Imperial Houses

The Imperial Houses are the backbone of the Empire of the Southern Sun, dedicated - in theory, at least - to governance and the good of the Empire, and to upholding the integrity of the examination and placement system. In truth, each of the Houses works to uplift its own, to favour its children and increase its influence in the larger Empire. Each Imperial House was formed from the ruling caste of one of the provinces, and continues to administer that province after nearly a thousand years. This has bred an enormous level of entitlement and vested interest, espec­ially in the upper houses.
The upper house is the inner circle, almost always the hereditary heirs of the original founders of the dynasty. Even in houses which aim for some level of democracy, outsiders are rarely brought into the upper house. Those promising external candidates brought into the fold are instead added to the lower house, with the prospect of their descendents one day joining the upper.

House Tirika

House Tirika is a fiercely conservative dynasty. They are dedicated to maintaining their own power and promoting the prospects of the hereditary members of the house, and the upper house in particular is almost entirely made up of anurin with a strong lineage of earth gen. They also have a singular focus on increasing the power of the house within the Empire, and specifically on securing the Sun Throne for the House as often and for as long as possible. This approach is the result of the Tirikand emphasis on the good of community over individual, society over community, and state over society. The good of the state is seen to rest in the authorities of the state, to whit the houses, and especially House Tirika, its upper house, and its hereditary heads, the anTirika and the Five Regents.

House Ooliat

House Ooliat is a unification of two halves. From the coastal rivers and swamps, the founding dynasty of the Oolian League was of human stock and blessed with the gen of fire. They were supremely skilled in the lore of herbs and other botanicals. At the formation of the Empire, the league become interwoven with the visiting merchants of Seafolk and flowing elf lineage, in whom the gen of water was common. When House Ooliat was formed, these two groups retained their divided interests, crystallising as two 'Chambers.'
The Chamber of Green and the Chamber of Silver between them form the upper house. The Chamber of Green is insular and secretive, keeper of the house's botanical lore and other secrets. They take in only their own children and a handful of those who excel in the academic schedule of the public examinations, and also display aptitudes for survival. It is the Chamber of silver that looks outwards. They are a mercantile body, some say mercenary, concerned with trade and banking, and accept any promising merchant after their exams.
House Ooliat is led by a council formed of the Principal and three Masters of the Green (the Master of Herbalism, the Master of zoology and the Master of Shadows,) and the seven Trustees of the Silver. Although the Trustees outnumber the Green's representa­tives, the Principal outranks the other ten, so that the two Chambers are roughly equal, and the balance of the House Council decided by individual strength.

House Jarida

House Jarida is the premier house of the low plains; the arid high plains are notionally theirs, but their influence above the cliffs is secondary to House Golean. While they own the land beneath Jaridara and several hub plantations across the plains, they blend the essential logistical and administrative sophistication of these holdings with a ceremonial culture deeply rooted in the traditions of the original nomadic herders who joined the Empire in the Age of Fire.
Unlike the majority population of Jaridan, the bulk of the House - and especially the upper house - are Elves and half-elves of the Vagabond lineage, whose elemental inheritance is the gen of fire. Perhaps this division is why the House maintain so many rituals of the plains, such as various ritual hunts, ceremonial regalia formed from hunting trophies, and the use of belt loops and turogans to display the tokens of their wealth and status. They also use the traditional, militaristic hierarchy of Jaridan. The upper house is led by the Lord-Commander, counselled by the Hunt Commander, the Herd Commander, and the War Commander, with commanders, captains and lieutenants coordinating the House organisation at various levels.

House Urog

House Urog is a house dominated by bufyrn and human water Genasi, who control much of the fens and the coastal cities of Uroga. The lower house, however, includes a large body of Orcs who form the military and logistical corps responsible for the administration and defence of house holdings. They have few holdings, and only limited influence and authority, in the farmland further from the coast, which instead look to the noble houses of Almaren and Senka, specialising in milling and butchery respectively.
Like many of the coastal population, House Urog are deeply pious adherents to the Church of Foundation, and strictly hierarchical. While they are required to take in a certain number of graduates every year, they do all they can to fill their quota with children of the house, or at least with outsiders of the right caste. Despite their mercantile focus, House Urog has an ultra-conservative attitude to social mobility, viewing it as a disruption to good order. The house is similarly sceptical of outcastes.
The head of House Urog is the hereditary Earl Marshall of Urogan, advised by the Almoner-General, Merchant-Admiral, Prince-Glaiver and Fisher-Baron.

House Daarium

House Daarium is the Imperial House most directly responsible for the border with The Elysian Federation, and as such recieves the cream of the military track and is also required to billet many Imperial troops. The hereditary members of the House predominantly descend from dwarven and Elvish lines, representing both the highland and lowland population. The house also encompasses the Daarian Spears.
Daarion is almost entirely concerned with matters of defence: Patrols of the frontier; readiness for attack to the west or through the Clouded Gate; training and recruitment for the Spears; intelligence gathering in the north: and maintaining the peace between the local population and the Imperial garrisons. They exercise little influence on the Empire at large, which tends to look on Daarion as more of a buffer state than a true province, and on its people as half-barbarians. Perhaps because of this, House Daarium has never held the Sun Throne.
The upper house of Daarium has three parts, loosely responsible for the primary aspects of the business of the house. the Oversight maintains domestic order; the Command maintains training, recruitment and defence: and the Outlook is in charge of intelligence. House leadership falls to the Lords of Daarium. Each lordship is a life appointment, and the Lords both select the new holder of each vacant seat and have the collective authority to remove an individual lord accused of significant crimes.

• Lord North - Primary Lordship of the North, customarily held by a highland air genasi.
• Lord South - Primary Lordship of the South, customarily held by a lowland earth genasi.
• Lord Constable - Lord of the Oversight.
• Lord General - Lord of the Command.
• Lord Wing - Ceremonial and sometimes actual commander of the Daarian Spears.
• Lord Seeker - Lord of the Outlook.
• Lord Politic - Lord of the House's delegation to the Empire.

House Golean

House Golean is considered the sixth Imperial House, but lacks. the scale of other houses. They exist largely to maintain the city itself, but also take responsibility for the health of the Empire. They organise the city guard and the city watch, and have unique authority to enter diplomatic territory in pursuit of their duties. They also have ultimate authority for the setting of public examinations, the administration of Academy admissions, and the Board of Warrants and Commissions responsible for recruiting Academy graduates and volunteers to serve in the Imperial Military.
House Golean is also unique in that it has no hereditary component. Members of the House are selected from across the Empire on highly specific grounds, and children of the House are only invited to become full members if they meet the same criteria as outsiders. These criteria are set by individual members of the Imperial Scouts, a corps of specially trained assessors who travel the Empire during the summer and winter examination seasons.
The house is led by a Council of Elders: The First Elder, senior active member of the house; Elder Counsel, senior Imperial jurist; Elder Sentinel, leader of the city's defenders; Elder Scout; Elder Minster, senior member of the house's representatives on the Imperial Council; Elder Custodian, representative of the house logistical staff; and House Elder, the oldest member of the house still able to reach the council's chambers.