The imperial palace

Table of Contents

The imperial palace is the heart of power and government in the empire. It has been in the same location in the capital for more than a millennia at the foundation of the city-state, but it has been regularly rebuilt after sieges or to incorporate the latest architectural techniques and scientific technologies and to show off the best artists in the empire.

Gigantic architecture

Gigantic architecture: The imperial palace in its current version is a few centuries old for the main building and is one of the first successful examples of gigantic architecture—attempts to increase the power and complexity of runic diagrams and the magic they anchor by upscaling them and sculpting them into the landscape.
Ward systems: The palace is indeed located in the exact centre of the capital and of its region to be at the center of 2 runic diagrams to anchors wards:

one that anchor the protect the city;

one that cover the entire region that used to belong to the city-state.

Other buildings, guard towers and protective walls form the rest of the diagrams that cover the city and the region.
Protections: Being at the centre of the wards mean that the palace is defended by powerful magic against direct attacks. However, because so many people have to be let in to work for the government, the imperial administration, the army, and the care of the palace itself, the building is very vulnerable to more subtle forms of attack. This is why the emperor's residence is separated from the main building of the palace.

Floor plans

Main building: A big building but that is only a dozen of floors high, with different wings dedicated to different groups: offices for the main government, officies for each branch of the administration, the army's headquarters, the imperial guards's residence and headquarters, residence for the emperor's guests, reception rooms for entertaining for the emperor and the government.
The tower: an extremely tall tower that looms over the rest of the palace and the city. The tower has been rebuilt in the last few decades to incorporate the new organic magitech to anchors powerful wards and adjustable house technology—allowing for the movement of rooms inside the building to always be next to where you need to go.
The tower is reserved for the use of the emperor and his soulmates, with their main residence, offices and workshops all located at the top. The bottom of the tower is occupied by the exceptionally large domi moss that anchors the magic. Throwing prisoners at the moss to feed it is unfortunately frowned upon in those modern days, but mentioning it is a great way to make visitors tand government interns behave.

Hélène immersed herself in the memory that Grandmother had shared privately with the family on the communication hub.
She felt herself walk at a slow stately pace through the corridors of the imperial palace, the ever present gilding on all furniture and panelling shining under the lights as she passed by without paying any attention to this magnificence. Her steps echoed on the marble floors and soldiers and footmen fell into graceful bows.
She arrived at the end of the corridor, and the gigantic double double doors opened before her, the usher slamming his staff on the ground to call everyone attention and announcing her. But her yes were fixed in front of her, her chin high as she stepped forwards through the crowd of courtisans without pause and headed straight for the throne at the end of the reception hall.
The emperor looked down at her from his dais. She pinched her lips at the open provocation and immediately retaliated by purposefully walking a bit too far and waiting a bit too long before deigning to curtsy—and doing so far too shallowly. She was the hereditary leader of the most powerful region of the empire; her family had ruled it long before the emperor's native region had joined the empire and would rule it long after he would leave his throne and a new emperor would be selected.
Nobody better forget their status and the respect owed to them.

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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