The Honourable Companions of the Imperial Treasurer

The Honourable Companions comprise those members of the Empire whose greatest achievement lies in having obtained the Emperor's fond affection. They bear neither bureaucratic qualification nor military rank and their official duty is limited to ensuring the honesty of the Imperial Treasurer. However since the slightest implication of dishonesty is sufficient to separate the Treasurer from his head, the Companions have traditionally been considered to hold the purse-strings of the Empire.

Since they are not seen to have earned their considerable influence via the conventional routes (hard work and assessable competence), members of the Companions often find themselves unpopular with the Departments of the Bureaucracy.

According to popular legend the original Honourable Companion was a plucky street urchin who dared to leap in front of the First Chi'in Emperor's procession and decry the corruption of the Imperial Tax Collectors; so inspired was the Emperor by her bravery that he granted her high station and elevated her to the Court. In reality the first Companion was the third son of the Duke of Shu, an economic savant who impressed the Emperor at a state dinner.

Appointment to the Companions is always by express Imperial decree and has traditionally been used to grant special privilege to those whose advice His August Majesty finds particularly useful. As their influence stems solely from His Majesty's regard three main factions have arisen with the Companions:

The Servants are those who seek above all to maintain the favour of the Dragon Throne and so devote themselves to pleasing their sovereign without consideration of any further aim. Their actions range from importing foreign wonders to present before his Majesty to arranging timely accidents for those who might vex their liege.

Then are those who accept that the love of an Empress or Emperor cannot be held forever, and thus strive to use their time of advantage to secure the friendship of others who will remember such kindness in harder days. The Generous Facilitators are regulars at any social function of note; always seeking ways to impress their influence upon people of power.

Last are those who disdain their own personal ambitions in pursuit of higher cause. Seeing themselves as the only group who are truly performing their duty to the Empire they inevitably draw the ire of the Servants and Facilitators. This tends to lead to considerable cooperation amongst the Friends, even when the causes they espouse are incompatible. Whilst such people of vision rarely thrive, they are often able to bring about great change before they fall from grace.

Whilst membership in the Honourable Companions is bestowed for life, in practice the Succession of a new ruler to the Dragon Throne traditionally sees the old monarch's Companions enter gracefully into retirement; either to obscurity or to reap whatever rewards their other patrons choose to bestow. Occasionally a Companion has managed to ingratiate himself with the claimant, and these veterans often make strong ties as they teach a new generation the reliable methods of tightening the screws on the Treasurer.

The Imperial tutor of Chess. Though his health began to fail years ago, his wits have remained as sharp as ever, and he has regularly used his influence to block policies he sees as harmful to the long term interests of the Empire.

The Emperor's most favoured concubine, the Lady Xin is a patron of the all things beautiful and strives to ensure that the greatest artists in the world are brought to gift their works within the Imperial Palace. Her attentions are coveted by any who seek status, but have seen the collections of several other nobles stripped of their greatest treasures.

A Northern warrior who once saved the Emperor from an ambush at the cost of both his eyes. Cold Iron Horse has ever attempted to secure additional support for the Imperial forces securing the Northern borders of the realm, warning of danger posed by his former people.