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Chaos
1. In ancient Porcelain mystical thought, a divine force that shapes the universe, similar to D&D "chaos" at times or "yin" at others.
2. A ghostly, demigod-like entity, one of many that inhabit the Porcelain worlds. They attach themselves to magically inclined males, who become powerful Sorcerers.

Dreaming
The middle rank of Porcelain minds. Dreaming Porcelain are more intelligent and sensitive than Sleeping Porcelain, but are not as keen, magically powerful, or in control of their emotions as Lucid Porcelain. There are more Dreaming Porcelain than Lucid or Sleeping.
Normal shop Porcelain will be of the Dreaming type.

Element, Ruling
The sixth element, which cannot be grasped by normal mortals. Whereas the five elements make up the ordinary world, the sixth element enables the existence of the world, consciousness, and psychic phenomena. According to the Imperial doctrine, only the Empress (and the Silver Empress) have the Name of Ruling/Empress.

Elements, Ordinary
The five elements that make up the natural world:
• Wood, including all living flesh, associated with birth and early growth
• Fire, often including all chemical processes, associated with refinement and later growth
• Earth, often including all inert substances, associated with stability
• Heaven, encompassing space, time, and abstract concepts, associated with learning and rule
• Water, often including all movement, associated with death, transformation, and movement towards peace

Empire, or Porcelain Empire
Usually, the Golden World state founded by the First Empress, based in northern Toukoku and spreading across all the Porcelain lands. More about its culture is listed here.

Golden World
1. In some Porcelain cosmologies, the "world of the living," which is aligned to Name, the Sun, and the mortal Empress, that coexists with the Silver World.
2. The homeworld of the Porcelain, which houses the Porcelain Empire. See worlds.

Lucid
The highest rank of Porcelain minds. Lucid Porcelain are the most intelligent, the most magically powerful (with even untrained adults being able to use minor magic of their element,) and simultaneously the most sensitive and the most able to control their emotions. Lucid Porcelain make up the nobility of Imperial society and run the states, dictating the "high culture." There are fewer Lucids than either Dreaming or Sleeping Porcelain, but their number is not tiny.
If there are customs, they will be Lucid (for the IC reason that a Lucid Porcelain has the most complicated inner life, and so is more likely to present a unique appearance and personality.)

Lucidity
One's mental rank: Lucid, Dreaming, or Sleeping. While it is often presented in Imperial culture as being a quantum scale, it is more likely a gradient of ability, with the boundaries of each group determined culturally rather than scientifically. There seems to be at least some genetic component to it, as Lucid parents rarely ever have Sleeping children, and Sleeping parents rarely ever have Lucid children.

maiden
A Named (13+) or at least adolescent (9+) but still unmarried person. Generally refers to males, as male maidens (who are lovely and desirable, busy courting their wished-for wives) are more interesting to the culture than female maidens (who are busy building up their careers and reputations.)

marriage
A mate-bond between two Porcelain. Not necessarily associated with a wedding or legal document.

Name
1. In ancient Porcelain mystical thought, a divine force that shapes the universe, similar to D&D "law" at times or "yang" at others.
2. The elemental identity that a Porcelain receives upon coming of age; one of the five ordinary elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Heaven, and Water.

Naming Ceremony
In the Empire, a coming-of-age ritual, performed sometime in a girl or boy's 13th year. It is an Imperial, standardized version of the various coming-of-age rituals from across the isles.
After the mother (or other caretaker) leads her child to the local temple in a festive procession, a local priest of the highest available rank takes the child inside and gives him or her difficult philosophical questions, requesting the child answer verbally. The quality of the answers determines whether the child is declared Sleeping, Dreaming, or Lucid, and the content of the answers, the elemental Name received.
Lucid Porcelain have little trouble with this event, and can prove their Lucidity and pick the Name they desire with no trouble. A Dreaming Porcelain will find the verbal examination more difficult, and may not know for sure which Name is the best, leaving the choice up to the priest's judgment.
The mother then escorts her child home in another celebratory procession.

Porcelain
The umbrella term for the species we are discussing. Singular Porcelain, plural Porcelain. See Porcelain.

Silver Empress
The creator deity in most ancient Porcelain myths, though she is not usually worshiped as a chief god. The inhabitants of the Silver World claim that their Empress is the Silver Empress.

