Fantasy Core RPG
© Jerry Harris 2013
(This link will take you to the
Fantasy Core Index.)
The Governor’s Palace-Typical visitors and residents
Is a court full of
sycophants and supplicants the surest sign of a ruler’s power or just the
illusion of power?
There are a large number of legitimate visitors to the
Governor’s Palace for official dealings and business concerns. Of course, there are also a good number of
questionable visitors to the Palace.
Their interests are usually self-motivated. As the Governor’s wife has passed away and
his children are off at the Capital, Yu has opened up his palace to a variety
of courtiers and hangers-on, some in more-or-less permanent residence as they
overstay their welcome. This causes
Minister Liu and the North Chamber a good deal of consternation dealing with
these invited parasites. Here are some
of the usual court denizens.
Foreign ambassadors and Imperial dignitaries
(paying official visits to the Governor)
Missionaries and Priests (foreigners seeking
to convert the Governor and domestic priests usually seeking a donation)
Nobles and Courtiers (local, domestic, and
foreign, they are generally suck ups)
Mistresses (beautiful women who’ve been with the
Governor or wish to be, very attractive women have been known to be summoned to
the head of the Line)
Foreign Magic Users and Alchemists (selling or
attempting to fulfill requests, such as gunpowder concoctions or demon
summoning)
Messengers (transporting official orders and personal
notes, there is a legion of boys kept at the Palace for running messages around
the Palace and city, more important and sensitive ones are relayed by the Honor
Guard)
Bards, Musicians, Jesters, Acrobats,
Poets (entertainers in general, often invited by the Governor if he has
seen them perform or heard of them)
Translators (taught and magical, for dealing with
foreigners)
Oni and other Demons (in disguise with an Amulet of Secrecy or some other means, usually no more than one at a time, as they
are eventually all discovered)
Servants (a small army keeps up the immaculate
appearance of the Palace, but they mostly work out of sight)
Healers (there is a standing staff, in addition to
specialists in the city, who are on-call)
Astrologers, Spiritualists, Mediums, Soothsayers,
and Psychics (the Governor is a big believer in the occult, even
bringing in foreigners for their reputed abilities)
Scholars, Sages, and Lawyers (for
answering the Governor’s questions about worldly matters and advising him)
Merchants (Local, Domestic, and Foreign, usually only
the wealthiest are allowed in the court, usually wanting to make a deal or bid
on a project)
Priests and Shamen (Priestess Lynn-Che, of the
Emerald Hill Temple, is considered the Governor's personal priest, but given
her extensive duties, others are on staff for his immediate religious needs and
combating ghosts and demons)
“Invisible” Security (Master Kogi and other members
of the North Chamber security detail are present everywhere, they wear a
multitude of guises)
Chamber Officers and other Government Officials
(of course, the Palace is still a government building for conducting civic
business, lower level officials must wait their turn like anyone else)
Citizens (yes, in the middle of all this, an average citizen
of Shang-tu does have some small opportunity to voice his concerns to those in
power, only those with the most pressing of needs would normally dare to do so
though)
Of special note is a pair of annual visits.
Like a plague of
locusts, they descend, devastate, and move on.
The Sayid Gypsy Clan comes to
Shang-tu to trade and are rather ill trusted by the locals. The Governor, however, always invites them to
the Palace for a command performance and to see their wares. He seems to enjoy their exotic entertainment
and the company of the Romany Princess Sonia, a widowed witch with a
potent cursing ability.
Like a scheduled
natural disaster, one can only prepare for the worst.
The coming of Emperor’s Inspector General is a
four-alarm fire drill for the entire government complex in Shang-tu, especially
the Palace staff, even the Governor. The
rest of the populace takes some perverse pleasure in watching their overseers
squirm and occasionally be held accountable.
The Inspector General’s annual inspection comes with a flurry of
trumpets, his large personal security force, and the full authority of the
Emperor. The North Chamber clears out
the entire Palace of residents to make room for him and his entourage
(gleefully, it might be added, temporarily evicting the parasites, as they
say).
It is certain that some aspect of civil administration will
be found wanting and that heads will roll (sometimes literally). It is only a question of who. Normally it is only a few minor officials who
are disciplined, but it is a mark of shame to an entire department, especially
their supervisors. An unscheduled visit
by the Inspector General would be considered the gravest of omens to the
Governor and other senior officials and perhaps mean that their own necks are
in danger.
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