 6, Accuracy 6, Damage 6L*, Rate 2, 
  Range 150
  * Uses broadhead arrows.
  Soak:
  Soak: 9L/9B (Spiritual tunic, 7L/5B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 5 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 6
  Essence:
  Essence: 3 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 60
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 45
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: None
  SALT GOD
  The salt gods are a very proliﬁ c type of little god, found 
  anywhere salt might be extracted from natural environs, 
  be it along coasts, marshes or in salt mines. The salt gods 
  exist in order to keep salt as part of the natural world, so it 
  is against their purpose under Heaven to permit the harvest-
  ing of salt. Unfortunately, because salt is so valuable in the 
  preservation of food and preparation of raw materials, it is 
  the cornerstone of civilization. Therefore, civilizations in 
  Creation have long accepted the need to sacriﬁ ce to the salt 
  gods, bribing them to set their duty aside in order to allow 
  civilization to grow.
  Even with the coming of the Immaculate Order, the salt 
  gods could not be forced to allow this. In fact, some in the Or-
  der maintain that it is wrong to even allow them to be bribed, 
  even though civilization requires salt. Therefore, the Scarlet 
  Empress herself invoked her right as the ruler of Creation to set 
  the terms of sacriﬁ ce for salt gods all through her Realm. She 
  would establish a speciﬁ c sacriﬁ cial rate per quintal of salt. In 
  return, not only would the Scarlet Empire permit the sacriﬁ ces 
  to continue, it would mandate salt sacriﬁ cial rate laws.
  Ultimately, this rate led to a tax on salt, set at two 
  percent when it was established in RY 314. As a universal 
  rate of taxation on salt, it eventually became the rate upon 
  which banking and lending institutions were based. The salt 
  rate has ﬂ uctuated in the Realm since then, usually varying 
  between two and eight percent, established by the Empress 
  by traveling to the Temple of the Salt Gods in the Imperial 
  City and making a sacriﬁ ce in that amount. The salt gods 
  were forced to accept her terms as ruler of Creation. Produc-
  ers of salt hired Immaculate monks to perform the necessary 
  sacriﬁ ces, and the system continued.
  