Silver World
1. In some Porcelain cosmologies, the "world of the spirits," which is aligned to Chaos, the Moon, and the Silver Empress, that coexists with the Golden World.
2. A world that can be accessed through portals on Gaia. It is similar to the Golden World in many ways, but also has some strange differences. See worlds.

Sleeping
The lowest rank of Porcelain minds. Sleeping Porcelain are the least intelligent, the least sensitive, and the least magically gifted of the Porcelain, although they often have strong natural mental and magical resistance. They are not stupid, but have uncomplicated inner lives and are not very interested in the Lucids' "high culture." There are fewer Sleeping than Dreaming Porcelain, but more Sleeping than Lucid.
Critics of the Lucidity system are likely to say that Sleeping Porcelain are not actually duller than Dreaming Porcelain, but have weaker verbal abilities, preventing them from passing the Naming Ceremony examination.

Sorcerer
1. One who possess a Chaos. If he can successfully channel the Chaos, he will be capable of powerful magic of the Chaos's elemental type. They exist outside normal Imperial society and are in loose association with each other.
2. Apprentices or other followers of the true Chaos Sorcerers.
See Sorcerers.


see also: Cultural Overview

The Imperial culture in bullet points:

• Mainstream political power in a pyramidal bureaucracy.
· Though highly stratified, concerned with community, caring, fairness, and kindness. Abuse of power is not tolerated.
· Concerned with propriety and etiquette, mainly among the higher ranks, with leniency towards commoners.
· Dynamic, not truly hereditary. Members are promoted, exchanged, or retired quite frequently. Empresses are chosen from the high nobility, which includes the Imperial Princesses but also many others. (However, due to the tendency towards endogamy, ranks can become informally hereditary.)
· There are challenges to this system, accommodated by alternate power systems described below.

• Highly matriarchal.
· High political offices are only held by women.
· Women are far more independent than men, who tend to be controlled by their mothers, wives, or even daughters.
· Mothers have responsibility for their children until adulthood (and sometimes even past it.)
· In any relationship between a male and a female, the female is assumed to have more power.
· Men are assumed to be loyal to their wives before they are loyal to their peers, teachers/masters, or even country.
· Among extreme sexists, men are considered to be mostly alike, while females are considered unique and intelligent beings. Thus, men are expendable, and are allowed to die for the benefit of women (common soldiers are almost all males, for example.)
· These norms are accompanied by gender roles that encourage the submissiveness/frivolity of males and the dominance/seriousness of females, and gender stereotypes that depict males as weak-willed, less intelligent, less able to understand and control emotions, less far-sighted, obsessed with marriage. Whether these are "biological" or "cultural" is unclear, though it is true that Lucid males are rarer than Lucid females.
· Although this system highly privileges females, it is never acceptable to directly abuse males, and they are valued for their "masculine" virtues.
· There are frequent challenges to these gender norms, the strongest of which come from the Sorcerers.

• Mostly peaceful.
· Due to the empathic nature of Porcelain, individuals are very reluctant to harm each other and enjoy helping one another. Lucid Porcelain can mute this ability somewhat, but it is a learned skill.
· Among Dreaming and Sleeping Porcelain, conflicts of interest are typically resolved through peaceful compromise. In situations when harm cannot be avoided, a Lucid Porcelain (usually the local judge) tries to resolve things equitably.
· Among Lucid Porcelain there is far more aggressive conflict, but these are usually resolved by debate, negotiation, and social pressure/shaming. Political entities traditionally fight each other by manipulating trade.
· Martial arts were developed for protecting communities against monsters, but there have been intra-Porcelain wars in the past. "Wars" are far tamer than human wars; the numbers involved are never that large, and it usually involves more intimidation than killing. Still, queens who engage in war of any scale tend to be characterized as exceptionally violent and cruel.

• Prizes art and culture.
· After the feeding and caring of her underlings, the aspirations of a monarch are usually to advance the arts and enrich the souls of her people.
· Visual arts, dance, and (written) literature are the highly respected arts; music, spoken literature, and perfume are not as appreciated as they are in human cultures, due to differences in biology.

