Office of the Imperial Exchequer, Era XV Onward

[Whisper]

The Imperial government’s tendrils and feelers extended in a million different directions from within the marbled halls of the palace complex sitting in the very heart of the capitol of Aelyria Prime. All power derived its mandate from the favor of the gods and through the will and wishes of the Regent Milo L'Evienne. In practice, the ruler of the Aelyrian Empire could not possibly oversee and manage every facet of His government without help.

Thus the Aelyrians and the gods had willed the creation of an Imperial Court composed of the finest minds and most skillful hands to direct the day to day running of the empire. Of these the Imperial Ministers wielded immense power over a single organ of the body of government. The Lord Imperial Marshall controlled the might body of Imperial legions and the swift fist of the Imperial fleets. The Lord Imperial Judicator possessed the power to prosecute nobleman and commoner alike for violation of the laws of the land. The Lord Imperial Magus bore the power to regulate every mage of every sphere in the Empire.

But there was power, and then there was power. Without money the fearless legions would desert, the prison gates would be thrust open, and all manner of mages would wreak havoc across the Empire. The responsibility for the collection of taxes and the regulation of the economy fell upon the shoulders of the Imperial Exchequer. Beneath him lay, in theory at least, the Imperial Mint, the Imperial Treasury, the Imperial Bank, and all manner of other bodies and agencies. The head of the Ministry of Finance lay in a marble building in a busy corner of the Imperial Forum. Its actual location was hidden within a veritable maze of corridors filled with bustling clerks and busy accountants.

At the end of a long, quiet hallway was a pair of oak doors bearing a brass plaque with the following words in simple, plain text:

Office of the Imperial Exchequer Armach Yri

To the left and right of the doors were sets of comfortable seats for petitioners to wait their turn for audience with the Imperial Exchequer. Upon being granted passage, one would be shown into the office's atrium. It had once been decorated with Hsin Zhou's mix of Kemite and Imperial art, but the former Imperial Exchequer had been missing for some time, and in his absence, Armach Yri had stepped up to take his place. His former title? Director General of the Department of Accounting in the Imperial Ministry of Finance. That had certainly been a mouthful. 'Lord Imperial Exchequer' was much better.

The left wall of the large room was lined with bookshelves, filled with heavy tomes of tax records and statistics. The right wall let light in at sunset, filling the place with a peaceful light despite the rather stressful air that often filled such busy offices. In the middle of the room was a desk, and a secretary to match. Claira Moreau, a young woman of Jaedaxienne descent, kept the desk orderly and Armach Yri's affairs even more so. She was the guard, so to speak, of the next set of double doors that led into Armach's offices.

There were even more shelves of books and records to be found here; in fact, the only wall not to be completely blocked off by bookshelves was the northern wall, where tall windows let sunlight and the occasional breeze in. These books contained not only economical information, numbers, and statistics, but text on politics, science, arcana, alchemy, literature, and philosophy. No one could be trusted better to keep records than the man who oversaw the empire's economy.

A simply gigantic desk dominated the room. It was dark, with drawers long and large to keep files, an abacus, ink, and parchment. A worn wooden chair with soft blue cushioning indicated the designated spot for the master of the desk, and indeed this was where Armach Yri was most likely to be found. Two identical chairs sat before the desk, with several more lined up near the window should Armach need to see a larger audience.

In any case, whether it be a party of one or fifteen, they would need to go through Claira first. She would look up from her paperwork with a smile and find her appointment ledger in the neat stacks on her desk.

"Serale. Do you have an appointment with Lord Yri?"

Originally posted by Hsin Zhou here. Revised by GM Whisper.

