So let’s imagine the world from the vantage of Glamour, circa late 1625. The mundane routine of administration is not for Argenteus, and so the Red Emperor prefers to interact with his court through his Daughter-Wives, the Tharkalists, leaving him with more time for pleasure and leisure. I suspect he rarely attends the meetings of his council. The council – that’s the formal and informal collection of scribes, priests, military leaders, and the occasional demigod that advise and administer the Red Emperor’s domains – meet regularly. Here are some notes from one such council meeting:
Military affairs: Everything needs be thrown against Dranz Goloi. This is seen as an existential threat. Nobody mentions Sheng Seleris but EVERYONE is thinking it.
But to fight Dranz Goloi we need to raise an army – we’ve lost half our army in the past year. Money and soldiers, that’s what we need. And fast!
Use of Chaos is approved in this struggle. The rituals to bring the Crimson Bat back from the Underworld are a top imperial priority – but as they will take several years to complete, alliances with the various Lords of Terror are authorized.
A secondary concern are the White Moon rebellions – these peasant agitators, bandits, and self-proclaimed religious leaders. They have threatened Yuthuppa. Dragon Pass is delegated to Pharandos of Tarsh, to deal with it using his resources. Many think Argenteus‘ adventures in Dragon Pass, Prax, and the Holy Country were a disastrous waste, although none will say that even in council.
Finance: This is a problem. The imperial reserves are gone. The Full Moon Year cost a LOT of gold and so did the wars in Dragon Pass. And now the empire needs really money! And a lot of it, as we are some 10,000 talents in the red. Do we debase the currency? But what about the veteran soldiers – we better keep them happy! Shall we loot the Lunar temples? They all belong to Moonson after all. How about confiscations, revocations of privileges and exemptions, etc?
The Daughter-Consort made it clear that there will be no discussion of reducing court expenses.
Religon: The White Moon rebellion is still a dangerous subversive movement that threatens to undermine what the Seven Mothers and the Red Goddess achieved. The Red Emperor IS the Lunar Way. The Lunar Armies conquests are the necessary precondition for the Red Goddess to bring peace to the Cosmos. All that question that are traitors.
The Red Emperor also insists that his divine mother’s conflict with Orlanth be given attention, and messages and sacrifices shall be made throughout the Seven Mothers network.
Concerns about the reaction that the followers of the Old Gods may have regarding use of Chaotic mercenaries is discussed. The Seven Mothers network can be used to communicate the acceptability of this to lay members.
The Red Emperor’s defeat of the New Dragon should be feted in the New Years ceremony.
Civil: There was some discussion of reorganizing the Provincial Government, as many senior positions (including Overseer) are vacant. The consensus was to wait and see whether the Tarshite king is able to stabilize Dragon Pass.
Note that the Daughter-Consort is one of the Tharkalists.
Now I find such thought experiments useful, as it explains why there really isn’t a lot of sustained imperial attention to what is going on in Dragon Pass while our characters run amok 1625-1627.
Once the Pentan war is resolved, the Red Emperor can restore order to Dragon Pass (as Pharandos has obviously failed). And then the imperial council can finally deal with the many cracks in the imperial edifice that have been quickly plastered over.