The Imperial Families
Over thirty-nine generations of the Hantei, innumerable siblings have been the “spare” heirs, extra children who were never called upon to ascend the throne. Even within only a few such generations, the number of princes and princesses born to the Imperial family would require an entire city of palaces, and moreover, none but the Emperor and his immediate kin could use the Hantei family name. Rather than challenge the claim of the Emperor’s eldest child, at adulthood these other heirs joined the families of Hantei-no-Kami’s original followers, Miya and Otomo and Seppun, led by the Kiga family headed by Kiga Kaishogun himself. They serve as the heralds and bureaucrats of the Empire, and the bodyguards and spiritual wardens of the Emperor. Together, they are sworn to protect the political power of the Emperor and ensure no one clan grows too influential. Some wonder, however, if they do their jobs of sowing strife among the clans altogether too well.
History
The number of vassal families in Kiga is vast. Countless such families have been named, grown, shrunk, and disbanded since the dawn of the Empire. A full listing of them would be impossible, and indeed many have long since been forgotten over the years. Some vassal families, however, have managed to endure over the long term, carrying out modest but valuable duties within their clan.