[Milo L'Evienne]

The Sixth Brightening of the Winter of Era XV

To the attention of all Ministers and Advisors of the Court of the Crown Your Excellencies, Be advised that in order to clarify recent events as indicated by the arrival of the Ancients; and in an effort to provide our officials with the opportunity to best chart a course forward during this time of transition, His Royal Highness has called for a closed session of Court to convene on the fifteenth brightening of Kalendryas, mid-morning. All Ministers and Advisors to the Court of the Crown are asked to attend. Gods Bless, Mrs. Ada Stromb Senior Adjutant to His Royal Highness

[Alexis Sapientia]

Timestamp: 41 Immanis, Second Era in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne

A Provost bearing the uniform of the Alyssan Guards, escorted by a Cencoris of the Empress' Own, and a Trieririrus of the Imperial Classis, made his way to the Ministry, presenting therein a heavy leather packet with the seal of the Ministry of War. It was addressed to Armach Yri, who had once been the senior official present in the said office, there being no new appointments to the position of Imperial Exchequer since the resignation of the Kemite, Hsin Zhou.

A sealed letter was likewise attached to said packet.

For the attention of:

Armach Yri
Imperial Exchequer,
Aelyria Prime, Principality of Prime.

Your Imperial Excellency,

Greetings from the Imperial Ministry of War.

Please find attached a copy of the former Imperial Exchequer Zhou's estimates for budgetary allocations for my Ministry (that is to say, both Legions and Classis) as of Optia of this calender era as delineated for the previous fiscal era.





In this regard, I would like to inform you that the Imperial Ministry of War wishes to retain the allocation levels as set forth by the former Lord Imperial Exchequer for this following calendar year, as what we did last era, retaining the following minor amendments (presuming, as always, ratification of the same by the Imperial Senate) as given last era.

For the Imperial Navy:



As you can see, this is but a minor realignment of funds, and will keep matters neutral to the bottom line. In relation to this, the timely, monthly release of funds to the accounts of the Imperial Ministry of War, the Imperial Legions, and the Imperial Classis would be much appreciated.

Detailed allocations and appropriations shall be forthcoming.

As always, we would like to thank you for the timely release of said funds.

Please feel free to communicate with my Ministry for any questions or clarifications.

Alexis Sapientia
Imperial Minister for War.

[Nikki L'Evienne]

Timestamp:
5th Cryxatum: Spring: Era XV

To: Thomasina Heatherbloom, Bethel Beanhopper, Sebastienne Baxter, Duerain Whurfick, Armach Yri, Llanwyn Siannodel, Parreyon Syndicus, Alexis Sapientia, Kynaxa Rosetiva, Atl Myrsa From: Her Highness, Nikki L'Evienne, on behalf of His Royal Highness. HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL: FOR RECIPIENTS EYES ONLY It is my sad duty to inform you all that Her Highness, Nell du'Galle, wife to His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Milo, has died in suspicious circumstances off the Eunesian coast. We have reason to believe following this letter received that the untimely and tragic death of Her Highness is the work of either this man or his colleagues. Therefore, you must all consider yourself to be in danger at this point, and on a formal note, the Palace advises most strongly that you increase security immediately. There will be a Herald Article, but it will be when His Royal Highness believes it prudent, which may be in a brightening or so. Until such time as it becomes public knowledge, I would stress again that this is a highly confidential matter, not to be discussed with others not included on the distribution list of this missive. I will ensure that you are fully informed of all funeral arrangements in due course. Yours,

[Milo L'Evienne]

The fiftieth brightening of Cryxatum in the Spring of Era XV

From the offices of His Royal Highness, Prince Milo I

Excellencies,

Please be advised that as of the fifth brightening of Aperitus and throughout the following two cycles, I and my family will be residing outside of Aelyria Prime. Rest assured that I will be remaining in constant contact with my offices in the Royal Palace and will be maintaining consistent oversight of all concerns courtesy the efforts of Mr. Barrett Tierney, Senior Adjutant, and Mr. Manyc Ulairi, Sorcerer in service. I will further be making myself immediately available courtesy these two gentlemen should critical matters arise that require my personal attention or an audience with any given official.

All matters of an immediate or critical nature in addition to regular requests, updates and reports should be referred first to Mr. Tierney who shall advise me and arrange an immediate audience or response where applicable. All other matters arriving in my offices via correspondence, if requiring my personal attention shall be referred to myself, while all other matters shall be forwarded to the offices to whose realms they best apply in anticipation of a prompt official response. All concerns and requests during this time should thus be referred to Mr. Barrett Tierney, Senior Adjutant.

Best regards,
Milo L’Evienne