Law and Edict

The Empire operates on a federal system with legal power divided by layers of jurisdiction. Most of the laws that commoners experience on a daily basis are those written by their local legislatures and enforced by their local governments, but those local governments are subject to scrutiny by both their kingdom's national laws, also known as decrees, and the laws of The Empire, or more accurately its edicts.

## Imperial Code

The permanent Laws of The Empire are the Twelve Laws expressed in the Imperial Code. These laws have existed in their unaltered state since the founding of The Empire:

1. The Laws of The Empire are absolute.
2. To serve The Empire is the greatest good.
3. All those who speak their will may serve.
4. Those who serve will be protected.
5. All is the Emperor's property.
6. Go forth and conquer.

### Interpretations of the Code

#### I The Laws of The Empire are absolute

The first Code is generally understood as designating the supremacy of Imperial Laws over those of its subjugated Dominions.

#### II To serve The Empire is the greatest good

Initially, the second Code was interpreted as being a statement of purpose that established the desirability of extending Imperial Rule throughout all of Aum, but after the Advent of Angels, its interpretation became more nuanced and began to be viewed as a statement more closely related to Chief Justice Ordo Supremus' discourse on the Mandate of Good. It establishes that good deeds are not required of all Ib, but that the best life that an Ib can lead is one in service to a higher, yet still worldly, purpose.

#### III All those who speak their will may serve

The Third code relates to qualifications to be an Imperial Denizen, requiring that they be capable of speech and therefore Ib, and requiring that they have sworn allegiance to the Empire of their own volition. While a perfunctory interpretation may say that this excludes the deaf and dumb due to their liabilities to speak, it was deemed that merely having any ability to communicate counts as speech for this purpose, a ruling that later led to protections of symbolic speech in many forms as advanced interpretations of this Code also decided that it gave rights to protect willed speech, a right some refer to Freedom of Speech. However, it is worth noting that this does exclude many Die from becoming Denizens due to the fact that they exist and act purely out of an elemental nature and therefore lack a true will of their own. This right also excludes Denizenship from many newly conquered or otherwise threatened Ib because they would only be swearing allegiance out of physical coercion or to escape personal harm and are thereby not making a decision out of their own free will.

As for where Freedom of Speech comes into play, the Code requires that Ib be allowed to speak their will in order for it to function. If Ib are not allowed to freely dissent to Imperial Authority, then they are not able to freely consent to it. Most symbolic acts of expression are also protected forms of communication, but forms of expression that are overtly harmful, especially through providing misinformation or outright falsehoods, are not subject to the same protections under the law. While one may will to lie, falsehoods themselves are not an expression of will and are in many ways a corruption of it.

One aspect of this Code that historically led to abuse was that it requires that at some point, an Ib must make a willed announcement of their intent to serve The Empire. This means Denizenship is not inherited naturally through the right of birth and that infants who are incapable of speech and incapable of making decisions independent of any form of coercion. This complication led to a lucrative market for child enslavement as it could be argued with great certainty that children who were living lives of misery in chains who attempted to swear their loyalty to The Empire were only doing so to escape their own bondage. This conflict was quickly resolved through clarifying interpretation of the Fifth Code, but even though the period of time in which the practice was wholly legal was brief, its impact lasted for centuries and the enforcement of its reversal was an incredibly complex affair.

## Imperial Edicts

Imperial Edicts are laws that are intended to be transient in nature; however, some have existed for centuries. Edicts go into enforcement immediately upon being issued and last for a minimum of one year after the date of issue, but they may continue to be enforced until that entire second year comes to an end. It is also possible for edicts to be renewed, which is traditionally done on the 6th of Sprout.