  157
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  In the time since her disappearance, however, things 
  have changed. There is no single standard salt rate any 
  longer, and while some salt gods charge smaller amounts, 
  others (such as those in the Eagle Prefecture) have begun 
  charging outrageous amounts, so much that salt production 
  has ceased in those areas.
  Salt gods are small humanoid creatures that appear 
  entirely crusted over with gleaming salt crystals. They stand 
  about two feet high. There are salt gods every few miles of 
  coastline, as well as at salt-gathering sites. (There are ap-
  proximately 736 salt gods on the Blessed Isle alone.) Salt gods 
  do not hesitate to sabotage and steal from operations that try 
  to take salt without paying the salt rate in sacriﬁ ces.
  Sanctum:
  Sanctum: Each salt god maintains a small sanctum that looks 
  like a cavern studded with salt crystals the size of human ﬁ sts. 
  These sanctums are accessible at liminal places, where one 
  thing becomes another, such as right at the shoreline or at 
  the doorway into a salt mine.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To prevent the unblessed collection of salt.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Charisma 2, 
  Manipulation 2, Appearance 1; Perception 3, Intelligence 
  3, Wits 2
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 2
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 3 (Mer-
  cantilism +2), Dodge 2, Integrity 2, Larceny 2, Linguistics 
  (Native: Old Realm; Others: High Realm, Low Realm) 2, 
  Martial Arts 3, Occult 1, Resistance 2, Stealth 3
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Cult 1, Resources 3, Sanctum 1
  Spirit Charms:
  Spirit Charms:
  Erode—Salt gods can cause materials to erode and fray, as though 
  left exposed to the elements and pounding surf for many weeks. 
  In order to use this ability, they must spend three motes, and 
  then an (Intelligence + Conviction) roll is made. Each success 
  inﬂ icts a point of lethal damage to the object. Salt gods may 
  ignore up to ﬁ ve points of lethal soak on an item, unless the item 
  is made of stone. This Charm cannot affect items made from 
  the magical materials at all. Salt gods use this ability to sabotage 
  mining operations that do not pay their salt rate.
  Hurry Home—Salt gods can rise from any source of salt in 
  their domain, naturally occurring or mined by spending 10 
  motes and a point of Willpower.
  Materialize—Salt gods must pay 35 motes to manifest.
  Salt Body—Salt gods’ bodies are made up entirely of salt 
  crystals. As such, they soak lethal damage with their full 
  Stamina, in addition to possessing a measure of armor from 
  the durability of their forms. Salt gods inﬂ ict lethal dam-
  age with their unarmed attacks, and their sense of pain is 
  dramatically reduced by the spiritually numbing effects of 
  salt, reducing their wound penalties by one. Finally, salt god 
  attacks inﬂ ict aggravated damage to hungry ghosts and other 
  creatures adversely affected by salt. These beneﬁ ts cost salt 
  gods an additional 10 motes when manifesting.
  Salt gods have the First Excellency for the following Abili-
  ties: Bureaucracy, Martial Arts and Stealth.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 4
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Kick: Speed 5 Accuracy 6, Damage 5L, Parry DV 2, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 2L, Parry DV 4, Rate 3
  Soak:
  Soak: 7L/7B (Salt body, 5L/5B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-3/Incap
  Dodge DV:
  Dodge DV: 4 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 5
  Essence:
  Essence: 2 
  Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 45
  Cost to Materialize:
  Cost to Materialize: 35
  Other Notes:
  Other Notes: None
  RAGOLY AGLDE OF THE WINGS CONJOINED IN LURE
  Lord of the Unrivaled Flames
  No one truly knows how old Ragoly Aglde is, though 
  he was certainly over a century in age when the Empress 
  appointed him as the master of the Red Tables Court over 
  a century ago. The God-Blooded son of a powerful ifrit lord 
  known as the Wings Conjoined in Lure, Ragoly Aglde wields 
  tremendous power that most God-Blooded never achieve. 
  He has certainly lived longer than most God-Blooded do 
  and shows no signs of slowing down.
  Ragoly Aglde is something of a megalomaniac, seeing the 
  ﬁ re elementals of the Blessed Isle as his sole dominion. He 
  honors his subjects, seeing in them truly numinous spiritual 
  entities, though he does not worship them. After all, he works 
  closely with the Immaculate Order—although it might be 
  fairer to say that the Immaculate Order watches him closely, 
  to make sure he does not become an object or promulgator 
  of heresy. Ragoly Aglde despises the Court of the Orderly 
  Flame and will not hesitate to order the destruction of ﬁ re 
  elementals that he learns are associated with it.
  Ragoly Aglde’s personal power and influence has 
  swelled tremendously, as he alone can grant easy access 
  to sorcerers wishing to summon fire elementals easily. 
  Those who wish to summon fire elementals who will not 
  fight their bindings from the Blessed Isle may journey 
  to the Red Tables and apply for the Imperial Seal of the 
  Unrivaled Flames, a red jade token that may be used 
  during the summoning of a fire elemental. Not everyone 
  gains such a token, however. Only those who can pay the 
  tremendous bureaucratic fees, render the appropriate gifts 
  and prove that their ability to summon fire elementals is 
  of benefit to the Realm are even considered.
  Ragoly Aglde is usually clad in crimson, gold and black robes. 
  He has brilliant red hair that he keeps decorated in the height 
  of imperial fashion, with beads of jade and gold woven into it. 
  His nails are long and lacquered crimson, brushed in black ink 
  with the words of ﬁ re elemental summoning spells. He is armed 
  with his father’s red jade daiklave, the Revered Scion of Hesiesh, 
  and he wears a red jade chain shirt beneath his robes.
  Motivation:
  Motivation: To honor the memory of his father’s power by 
  one day wielding as much power as he did.
  Attributes:
  Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3; Charisma 3, 
  Manipulation 5, Appearance 4; Perception 3, Intelligence 
  3, Wits 4
  Virtues:
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 4
  