• Not monumental.
· Diversity is a prominent feature of the culture, as there will always be Porcelain of the 5 different elemental Names. The attitude towards diversity ranges from "resigned acceptance" to "encouragement."
· Lively debate in arts and politics is considered a sign of a healthy society.
· There are many challenges to the pyramidal matriarchal system:
· The Empress directly rules only the main island of Toukoku. The other territories are governed by Queens and other Ladies, who nominally submit to the Empress but may not show much actual respect towards her decrees.
· The priesthood is an alternative system of power existing alongside the Imperial bureaucracy, and allows males to ascend to high rank. Technically, the priesthood has the responsibility of deciding what is moral and right for the Empire, and advises the Empress; however, the Imperial bureaucrats impose various systems to try and limit this power. (for example, the "High Priest" is nominally the highest rank, but it is held by a cloistered male maiden who is prevented from having too much direct influence on politics.)
· The Sorcerers have a completely independent power system. They disrespect the laws of the Empress and the priesthood (and they're all male! scandalous) but they cannot be denied because they hold enormous power as the conduits/shamans of the Chaoses.

• Your Porcelain might not hold these values at all.
· If your Porcelain came to Gaia at a young age, he or she will be influenced more by you than by this culture.
· Although the ancients have to go back to a similar culture to grow, they might not enjoy its values; they could come back disgusted and determined to change things. Or not! It's all up to you.

see also: Glossary, Worldview, The Imperial Temple, Courtly Arts

Porcelain minds differ in ways besides the variance of personality that is represented by one's Elemental Name. The Empire describes these differences by a system called "Lucidity," which claims there are three levels of Porcelain mind: "Sleeping," the most subordinate, "Dreaming," the middle rank, and "Lucid," the most sensitive and strong.



The concept of community is all-important to Porcelain, and the Imperial bureaucracy, at least, envisions it as naturally operating as relationships between leader and followers, rulers and servants. This relationship is described as primal and essential; all Porcelain must serve, in order to locate themselves in the framework of the world, and they must also lead, as an expression of their care and love towards others. An individual who becomes unlinked will not have the support and purpose that she needs in order to let her heart flourish, and will become sick in the soul.

Sleeping Porcelain, by virtue of their lesser intelligence and greater agreeableness and passivity, are deemed suited to servile roles or simple, mundane work such as farming, labor, and domestic service. They require higher-ranked Porcelain to lead and guide them, as they cannot make good decisions on their own. They are compared more to children than to slaves; it is incumbent on Dreaming and Lucid Porcelain to treat them with utmost love and care.

Dreaming Porcelain are suited to the low and middle ranks of all professions, being able to learn skills and entertain professional aspirations. They are not, however, creative and driven like the Lucid Porcelain, and so are unsuited to the highest levels of leadership. Making up the bulk of the Empire's workers, their health and happiness is extremely important; it is sometimes said by the high officers of the Empire that the Empire is "for the Dreaming most of all."



Lucid Porcelain have the highest-ranked minds, and conceive of new things and projects to lead the Sleeping and Dreaming Porcelain towards. The Empress is Lucid, as are those in the highest ranks of the professions. They have the freedom to pursue their dreams and desires as they choose, but have the weighty responsibility of making decisions that will benefit the entire chain of service leading up to them; they must care for everyone else.



Aside from the relative concentration of Lucid Porcelain in the cities, these groups are not segregated from one another. The bonds between Lucidities are not merely conceptual; Porcelain are expected to form personal relationships across groups.

One of the ways in which this expectation manifests is the usual living arrangement of Porcelain. Porcelain almost never live alone; a house is usually shared by a nuclear family. Single Porcelain may own individual properties, but these tend to be apartments that are very close to others'; neighbors meet and mingle almost all the time. Household members do each other's hair and help one another into robes. Even domestic servants, who are very common in the houses of Lucid Porcelain, are dressed by their employers.

Between vertical links between masters and servants, students, or employees, and horizontal links between neighbors and friends, the Imperial system envisions the entire Empire as woven together in a vast network of relationships, with all sharing with and caring for the others.



Some, however, believe that this Imperial vision of interconnectedness is just a pretty lie, an excuse for the domination of the lower Lucidities by the Lucids.

Furthermore, some scholars have questioned the categories themselves; before the dominance of the Empire over the isles, a variety of Naming Ceremonies were in place, some using different categories than the modern standard three. And situations in which Porcelain who were believed to be of one type and turned out to be another -- such as that of the late Emperor Consort Kouwa, considered Dreaming for most of his young adulthood -- indicate that the quantum model may be completely inaccurate itself.

