Editing Empire of the Petal Throne (section)

===Politics===
Civilization is highly bureaucratic and super conservative. If one were to wake up from a century of hibernation, things will have changed so little that the only real difference will be that all your kin are long dead.

When it comes to religion, bureaucracy, legal matters, asking for directions and so on, there is the expectation of bribery, or "incidentals." Crime and punishment is usually handled by heavy fines levied against the offender's clan. A clan can punish its own members by expulsion or even enslavement, if only to recover some of the cost of legal fines.

While the imperial government has supreme authority over everyone, as everything and everyone belongs to the Emperor, the government seldom affects the day-to-day affairs of people's lives. In truth, the Clans work as micro-nations and mega-corporations with regards to their own members and the other clans they have dealings with. On the other hand, family ties are put aside for the sake of the Empire or the demands of a temple.