Silver gong is what they ring when the Emperor calls for his general to report (?)
What's the gold gong, though? Is there a bronze one?
Gold is for the birth of a heir, the return of a prince, or for important religious events, etc, etc. Gold for Peace, Silver for War, as it were.
Also, just to, uh, make sure people know this if only because it could be important and so I want to emphasize that for the scholar one 'realm has turned inward' means isolationism and probably also some cultural-purification/centralization stuff as well.
Like, one thing that changes is that each realm is fundamentally somewhat different in the direction it went because of who Father is. Now, they all have the same history up until the point in which quantum Father rises up and in his own way puts his stamp on things.
I'd actually spent some time thinking about Master of All/None and Monster at work, I didn't really see the scholar thing coming, even though I should have. Eh, I was busy...actually, I did have a few thoughts/ideas for that.
Alright, other questions.
How much of the world is known? Is it a round planet?
1) It sounds as if the empire has a strong internal focus, are there notable states beyond the borders, or just 'barbarians'?
The Bureaucracy is complex, judging from the entry exams and the possibility of a philosopher ruling.
What's the state of communication, do spirits allow something that beats horseback and boats?
What're literacy rates like?
Is there an associated fee, or perhaps some social requirement like being referred, to take the exams?
For that matter, is there some standard which prevents altering the exams? I'd expect them to be pretty heavily skewed by politics.
How are legal codes kept, are they kept locally, is there one code of law or does it vary by province/city/whatever?
Edit: wanted to comment
I believe it's a note of superiority. War comes after learning in the empire's (read: Father's) priorities.
1) Well, the various cities noted in the Southlands have sometimes been conquered by the Empire, but are certainly notable by their standards, and the tribes, chiefs, and Kings even beyond that have, at times, overrun the Empire and (eventually) been absorbed. The Empire has at times been highly expansionist and highly isolationist, but it does have an inward focus, partially because it's so large.
That said, various different options for Father themselves determine just how inwardly focused the Empire is. The Master of All/None and the Conqueror are both the most active in terms of 'barbarian policy' as what we would call 'foreign policy' is termed.
2) Spirits can beat horseback sometimes, but are not entirely reliable without being sat upon. Still, in times of great distress, messages can travel rather quickly across the Empire. Rather quickly is still a relative term because it's a large land-mass. If you haven't guessed, in size it's based on pre-modern China, which also can explain the internal focus because damn if that isn't a big area.
3) Overall? Preeety poor. And what literacy there is is of course concentrated in certain classes. It's better than it might be, and what you have to understand is that it varies by area and what you define literacy as. Of course, as a good Csirtan, you know that only being able to write High Csiritan impeccably and read it as well counts as literate, and that every other language might as well be chicken-scratch.
Well, some know this.
4) There is a fee, but rather more notably, there are different levels and learning and mastering the texts and poems and forms and everything else is something you REALLY need some pretty good teachers or some good books and a lot of time to deal with. So there are multiple levels, and most people don't have the time, money, and intelligence to start...which is part of why money and class matter so much, because yes, if you're a Noble you can usually at least get the First Distinction through pure bribery and fakery, though the higher you go the harder it is, actually, to *totally* fake. Which isn't the same as bullshitting through the exam halfway decently and then finding a way to pressure someone to know that you're important and need it.
That said, despite all of the cynicism I just dropped on you, most people who take it and pass it are probably relatively qualified in the sense that they know the things the test wants them to know, even if they had a ton of legs up just to get to that point, and even if they were studying for the test.
5) There are several different legal codes. The Imperial, the Provincial, and then some lords and some cities have deals for their own codes. On top of that, guilds have their own internal law, the army has its own law and tends to not care about pissant city laws, and many of the classes have carved out exceptions and concessions and grants and the like. Yet ultimately, there is a unified (if so fucking complex it's a major part of many Exams) Imperial Law that gets worked on and revised and worked on some more endlessly forever as politics sways it one way and the other.
*****
Among other things, btw, Mother influences your history together, primary and secondary options for occupation/major things, and opens up opportunities for names (which come with their own special traits), unique assets, and unique minor traits.
Irit is definitely an interesting option (I'm biased and think they all are), though I'm curious why people are choosing it. Reasoning and all.