These dissident voices are in the minority, however; all three ranks of Lucidity seem to enjoy their relative positions. Whether it is because Dreaming and Sleeping Porcelain truly enjoy service or because they have been indoctrinated by the social system, it is impossible to say for sure.

see also: Propriety

The mainstream Temple of the Porcelain people is aligned with the Imperial bureaucracy, but it is also an alternative source of authority and power.

Priests and priestesses of the Temple are viewed less as intermediaries between the common folk and the gods, and more as experts in Elemental magic and philosophy who, through their practice, meditation, study, and purity of heart have discovered the best ways to employ or control the Elements in order to achieve good things. They train intellectually in order to grasp the workings of Name while opening their hearts to understand the movements of Chaos.

Unlike the Sorcerers, the people of the Temple do not withdraw from the world in order to pursue enlightenment. Indeed, the Temple is meant to be actively involved in the governance of the Empire, serving as the advisor to the Empress and the Queens on the Elemental consequences of their actions and what decisions are moral and just.

Furthermore, the Temple holds tremendous influence as the controller of Imperial-style Naming Ceremonies. Every Porcelain community that is under the influence of the Empire must have a temple within a reasonable distance, so that their children may go there in their 13th year in order to receive an Elemental Name and be judged as Sleeping, Dreaming, or Lucid. The head priests of these temples must be wise and learned, so that they do not accidentally deny true Lucids or bestow that honor to Porcelain of the wrong kind.



The Temple is not always secure in its power, however; while some Empresses are sympathetic to it, others resent or fear its influence. The action of the Imperial bureaucracy to protect its own supreme power can be clearly seen in the changed role of the High Priest. When the office was first created by the First Empress, the High Priest was a close advisor of the Empress, envisioned to sit at the feet of her throne. But later Empresses disliked having such a limit on their authority, and began reducing the power of that office; first, by requiring the High Priest to be a maiden, so that his political aspirations would probably be still unformed and he would not have an ambitious wife manipulating him for her own agenda. The required age was set lower and lower, and finally he was required to live cloistered in a tower outside the Capital City. While the High Priest in Toutei 720 still receives important visions and sends advice to the Empress, his true authority is vastly diminished, and is probably less than that of the Temple mages officially ranked below him.

Some, especially the Sorcerers, argue that the new style of cloistered High Priest causes him to be effectively no longer a priest at all. Isolated from society, receiving mystical messages by communing with Chaos and Name, he seems to be far more like a Sorcerer, perhaps a "Sorcerer of Name."

see also: Worldview, Magic, scientifically, Religions of the Empire

Further topics...

The career tracks and typical careers.

Preview:
Military arts - Soldiers and Knights. Typical for Lucid/high Dreaming males.
Courtly arts - Become a cog in the bureaucracy. Empresses, Queens, Princesses, professional courtiers, judges, inspectors, lawyers/notaries, secretaries... High ranks are Lucid female only. You'd better retire before coming back to Gaia!
Scholarly arts - Braaaaaaaains! Natural philosophers, mathematicians, astrologers, engineers, architects, writers...
Beautiful arts - A downhill charge, like falling blossoms! Visual artists, dancers, musicians, actors, tailors...
Magical arts - Priests, non-Temple healers and mystics, Sorcerers...
"Practical arts" - Ugh, commoners. Merchants, artisans, farmers, animal handlers, domestic servants...

The twelve zodiac signs are said to be the homes of the twelve Calendar Gods, who represent different archetypes within Porcelain society. The movement of the Sun, Moon, and five elemental stars (supposed planets) around the signs is used by astrologers to divine which days are fortuitous for various types of undertakings.

