Imperial Bureaucracy

An organisation as large as The Empire of Belyos requires a great deal of management to ensure its proper functioning, especially with highly complex matters such as tax, transport, and the continuous efforts of the dole. Whilst Til-Yaltur did not want the rise of such a detailed bureaucracy, he acknowledged that as the Empire regained its footing, such institutions would be necessary, and laid the groundwork for their creation by Imperial decree, when the need arose.
Most of the bureaus have offices in the centre of Belyos where they interact with the common people of the Empire and ensure its proper management. As most of the general population of the Empire are illiterate, scribes find a good living in this part of the city, offering their services to anyone needing to navigate the seemingly deliberately complicated processes. Scribe rates are generally quite reasonable, and most will handle dozens of customers at the same time, all requiring the same service.
The heads of each of the bureaus are appointed by the Emperor directly, and sit on the City Council, along with important guild members, a variable number of high ranking nobles, wealthy merchants, chief of the city guard and headed by the Lord Provost of the city. To be appointed as a bureau head is often seen as the pinnacle of one's career; whilst most are nobles, it is not unheard of for commoners to rise to such lofty stations and be granted their own titles. Typically, the heads of the bureaus change with a new emperor, although occasionally a sitting head is allowed to keep their position.

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Structure

The number of Bureaus within the Empire does vary over time, as Emperors decide to merge or split existing bureaus, create new ones to meet new challenges, or dissolve ones that are considered to no longer have a purpose. A few have been in place since Til-Yaltur's days, and have become so embedded in the Empire's functioning that it would be inconceivable that the state could exist without them.
A few do not fit into the more organised nature of the bureau system yet are considered part of the Empire's bureaucracy:

• Imperial Post
• Imperial Colonisation Company
• Imperial Army

The rest are all expected to follow a standardised way of functioning, and have head offices in Belyos.

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Imperial Academic Bureau

Head: Stefanos Accipitos
Founded in 1769 by Til-Risage as a way of improving the quality of scholars and teaching across the Empire. Any educational establishment must register with the Academic Bureau, who conduct occasional inspections to ensure that the things being taught are correct and align with Imperial doctrine and theology. Whilst occupying offices on Temple Hill in Belyos, the Academic Bureau is most headquartered on Atunhill, in the grand Imperial Scholarium; an educational establishment for the richest people in the capital.
The Academics claim to be the least political of all the bureaus, caring little for whomever sits on the throne, but in reality, their ability to manage what is taught to future generations has been seen by successive Emperors as one of the Empire's most useful tools, and the head of the bureau is always carefully selected.

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Imperial Calendar Bureau

Head: Brianus Gallus
Unlike most Imperial bureaus, the Calendar Bureau have their headquarters in the hills of the Imperial Province where their observatory may watch the progression of the seasons without interference from the lights of the great Imperial city of Belyos. They maintain a small office in the city, but it merely exists to redirect enquiries to their observatory.
Keeping the Calendar on track is a low key, yet highly important task, and the bureau is also responsible for identifying omens and signs in the sky.
Main article: Imperial Calendar 

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Imperial Census Bureau

Head: Marianus Regulia
Very early on in Til-Yaltur's crusade to unify the empire, he realised it was vital to gather accurate information about the state of Imperial lands and, perhaps more importantly, how many people were available to join the Imperial Army. First named simply the Office for Census, it was founded in 1727 and initially tasked with counting the number of eligible adults in the Empire. Over the years it has evolved in its purpose and now also counts the amount of workable land, the output of industries and the amount of trade passing through a given station. These numbers are then used to calculate the Imperial Tithe that each Elector State is obligated to hand over.
The Census Bureau is the one least favoured by the nobility of the Empire, as it almost always comes with a rise in Imperial demands, but Census bureaucrats are entitled, by Imperial Law, to full access to all lands and records, and their harassment or hindering is considered a major crime.
Main article: Imperial Census

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Imperial Dole Bureau

Head: Terpsichore Sipio
Keeping the enormous city of Belyos fed and civilised is an almost impossible task, but one that is performed flawlessly by the Dole bureau, and is testament to its organisational skills. Each resident of the city is entitled to a dole, handed out weekly, that consists of bread, olive oil, unmilled grains, and some protein, typically dried fish. It is the Bureau's task to plan for future demand, organise the collection and delivery of produce from across the empire to the city, manage its storage in half a dozen warehouses in the city, and then ensure the goods are dispensed from the almost 150 dolehouses spread across the city. The importance of the task is impounded by the knowledge that failure to deliver would almost certainly instigate riots.
It was founded in 1820 by Til-Taranor, largely remembered for his military aspect, after the famine of 1818 affected the poorer parts of Belyos substantially and caused several destructive civil disturbances. To prevent such an incident re-occurring, the dole was began and has managed to feed the teeming masses ever since.

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Imperial Election Bureau

Head: Sollemnia Delictio
The smallest of the bureaus for most of the time, the Election Bureau is only important when an Emperor dies, and the process begins to determine their successor. It is this bureau that organises the election process, oversees the fair and legal framework for the voting, and investigates irregularities in the vote and campaign process. As overt techniques such as bribery and threats are illegal, but promises of support (or withdrawal of support) is not, its a thin line to tread.
The Election Bureau was established after Til-Yaltur's death in 1764 by his leading generals and family members, to ensure a stable and reliable way of determining future successions, after the chaos and outright corruption in the old Empire. It has so far overseen five Imperial elections, and only had to investigate an election once; the selection of Til-Adver, who was ultimately cleared, but saw new rules regarding bribes and payments introduced.

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Imperial Language Bureau

Head: Dicentis Adamussia
Since the chaos that came after the The Great Schism, language across Imperial lands has drifted significantly, particularly in rural and isolated areas, and those parts that saw occupation by the Sakamohr. One of Til-Yaltur's challenges during his reunification crusade was communicating effectively with the people he was attempting to bring together. In 1733, the Emperor decreed that all Imperials should speak the same language, and created the Language Bureau to enforce this.
Scholars from the bureau travel the length of Empire with two tasks; the first is to teach Formal Imperial to other teachers, and the second is to ensure that local dialects are compatible with Formal Imperial. They collect new words and phrases, and translate them into Formal Imperial for dissemination, whilst adding them to the growing lexicon held in their library at Belyos. A lot of these scholars are also musicians, using music and popular songs to teach the language in a manner that will be remembered.
Main article: Imperial language 

Founding Date

1727

Type

Civil Services