  158
  Abilities:
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Bureaucracy 4, Dodge 5, 
  Integrity 3, Linguistics (Native: Flametongue; Others: High 
  Realm, Low Realm, Old Realm) 3, Lore 4 (Elementals +2), 
  Martial Arts 4, Melee 4 (Daiklaves +1), Occult 5 (Summon-
  ing +2), Performance 2, Presence 4, Ride 2, Socialize 2, War 
  3 (Elementals +2)
  Backgrounds:
  Backgrounds: Artifact 4, Backing 4, Inﬂ uence 3, Inheritance 
  4, Manse 3, Resources 5
  Powers:
  Powers: Ragoly’s elemental heritage grants him a variety of 
  useful abilities, including:
  Elemental Powers—Ragoly can use the Dragon’s Suspire, El-
  emental Expression and Elemental Rejuvenation powers.
  Ifrit’s Gift—Ragoly Aglde is immune to damage from ﬁ re.
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery—Ragoly Aglde can use the following 
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery spells: Emerald Circle Banishment, 
  Emerald Countermagic, Summon Elemental.
  Join Battle:
  Join Battle: 7
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 4B, Parry DV —, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 7B, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 4B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 3
  Red Jade Daiklave (Revered Scion of Hesiesh)*: Speed 4, 
  Accuracy 13, Damage 11L, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
  * By spending a single mote when he attacks, Ragoly may 
  use Revered Scion to strike dematerialized spirits.
  Soak:
  Soak: 7L/6B (Red jade chain shirt, 5L/3B, Hardness: 
  2L/2B)
  Health Levels:
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 7 
  Willpower:
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 3 Essence Pool:
  Essence Pool: 39
  Other Notes: None
  CREATURES OF 
  THE BLESSED ISLE
  Crag Cat
  The mountains in the 
  Dragon’s Nest Range are 
  known for their populations 
  of crag cats, leopard-sized wild 
  hunting cats that have devel-
  oped claws and musculature 
  adapted for climbing nearly 
  sheer rock faces (+2 bonus to 
  all climbing-based Athletics 
  rolls). Crag cats normally 
  prey on sheep or goats that 
  wander too far from their 
  herds, but they are known to 
  prey on travelers when hungry, 
  leaping down from cliff-faces 
  where an attack is unlikely to 
  come from. Crag cats launching an attack from such a 
  vantage impose a –2 external penalty to their target’s (Wits 
  + Awareness) rolls to notice the unexpected attack.
  Dog, Blackstar Mastiff
  Dog, Blackstar Mastiff
  Large hounds used for 
  war or hunting, the blackstar 
  mastiff is an expensive purebred 
  dog sold by the Starlight clan 
  of Lord’s Crossing Dominion. 
  Blackstar mastiffs are purest 
  black, with the occasional 
  sprinkling of white, making 
  them look like a ﬁ eld of stars in 
  the night sky. Those who wish 
  to purchase a blackstar mastiff 
  must journey to the Starlight 
  compound in Traiter to stay for 
  two weeks, being trained at the 
  facility to handle the hounds, as 
  well as being introduced to their 
  animal. Those who have had the training before need spend 
  only the week getting to know their beast. A character must 
  have at least three dots of Resources to be able to afford a 
  blackstar mastiff.
  Blackstar mastiffs come with special leashes with which 
  they are trained, and they remain quite docile while wearing 
  the leashes. A servant or lieutenant can easily lead the beast 
  around while it remains leashed. Off the leash, the dog will 
  never attack anyone without orders, but it will not tolerate 
  being grabbed. (Fortunately, it ignores incidental touching, 
  simply growling at the contact.)
  
  159
  CHAPTER SEVEN • GODS & CREATURES OF THE BLESSED ISLE
  A hound will obey the following commands from its master 
  and may possibly be trained for more: Home (returns to its 
  home kennel or where its leash is, whichever is closer), Heel 
  (return to its master’s side and remain there), Guard (attack 
  anyone that comes too close to 
  his master, with the exception 
  of those the hound is near con-
  stantly, such as lieutenants or 
  servants), Attack (attack a single 
  target, singled out by his master), 
  Track (follow a scent) and Sit 
  (sit or lie down in the place he 
  is at now, without moving until 
  either his master calls again, or 
  an hour passes, at which point 
  he will ﬁ nd his master).
  Dog, Portee Ivory
  Dog, Portee Ivory
  Portee ivories are small, 
  neurotic little dogs that cling to 
  their owners. They have incredibly noble features, however, 
  for small dogs, with high ears and eyes that are always a 
  bright blue or green. The little dogs never make any sound, 
  as the ability to bark was bred out of them, and they cling 
  tenaciously to their own-
  ers. They are all easily 
  trained to perform amusing 
  little tricks, as well. The 
  Whitecloud clan of Lord’s 
  Crossing Dominion is care-
  ful to sell only females and 
  neutered males, in order to 
  retain the exclusive ability 
  to breed the animals.
  Giant
  Giant Panda
  Panda
  The giant panda is a 
  large bear-like animal, white 
  in color and covered with 
  black spots. Though they 
  Name 
  Str/Dex/Sta Per/Int/Wits/Will 
  Health Levels 
  Attack  
  Dodge DV/Soak
  Name 
  Str/Dex/Sta Per/Int/Wits/Will 
  Health Levels 
  Attack  
  Dodge DV/Soak
   