Astrologers also draw natal charts to predict children's personalities and life paths. These concentrate on the Sun, which represents the Golden World, the Porcelain Empress, and exterior society, and the Moon, which represents the Silver World, the Silver Empress, and intimate relationships. Traditional personality interpretations of the 12 signs are:

the Cup
Austere, wise, spiritual, a seeker of truth, but a little gloomy.
The cup is also sometimes called the Gate or the Portal, and represents the transition between the Golden World and the Silver World, the state between life and death.

the Water-Bearer
Kindly, eccentric, intelligent, flirtatious, not always reliable.
This sign is associated with the masculine; it had another name before the Imperials decided it was too scandalous and renamed it the "Water-Bearer." When combined with the Cup, it represents conception and parenting.

the Two Fans
Beautiful, tender-hearted, creative, sensitive, and prone to depression.

the Spearman
Bold, excitable, aggressive, stubborn, dedicated to self-improvement.

the Chamberlain
Calm, authoritative, rational, but enamored of sensual pleasures.
This sign is sometimes called the "Empress" or "Queen."

the Philosophers
Sociable, quick-witted, curious, with a complex inner life.
This sign is sometimes called the "Warriors," but the contention it represents is sportsmanlike, intellectually creative, and friendly rather than destructive or violent.

the Maiden
Gentle, passive, loving, shy, cracks easily under pressure.
As with other uses of the word "maiden," the sign is usually depicted as a male.

the Judge
Outgoing, magnanimous, concerned with justice and community.
Sometimes this sign is referred to as the "Queen," leading to confusion with the Chamberlain; thus neither of the official Imperial names are royal.

the Scribe
Meticulous, proprietous, nervous, preferring to serve others.

the Merchant
Shrewd, sensible, charismatic, worldly, sometimes greedy.

the Sorcerer
Contrary, free-spirited, hedonistic, yet enlightened.
The Sorcerer is sometimes called the Swordsman, and it is often combined with the Cup in iconography to represent the duality-and-union of Life and Death.
Matchmakers say this is the worst sign for a male to be born under.

the Archer
Restless, fearless but calm, poetic, noble, tending to be a loner.



see also: Calendar

The Empire's enormous mass of civil servants, practitioners of the courtly arts, think of themselves as both society's masters and society's slaves. They do no productive labor while enriching themselves with taxes extracted from the Empire's useful citizens, and yet dare to think of theirs as the noblest profession of all. On the other hand, without the leadership and coordination provided by the government, the infrastructure and unity the ladies of the court strive to build across the isles, binding all Queendoms to the Empress, Porcelain culture and society would not have been able to blossom as they have.



The courtly arts are unlike the other arts in that they do not produce anything tangible. Even the military arts can sometimes be understood as productive, as the soldiers lend their strength to building projects and perform valuable police work... but the ladies of the court ride on the shoulders of others. The perfect courtier acknowledges this truth and considers the humbleness it gives her very valuable. It motivates her to think of herself as a civil servant not only of the Empress but of the whole Empire; rather than become complacent in her position, she must labor to make decisions that benefit the multitude of workers around her.

The perfect courtier, then, strives to perfect the skills that will allow her to minister benevolently to the populous. For while the courtly arts may be unproductive, they are certainly not unskilled; indeed, success in the political sphere requires as tremendous amount of social skills. The hopeful must develop eloquence, so others may understand her, propriety and refinement, so she may be received well by others, and insight into the beliefs and desires of individuals and locales, to deduce the motives of those with whom she interacts.

... However, not all ladies of the court live up to this idealistic vision...



Though anyone may study the "courtly arts," those who practice them in the name of the Empress are stratified into a rigid nine-tier pyramid called the Nine Ranks.

After her Naming Ceremony, a young hopeful will attach herself to a local courtier in the area, most likely a low-ranked secretary or other official, and begin to build her reputation. If she proves herself capable and is well-liked by her superiors, she may be induced into the lowest rank of the government, the Ninth Rank. If she is in the Capital City, she will be a Secretary of the Palace; in an urban center outside the Capital, a Secretary of the Dominion; and in some rural area, an underling of the officials of the Tax, Census, or Mail. For male courtiers, this is usually as high as they will ever rise.

Ladies of the court, however, may continue to climb the ranks. One is promoted by currying favor with one's superiors, which is achieved both by demonstrating keen ability and by establishing bonds with others in the system. Entrants are typically sorted into one of the various "tracks," through which she rises at a speed dependent on her ambition and ability.

The very best, by the time they are mature, will settle into a high rank, as a minister in the palace of the Empress or one of the dominions, or perhaps as a lofty judge. As these powerful women, the makers of the decisions that shape the direction of society, are, by this age, usually mothers of maturing children, Porcelain society can be termed a "matriarchy" fairly accurately.



