Yii'ua

Yii'ua are the primarily social, economic, and political structures of the Xi'an, based around genetic lineage. The term is variously described as Line, Lineage, House or Great House, with 'House' being the most common when discussing history and economics. They fulfil the role of both state and corporation within the Xi'an Empire, with each receiving a chartered monopoly from the Imperial House.

Careful tracking of one's Yii'ua is mandatory on official public documents, private contracts, etc. in the Xi'an Empire, because the lines are everything to the Xi'an. It's rude to dwell on genetic provenance in polite society. These matrilineal dynasties exist as great Houses, both metaphorically and physically as they grow into great estates and form mega-corporations when they prosper.

Each Yii'ua is presided over by a 'Council of Three', composed of three elders of the House. All aspects of the governance of a House are overseen by its Council, such as the expenditure of fiscal assets, the distribution of food and clothing, and the arrangement of breeding partners to continue the family Line, among others.

The Imperial House
The Imperial House occupies a special position, as it controls the Xi'an Service, the Bureaucracy that oversees the empire and contains the Xi'an military. All citizens of the Xi'an Empire are required to carry out a 30 Xi'an year (38.4 SEY) period of service between the ages of 40 and 70. During this time, they officially join the Imperial House and take on the name of the Emperor as their own. Some elect to remain a member of the Service beyond their mandatory period, or return in later life, becoming the officer class of the service.

The Imperial House is also governed by a Council of Three advisors, but these are forbidden from being of the Emperor's own House. Instead, the three advisors to the Imperial House are drawn from high-ranking members of the military, civil bureaucracy, and the practitioners of Li’Tova.

Throughout Xi'an history there have been three Imperial Houses: House Ru'a, House Xy.ō and the current Imperial House, House Kr.ē. The Xi'an calendar counts from the accession of a new Imperial House. The new Imperial House is 'selected' by the other houses when the previous Imperial House is extinguished, though a period of interregnum can occur, as with The Dark at the end of the Spirit Wars.