   
   
   
   
  (Spd/Acc/Dmg/Rate)
   
   
   
   
   
  (Spd/Acc/Dmg/Rate)
  Crag Cat
  Crag Cat 
  5/6/4 
  3/1/3/5 
  -0/-1x2/-2x2/ 
  Bite: 6/9/6L/1,  
  4/2L/4B
     
   
   
  -4/I 
  Claw: 6/12/5L/2
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 3 (Climbing +2), Awareness 3, Dodge 3, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3  
   
  (Claws +2), Presence 2, Resistance 2, Stealth 4 (Mountains +2), Survival 2
  Dog, Blackstar 
  Dog, Blackstar  
  4/3/4 
  3/2/3/3 
  -0/-1/-1/-2/-4/I 
  Bite: 5/6/5L/1 
  2/0L/4B
   Mastiff
  Mastiff
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Dodge 1, Integrity 2, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 2 (Bite +1),  
   
  Presence 2 (Warning Growl +1), Resistance 3, Stealth 1, Survival 3 (Tracking +3)
  Dog, Portee 
  Dog, Portee  
  1/3/2 
  2/2/2/3 
  -0/-2/-4/I 
  None 
  3/0L/2B
   Ivory
   Ivory 
   
   
   
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Dodge 3, Integrity 2, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 1, Presence 1,  
   
  Resistance 2, Stealth 3, Survival 1
  Giant Panda
  Giant Panda 
  5/2/5 
  2/2/2/3 
  -0x2/-1x3/ 
  Bite: 5/6/7L/1,  
  2/2L/5B
     
   
  -2x2/-4/I 
  Claw: 5/5/6L/2
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 3 (Climbing +2), Awareness 2, Dodge 2, Integrity 3, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3,   
  Presence 3, Resistance 3, Stealth 2 (Bamboo Forests +1), Survival 3
  Hearth-Cat
  Hearth-Cat 
  1/3/2 
  2/2/3/3 
  -0/-2/-4/I 
  None 
  3/0L/2B
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 2, Presence 3,  
   
  Resistance 3 (Cold +3), Stealth 3, Survival 2
  Horse, Firemane
  Horse, Firemane 
  5/3/4 
  2/2/3/3 
  -0/-1x2/ 
  Bite: 5/6/2L/1,  
  3/0L/4B
     
   
  -2x2/-4/I 
  Kick: 6/7/7L/1
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 4 (Gallop +2), Awareness 2, Dodge 3, Integrity 1, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 2,  
   
  Presence 3, Resistance 2, Survival 2
  Scarlet Crane
  Scarlet Crane 
  2/4/3 
  3/1/2/3 
  -0/-1/-2/-4/I 
  Beak: 6/5/3L/1 
  4/0L/3B
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 1, Presence 3,  
   
  Resistance 2, Stealth 2 (Riverside +2), Survival 2
  Tongma Monkey
  Tongma Monkey 
  1/5/2 
  2/2/3/3 
  -0/-2/-4/I 
  Bite: 4/6/1L/1 
  4/0L/2B
   Abilities:
   Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 2, Dodge 3, Integrity 3, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 1, Presence 2,  
   
