Scarlet Dynasty

The Scarlet Dynasty is the extended family of the Scarlet Empress, the ruling upper class of the Realm.

Overview

The current dynasty system began in RY 103, when the Scarlet Empress replaced the gentes system of the Shogunate with Great Houses headed (conveniently) by her own children. After centuries of intermarriage, few Dragon-Blooded on the Blessed Isle are not related to the Empress at least distantly. For outcaste Terrestrials, marrying into the Scarlet Dynasty is the key to social advancement.

The Scarlet Dynasty form a upper class above the patrician mortals of the Realm. They display their family affiliations with a pride that borders on flaunting, and typically live in sprawling multi-generational households. Some households hive off from the main family and form a separate bloodline, leading to Dynasts with three names: the Great House first, followed by the household name, followed by the personal name. (Example: Cynis Devonah Avaku is a member of House Cynis, but a branch founded by Cynis Devonah.)

The Great Houses were founded by the children and lovers of the Scarlet Empress over her long life, from her first-born Ragara to her youngest, V'Neef. Cadet houses also exist, though most of these are on the Threshold and were founded by more distant relations of the Empress.

Tremendous emphasis is places on good breeding among Dynasts, to ensure that as many children in each generation Exalt as possible; considerations such as love or personal compatibility are far less important to a match than strength of blood and political strategy. Consequently, extramarital affairs are commonplace and even expected so long as no bastards are produced. For couple who cannot have children naturally by one means or another, the expectation is that they'll adopt or use sorcery to conceive.

Dynasts who fail to Exalt are a shame on their family, and though they still live in luxury compared to the rest of the Realm, they are always inferior to their Exalted kin.

Dynastic Society

Dynastic children are raised by a small army of nannies and tutors, with just enough attention from their parents to be loyal but not unduly affectionate. Eventually, they are sent off to primary school alongside patrician children; the most powerful Dragon-Blooded begin to Exalt around age ten or so. These Exalted Dynasts receive superlative secondary education depending on their path in life: the martially-minded go to the House of Bells, the sorcerers to the Heptagram, the religious to the Cloister of Wisdom, and the businesslike to the Spiral Academy. A handful of troublemakers are sent to the House of Ancient Stone or the Palace of the Tamed Storm to learn discipline.

The Great Houses are fantastically wealthy, and every Dynast receives a stipend accord to a complex calculation based on their role and contributions to the family. This allows them the freedom to travel or purse personal projects alongside or instead of paid work, though the Dynasty's hypercompetative culture (and extravagant social scene) punish the lazy and the spendthrift.