The Imperial Order serve as the rank and file policing and investigative force for the
Jade Empire. They are maintained and operated by
House Gengxin.
They are especially concentrated within
Shengtai, but also operate out of field offices in other cities throughout the empire. The formal uniform is a black changshan robe with a dark green belt and jade colored jacket. Outside of the imperial capital, many of the new recruits to the order simply wear any mixture of black and green clothing they can scrounge together, contributing to their nickname of Greenies. Each is allocated a simple dao short sword, which is usually carried at their hip, but some members opt to carry their own personal weapons instead, especially if they are more expensive or ornate looking.
Imperial Order members come from a variety of backgrounds, but are generally lower to middle class citizens looking to gain personal power and exert it over others. It’s not fair to say this of everyone within their ranks, but a large number of them are bullies, ruffians, and otherwise corrupt individuals. The average member will not shy away from a fight, despite receiving no formal combat training as a result of their position. Because of their prolific numbers and the authority they have to convict people of crimes, they are a group not many will be willing to cross.
History
They are the successors to the Imperial Investigative Force, who fell out of favor with Fu Lan Fou circa BH120-100. Prior to this time, the IIF had operated somewhat independently under the oversight of a Chief Investigator, but after repeated clashes with the Six Jade Emperor they were eventually disbanded. At the time the emperor was very well respected and event loved by the common people, which made it easy for the charismatic Fu Lan Fou to recruit a collection of lower and middle class Li Qu eager to serve her and elevate their own standing. Thus the Imperial Order was born, highly loyal to the emperor who had given them the chance to rise out of obscurity.
Sometime after BH28, during the reign of Zou Delan Fou, the nine Loyal Noble houses were officially elevated above all others. Among the nine there were no formal rankings, but House Guanting, House Gengxin, and House Lingxin were informally given more reverence. House Gengxin in particular was tasked with maintaining peace and order, and given control of the Imperial Order and its operations. They grew the order from a small group who carried out select tasks for the emperor into a full fledged policing force. They concentrated on growing their numbers inside the imperial capital to start, and using the authority of House Gengxin they quickly became the defacto group for investigating all criminal offenses. Not content to limit their influence to a single location, House Gengxin began opening Imperial Order field offices in as many towns across the empire as possible, and filling those towns with Imperial Order members as well.
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