  Resistance 1, Stealth 3, Survival 2, Thrown 2
  
  160
  favored for their endurance and speed. They are never 
  used for pulling carriages or hauling packs. Many Dynastic 
  families are known to use these horses, particularly House 
  Cathak, which gives a ﬁ remane to each Cathak child before 
  she goes into the military.
  Scarlet Crane
  Scarlet Crane
  Long-legged water birds 
  of a deep crimson hue, scarlet 
  cranes are known for their 
  crown-like head crests of 
  feathers. Supposedly turned 
  their crimson hue by the Scar-
  let Empress’s blessings, scarlet 
  cranes are found only along 
  the length of the Imperial 
  River. Thaumaturges who use 
  one of the scarlet feathers of 
  these cranes in creating items 
  of good fortune gain an addi-
  tional die in doing so during 
  the creation process.
  Tongma Monkey
  Tongma Monkey
  Tongma monkeys are 
  curious creatures, with long 
  curling tails, big ears and eyes 
  that make their little faces look 
  quite comical. They are known 
  to imitate the sounds of laugh-
  ter and can copy the laughs of 
  people they are around with 
  uncanny accuracy. Tongma 
  monkeys are often trained by 
  sailors from the island of Tong-
  ma and love scrambling over 
  the rigging. The monkeys eat 
  primarily fruit and insects.
  can eat eggs, ﬁ sh and insects, giant pandas feed primarily on 
  bamboo and are quite common in the massive bamboo forests 
  of the western Blessed Isle. Pandas prefer to avoid humans, but 
  they are capable of attack—though they do so invariably out 
  of irritation, rather than any predatory instinct. Hunters and 
  trappers often kill pandas for their pelts.
  Hearth-Cat
  Hearth-Cat
  First created during the First 
  Age, a hearth-cat is a small house-
  cat, with a smooth pelt of deep 
  crimson, gray and white swirls, 
  often looking like patterns of fire. 
  The cat’s eyes are a cheery amber 
  and tend to reflect back firelight 
  with gold flashes. Hearth-cats 
  have a magical ability to emit heat 
  sufficient to keep a person warm 
  during cold winter nights. This 
  heat is emitted in a fairly tight 
  area, so the cat normally snuggles 
  up to a sleeping person or sits on 
  someone’s lap, emitting heat for as 
  long as it purrs.
  These cats are relatively common in the Blessed Isle 
  now, thanks to their popularity, but they are quite expen-
  sive in the Threshold. Their bloodlines must be kept pure 
  in order to retain their magical abilities—crossbreeding 
  them with any other animal loses the ability. A character 
  must have at least two dots of Resources to be able to 
  afford a hearth-cat in the Blessed Isle. In the Threshold 
  (particularly the North), the Resources minimum rises 
  by one dot.
  Horse, Firemane
  Horse, Firemane
  Firemanes, known for their 
  black or dark red coats and deep 
  red tails and manes are bred in the 
  city of Cloaka in Eagle Prefecture. 
  These horses are strong runners, 
  
  ISBN 1-58846-690-6 WW80215 
  $24.99 U.S.
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  Once the abode of the gods and 
  home to the Old Realm’s Law-
  givers and their Lunar consorts, 
  the Blessed Isle is now the center 
  of the Creation-spanning Scarlet 
  Empire, ruled by the Empress 
  and her Terrestrial Exalted 
  children. Spared the worst of 
  the Contagion, the Fair Folk 
  invasion that followed and the 
  centuries of conflict and want 
  that reduced the rest of the world 
  to barbarism and savagery, the 
  Isle remains the jewel of Creation.
  But now, the architect of the 
  Blessed Isle’s long peace, the 
  Scarlet Empress, has vanished. 
  With no clear heir, the Great 
  Houses gird themselves for civil 
  war. On top of that, the long-
  forgotten Lawgivers have 
  returned to reclaim dominion 
  over Creation. Will the Blessed 
  Isle’s tranquility be shattered 
  at last, or is there still some 
  way to shield Creation’s heart 
  from the Time of Tumult?
  The first of five Celestial Direction 
  books devoted to fleshing out the bare 
  bones of Creation’s supernatural locales 
  presented in the Exalted core book, this 
  book includes:
  • Mass combat traits for the Realm’s 
  Imperial Army, from the standard 
  heavy infantry to the cutthroats of the 
  Vermilion Legion, as well as dominion 
  traits for the Mandate of Heaven
  • Traits for the Blessed Isle’s native gods 
  and beasts
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/Exalted/[ww80215] The Compass of Celestial Directions volume 1 - The Blessed Isle.pdf