Imperial citizens

Table of Contents

The empire currently covers 3/4 of the globe and so it is a very disparate country made of hundreds of semi-independant federal regions. Its populations each have their own distinct characteristics. However, they share similar values—respect of the emperor & the social hierarchy—fashion trends, and culture—a love for building painting competitions and martial magical card games.

Social system

New conquests: What can you expect as a newly conquered territory just joining the empire? Well, as a start you can rejoice, for the empire pride itself on improving all of its new inhabitants' life. The prosperity of the empire and its constant magitech innovations ensures that life is comfortable for everyone.
Inequalities between regions? Of course, some regions have more natural resources, more industry and trade, and so are naturally wealthier. However, the empire offer guarantees to all of its citizens, such as access to a minimum amount of food, to health service, and to education, regardless of the local elite's opinion on the subject of wealth redistribution.
Inequalities inside a region? Of course, there are some disparity of wealth, and not everyone can afford the very last magitech. However, the fact that anyone can be born with strong magical power and rise to the top of society or that free education allows anyone to gain great magical skills can mitigate these disparities.
Nobility? As a newly conquered region, you will not be disoriented by a wide change in your rulers. Your local elites will barely change and will only now have to answer to the emperor. Whatever mean you use to choose them will remain, be it heredity or election by whoever you want. These elites and their family will retain the same kind of privileges and legal protections as it did before the conquest, and the empire will not meddle.
Slavery? Be warned that slavery is completely outlawed in the empire. Of course, there will always be some people to attempt to use their magic to enslave others to their will, but any who are discovered doing so are severely punished with a legal curse.

Rules and taboos

The most important rules and taboos inside the empire are not complex, and you will quickly get used to them:

Respect the person of the emperor and the empire and do not talk badly of them. You would not want to be mistaken for a traitor and be submitted to the imperial curse, right?

Respect the army and conscripts and keep exercising your magic in case you will be called to serve. Not doing so is punishable by strong fines and social humiliation.

Respect the social hierarchy, the distinction between elites and commoners, and the head of your family. Not doing so will make things infinitely harder on yourself...

Respect the mystic around soulmates. Soulmates do not have to be in a romantic relationship, but rejecting a soulmate or making an enemy out of them is taboo and will make you a paria.

Clothes

Model: Many territories who recently join the empire tries to copy its fashion trend. However, given its size, there is not just one trend. Of course, the capital and the emperor's official portrait are often looked at as a model, but you will only out yourself as an outsiders if you think it is the most important trend setter in the country and dismiss the influence of some of our oldest regions such as Ilara.
Trends: Right now, the trend is for wide and long clothes than can flow dramatically around you when you walk. Wearing short and tigh-fighting clothes will mark you as military personnel or wannabe duellist star.
Fibres: Lime fibres enchanted to hold powerful clothes wards that keep them clean and their owner safe are also in, but they are likely to be outside of your budget.

Jewellery and accessories

Jewellery: You will quickly notice that in the empire almost everyone is covered in jewellery and accessories that are magical artefacts. It's not only very practical, but it's also a great way to show off your skill in making them—or your wealth in buying them. It's common to have them in your hair, beard, braids...
The accessory: Not being covered in artefacts is a statement in itself. If you see anyone like this, look instead for the accessory. The one they have used to combine all the different magic they want to wear. You might think this is a lot more practical, but do not forget how incredibly difficult combining any magic together is, and what a show of skills this is. In fact, unless you are a member of the elite yourself, keep a wide berth from such people.
Tattoos: Anything permanent is to be avoided. Given the speed of technical innovations—and of fashion change—you would not want to be stuck with yesterday's design forever! Only military personnel wear permanent tattoos because the advantage of a ward attached to your very skin is too good to pass up. You might have heard that they have a process to remove them, but it is very painful and not something through which you want to go. Instead, keep playing with simple body paints like any sensible person.

Leisure

How to spend your free time now that you are an imperial citizen so as to not appear as an uncultured foreigner?
Building art: By far the most popular weekend activity. Neighbouring floors of a building gather together to paint their section of the outside walls. It's a fun way to combine a social activity, magic practice, and art, and no building whether residential or workplace is without its own groups! Friendly rivalries abound between communities, some even painting creatures that would eat their neighbours', like an eagle to eat their snake.
Card battles: a very popular game. You need special cards for this—buying a decent deck is a great investment to make, or if you have access to the communication hub, it is easy to get access to memories showing how to make your own. A board game is optional but will help stabilise your magic. For extra fun, there are different battles mode with the most strict one having players feeling pain and becoming incapacitated when they start to lose!
Exhibition games: This type of card game requires players to use magic such as levitations, illusions, transformation of matters, shields and energy attacks. Those are great for teaching magic to children and for adult's regular training—and be reminded that this is a necessity to be ready for war! For more fun, this game also exists as a real size game that uses actual people and artefacts instead of tokens and cards. Those are great for special weekend outings, children's summer holidays and military training!
Historical tourisms: Visit the remains of ancient times and relieve the glorious past of the empire! A few historical buildings have been preserved or rebuilt inside our cities. All of them are now teaching tools and tourist attractions, working as museums or as a place where fun historical reconstitution events are organised. Just be careful not to fall in with would-be rebels who wants to use a glorification of the independent past of their region as a "subtle" call for arms—you would not want to be cursed alongside them...

Julie puffed as she struggled to catch up with Hélène on the forest running trail.
"I've heard there'll be something special during this afternoon's meeting," she declared with as much casualness that she could while being out of breath.
Hélène huffed a laugh but did not take the hint to slow down her pace. "Come on, I'm sure you've guessed they want to vote on a new art again."
Julie's curse might make others ostracize her, but with the coming judging and the killer move Building 3B Lotus had just pulled off with their new angler fish, theere was little mystery as to what was going on.
Their building might be small, but it was full of expert mages like Hélène of Julie and so absolutely obsessed with showing off their superior magic and shoving it in everyone's face at every little occasion. Old Malik's harassment would force them all to say goodbye to their previous weekend plans...

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Related articles

The Empire of Arboise

Politics Politicians (The Emperor and his soulmates, The imperial guards) · Events (The Empire Renewal, The Twelfth Sannian War, The Sannian kidnapping announcement) · Institutions (The empire and its political system, The selection and coronation of a new emperor, Curses and the legal system, The imperial curse—the ultimate judgment on traitors) Culture Imperial citizens · Overview of the professions in the Empire · Soulmates · Courtship rituals · Languages of the empire and translation magic · Winners of the neighbourhood wall painting competition Locations Geography of the Empire of Arboise · Ilara—Hélène's home region · Quanahr—Hélène's town · Arboise—Capital of the Empire · The imperial palace · Regions outside of the empire