The "pyramid," which is more like a prism, is built up of several "tracks," or lines of specialization that connect groups of underlings to progressively smaller groups of superiors.

At the First Rank at the top of the pyramid (just below the Empress herself, who is too lofty to belong to any one art,) are the Court Ministers, who make up the official advisors of the Empress. They oversee the decisions of the other Ministers and decide which issues to bring before the Empress for arbitration.

Specialization begins in the Second Rank, which includes the Ministers of the Arts, the Ministers of the Dominions, and the Court Judge. As can be expected, the courtiers of the arts serve as liaisons between the courtly arts and the highest-ranked members of the other arts, while the courtiers of the dominions oversee the subject territories of the Empire, limit the authority of the local Queens, and employ diplomacy to maintain good relations.

However, in the Empire a judge has much more authority and importance than judges in most human worlds. The Court Judge does not only arbitrate disputes, but she proposes laws, determines verdicts, and oversees restitution; she is judge, jury, prosecution, defendant, and legislator. Lower-ranked judges sometimes have even more authority in the territories they oversee, acting as mayors and town coordinators. Because of the tremendous power wielded by a judge, only the most intelligent, virtuous, and kind women are supposed to be appointed to those posts, and their actions are to be carefully monitored by their superiors... however, it is sometimes treated as just another rank one moves through during promotions, occasionally leading to the instatement of unsuitable courtiers.

Further specialization occurs in the Third Rank. Notably, the Imperial Master of Taxes, the Imperial Master of the Census, and the Minister of the Post appear in this rank. These three fields are perhaps the most intimately acquainted with the common people of the Empire. Officials of the tax and the census were at one time in the same track, but they were separated some years ago to prevent tax officials from doctoring the numbers; they now form two parallel hierarchies extending down to petty tax collectors and "counters of citizens." The Minister of the Post oversees the extensive mail system which by the 8th century Toutei has successfully linked the furthest cities of the Empire with the Capital. By the nature of the work, lowly officials of the tax, the census, and the mail come into frequent contact with the common folk of the Empire, and higher-ranked officials often call on them to report the status and sentiments of the populous.

Judges often desire this sort of information yet sometimes feel they cannot rely on these three types of official; officials of the tax, the census, and the mail all ultimately report to Ministers and not to Judges. There is, therefore, the position of an Imperial Inspector in the Eighth Rank. Trained in law but not tied to particular settlements, inspectors travel the land, observing issues on which new laws may be needed, and report these to the local judges. Inspectors are also authorized to act as emergency judges when there are none who officially hold this rank available, perhaps due to a death. This position provides more freedom than most of the other governmental ranks, yet it is also somewhat problematic, as it is unclear to what an inspector should be promoted.

Another problematic position within the Imperial government is that of the regional Queen. When the Empire conquered all the Porcelain lands, it allowed some of the Queendoms to remain relatively autonomous. Queens are officially given the Second Rank, though in practice their authority is limited not only by the Empress and the Court Ministers but also by the Court Judge and the Minister who oversees the Queen's dominion. Furthermore, if the Queen selects her own local court, her courtiers will not hold official ranks in the Empire; she must accept appointments chosen by the Minister of the dominion.



The Porcelain Empress is not considered a courtier, but she holds supreme authority over the court system in a way she does not over the other arts. The Empress can veto laws and decree her own, override appointments and otherwise inflict her will and whim upon the Empire. The position of Empress is not hereditary, however; she is selected from among the high ranks of the courtly arts, their daughters, and the daughters and granddaughters of the current Empress by the Court Ministers, who try to choose a woman who will make a strong and virtuous leader but also conforms to their particular political inclinations.

First Rank

• The Court Ministers, who vary in number from as few as five to as many as thirty, are the official advisors of the Empress (with the Empress's relatives and those of the Emperor Consort making up a "Shadow Court.") All officials of the Third Rank report to them; the Court Ministers parse the information they receive and decide whether the Empress's arbitration is necessary on the issue. This is the most powerful rank in the court but also the most precarious; Empresses rarely like Court Ministers to get too comfortable in their positions and make it a practice to cycle courtiers out of this rank regularly.

• Queens hold this rank honorarily and are treated with a great deal of respect in diplomacy, though they are in practice subordinate to the Minister of the Dominion in which they reside.

