Law and Order
Of all parts of the world, the Realm has the wisest, most correct legal system, refined from the Shogunate model over centuries of careful modification by the Empress and her ministries. The governmental and legal structure of the Realm is one of its greatest assets.
The Empress
The Empress is the supreme and only authority within her Realm. All power flows from her and her alone. No other authority may command within her Realm; it is hers and hers alone.
Judges pronounce rulings in the Empress’ name. The Deliberative issues edicts under her authority. Governors enforce laws with her grace. Satraps, generals, and subordinate princes serve the Empress, and are dismissed with a wave of her hand. All formal authority derives from the Empress and only from the Empress.
The Formal Structure
Within the law of the Realm, the Empress is the sole owner of all land, crops, beasts, and resources that originate from within her Realm. At her demand, anything and everything must be surrendered.
Only the Empress has the authority to pronounce judgement in a case of law. She must personally authorize every regulation within her domain and it is to her that all taxes must be paid.
Of course, the burden of maintaining the Realm is too great even for the Empress herself; even the Empress cannot be in five places at once, or resolve the hundreds of disputes that rear their heads on the daily.
Imperial Fiat
Imperial Fiat is the legal structure in the Realm by which the Empress apportions her endless duties. At its most basic, a fiat is the right of a person or organization to act as an extension of the Empress’ will. In practical terms, it’s recognition and tacit noninvolvement from the Empress of the right of a person or organization to do government.
All the Great Houses, for example, hold a fiat to administer their territories by appointing governors and satraps. Judges hold a fiat to render judgement in accordance with the law. The Deliberative holds fiat to produce laws and regulations on matters of little interest to the Empress. Ministries have fiat to enforce the law and create records of proceedings. And so on.
What is most necessary and important about the Imperial Fiat is that it only exists at the pleasure of the Empress. With a snap of her fingers, the Empress could simply declare fiat revoked – as she does when she dismantles a Great House, like Iselsi not so long ago. Having done so, the dismissed instantly loses all authority, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
All authority derives from the Empress, and it is hers to give and take.