Look upon my works, ye mighty... (my players stay out, please)

[diaglo]

This idea reminded me of that old adage -- "The sun never sets on the British Empire."

Random aside. I like the idea btw.

(Being glib): In the real world there are places where the sun stays high in the sky well into the night by government decreee --- People's Republic of China (or as Lou Dobbs would say 'commmmunist China').

Anyway, the Chinese government literally mandates that the whole country is on a unified time zone -- Beijing's time zone. This causes the western regions of China to have the sun stay up well into the night. I was in Xinjiang in the summer and the sun was up still at 11pm-ish. The spatial difference is akin to New York City and Seattle for reference.

C.I.D.

hee hee. we have this problem at work. not the issue of time. the issue is floor number.

there was a decree basically that said no building could be taller than 8 stories. it was based on the original layout in 1951. so the first building was at street level. all the buildings since have been built on a downward slope behind building one.

it is really funny when you have an 18 story building with the top floor being floor 8. i don't work on the sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub basement level but i do occassionally ride the elevator in that building.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I like the idea of the pocket dimension that is the same as the empire....


...what if it is the same, BUT is 1/100th the scale?


then the emperor can play "godzilla" as well as watch over his holdings.

 

[Mark Chance]

Back on topic, wasn't it illegal in the real world for anyone who wasn't royalty to wear purple? I wonder if something like that would fly in a campaign setting.

Perhaps somewhere at sometime. Purple, however, has been used in Catholic clerical vestments for centuries, and few clergy were royalty. I've heard that in Imperial China, certain colors were reserved for Imperial use only. Legal enforcement of dress codes, hair styles, et cetera, have been widely used throughout history down to today for various purposes, some nefarious, others mundane.

 

[Piratecat]

Perhaps somewhere at sometime. Purple, however, has been used in Catholic clerical vestments for centuries, and few clergy were royalty. I've heard that in Imperial China, certain colors were reserved for Imperial use only. Legal enforcement of dress codes, hair styles, et cetera, have been widely used throughout history down to today for various purposes, some nefarious, others mundane.

Ah, here's a reference:

Incidentally, the color purple has an interesting history, partly due to the fact that although purple occurs often in nature, it is (or was) very difficult to produce a practical purple dye. The ancient Phoenicians were the first to discover a way of producing a purple dye, but it was very expensive, and could be afforded only by the royal family. For this reason the color purple became associated with royalty, and it was declared illegal for anyone other than royalty to wear purple. The Romans adopted this tradition, so it was illegal in ancient Rome for anyone other than the Emperor and his family to wear purple. Not until 1856 was an inexpensive way to produce purple (actually, mauve) dye discovered. (It was found accidentally by an 18-year-old English chemist named William Perkins while he was trying to discover a way of synthesizing quinine from coal tar.)

This may be complete rubbish, but it's an interesting question. In a D&D world, what behaviors or customs might evolve from a powerful ruler. How about a powerful non-human ruler?

 

[Filcher]

Back on topic, wasn't it illegal in the real world for anyone who wasn't royalty to wear purple? I wonder if something like that would fly in a campaign setting.

What if the chaotic, mad emperor declares at whim what colors are illegal? Dyers and weavers go out of business or strike it rich overnight when he changes his mind based on his latest wormwood-induced whimsy.

I should be flogged for not having read the entire thread, but when the ruler is mad you get this great ethical dilemma from your lawful good characters. They don't want the chaos and destruction that would come from a revolution, but they can't in good conscience allow the status quo to continue.

 

[baradtgnome]

A series of garden/parks for the emperor's enjoyment, along with any special guests, that are static in time, season and weather. All the gardens are otherwise identical; have the same statues, layout, plant and/or animal life. Therefore at any time the emperor's whim may be satisfied. Feel like strolling at midnight under star lit sky? Autumn at noon with the leaves turning. Spring rains, moon lit winter wonderland, various sunrises and sunsets, etc.

 

[Piratecat]

Incidentally, I used the colossus today with spectacular success. The PCs have been expecting an invading navy; instead, they got a 250' colossus (half again as big as the Statue of Liberty!) with the Emperor's face rising up out of the harbor and delivering an ultimatum.

Quote from a player: "Out here on the edges of the empire, you forget that's what the rest of the empire looks like."

You guys win. Thank you again. And I'll certainly have more ideas if you think of any.

 

[KidSnide]

I don't see how a Boston-based game can overlook the massive public works project. There's nothing like a river that's be redirected to flow through a mountain range (either against gravity or by removing some mountain) to suggest an unusual concentration of political patronage. Why do such a thing? Probably to provide better drainage for the imperial city.

The imperial city will also have otherwise inexplicable industries that exist purely to provide ephemeral amusement for the imperial house. Whether it's training griffons to sing or creating sugar scuptures that act out important historical battles by cutting down their cake enemies, dipping them in chocolate and serving them to the imperial guests.

It's also fun to have massive elaborate magical amusements (floating gardens, et al) that became passe a century ago. An animated topiary garden is pretty amazing it it's own way, but it really says something when that's one of twenty districts dominated by some long since abandoned bizarrity. As a side benefit, Jurrasic Epcot also makes a good adventuring location...

-KS

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Along a cliff above the city, a massive waterfall tumbles down. The falling water strikes outcroppings strategically placed to create a pattern in the water that forms the vigage of the Emperor. When one physical embodiment of the Emperor passes from the world, the flow of the river is diverted so adjustments to the outcroppings can be made in order to depict Him in His new embodiment.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I don't see how a Boston-based game can overlook the massive public works project. There's nothing like a river that's be redirected to flow through a mountain range (either against gravity or by removing some mountain) to suggest an unusual concentration of political patronage. Why do such a thing? Probably to provide better drainage for the imperial city.

You've made me think of tunnels:

A series of beautiful, well maintained roads criss-cross through the city - The Ways of the Emperor. Only the Emperor and his favored nobles are permitted to walk or ride upon them. Smaller, ordinary streets upon the surface exist for ordinary people and goods, but they are not permitted to cross The Ways of the Emperor, so as they approach each one of the Ways, the streets enter tunnels that pass beneath, emerging again on the other side.