Second Rank

The Ministers of the Arts are, for the most part, liaisons between the courtly system and the other arts.
• The Minister of the Military oversees the army and the Knights, reviewing promotions and overriding the commanders' decisions when necessary.
• The Minister of Scholarship transmits new learning to the other courtiers while distributing money to prevent the Empire's scholars from starving.
• The Minister of Magics oversees the operations of the Temple, the selection of the High Priest, and advises the Judges on legislation regarding magic.
• The Ministers of Agriculture and the Roads plan infrastructure and compose guidelines for the hiring of laborers and practical-artists.

• The Minister of the Economy is nominally a Minister of the Arts, but her role is slightly different from that of the others; she does serve as a liaison with the Empire's merchants and makes decisions regarding trade and banking based on the information she gathers, but she also has two long tracks of civil servants beneath her, the officials of the tax and census.

• The Ministers of the Dominions oversee the territories of the Empire. Each continent has at least one dominion; the densely-populated lands of Toukoku and Rinkoku and the geographically enormous Houkoku have more than one. In the title, "the Dominion" is replaced by the specific dominion one oversees (the Minister of Bukoku, etc.)

• The Court Judge is of the Second Rank, and serves as the supreme judge for the Empire, though her decisions can always be overridden by the Court Ministers and the Empress.

Third Rank

• There is at least one Judge of the Dominion for every Minister of the Dominion.

• The Deputy Ministers of the Arts serve the Ministers of the Arts, while the Deputy Ministers of the Dominions serve the Ministers of the Dominions. They are usually relatively nonspecialized.

Specialized Deputy Ministers include:
• The Minister of Current Affairs, under the Minister of the Military; "Current Affairs" being a creative euphemism for "espionage."
• The Minister of Industry under the Minister of the Economy.
• The Minister of Health under the Minister of the Economy. This seems at first an unusual placement, but as the Minister of the Economy oversees the census, the Imperials have placed her here.
• The Imperial Master of Taxes under the Minister of the Economy.
• The Imperial Master of the Census under the Minister of the Economy.
• The Minister of the Post under Minister of the Roads.
• The Minister of Architecture under Minister of the Roads.

Fourth Rank

• Judge of the Province.

• Dominion Master of Taxes, and
• Dominion Master of the Census.

• The Imperial Diplomats fall in this rank; unlike the Ministers of the Dominions, they are not assigned to specific regions, but moved around whenever experts are needed in a certain area.

Fifth Rank

• Judge of the City.

• Provincial Master of Taxes, and
• Provincial Master of the Census.

• Postmaster of the Province.

Sixth Rank

• Judge of the District (or Town).

• City Master of Taxes, and
• City Master of the Census.

• Postmaster of the City.

• Architect of the City. Not an actual architect trained in the scholarly arts, but a civic planner who coordinates true architects.

Seventh Rank

• District Master of Taxes, and
• District Master of the Census.

• Postmaster of the District.

• Architect of the District.

Eighth Rank

• Judge of the Village.

• Imperial Inspector.

Ninth Rank

• Secretary of the Palace.

• Secretary of the Dominion.

• A Collector of Taxes, and
• a Counter of Citizens.

• An Imperial Courier.



Typically, one's secretaries are three ranks below; the Secretaries to the Court Ministers are of the Fourth Rank, etc. Secretaries of Secretaries are mere Secretaries of the Palace or Secretaries of the Dominions.



A number of courtesy titles appear to rank their holders as members of the government, even though they do not actually hold positions of power.

• Princess is not officially a rank. "Princess" is a courtesy title given to the daughters of Queens or the Empress (they are Imperial Princesses.) However, Princesses are usually understood as being destined for the courtly arts, and typically acquire official ranks. Even if they don't have any official ranks, they are sometimes chosen to succeed their mothers.
• Prince is likewise a courtesy title given to sons of Queens or the Empress, but males do not usually rise high in the courtly arts.
• The husband of a Queen is a King Consort, and the husband of the Empress is the Emperor Consort. They have no actual rank, and are given these titles as a way of showing indirect respect to their wives.
• Prince Consort is not a title usually given even as a courtesy, as Princesses themselves do not have actual rank, but it is sometimes used for the husband of a very intimidating Imperial Princess.

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