Imperial Departments

The government of Daleth is officially led by the Emperor, head of state, chairman of the government, tamer of the people, face on the coins.
It is the Emperor who signs laws, that are written by his Board of Advice. The Board of Advice is the intermediary between the Emperor and the Departments and Chambers, getting their information from the Departments and Chambers and turn this information into advice to the Emperor, and then work out the laws if the Emperor agrees with the advice. After finishing a law, the Heads of the Department and Chambers vote over the law, when approved of, the Emperor signs the new law. Some laws are signed by the Emperor without being voted for.

In normal life, the Emperor does not rule the country. Every day business takes too much of his precious time - although many of his servants wonder what he does all day. The government is in the hands of the Daily Board, a group of men and women who take care of every day affairs. The report on regular basis to the Emperor and to the Departments and Chambers. That is also where they get their information from.
The Departments are large bodies where civil servants and clerks keep statistics and information in general, explore the problems of the empire and search for a solution. The solutions are handed to the Board of Advice.
The Heads of Departments and Chambers assemble twice a menoth to compare solutions and information.
The Chambers are in fact small Departments, and some Chambers become Departments eventually. The main difference is that the Chambers have just a few rooms in a building, where a Department can have one or more buildings to work in.
The Departments that have assemblies presided by the Emperor himself (if possible) are called "The Emperors Department". It might be that the Emperor sends one of the members of his family or a close friend to be in the chair at the assembly. In cases of emergency, such as war, the Emperor must attend all assemblies himself.

All departments are in Ildritz, near the Imperial Palace when possible. There used to be a lot of traffic from and to the Departments, with messengers running the streets all day. This ended as the steampost service entered the Departments and the Palace, interconnecting the sites of politics in the most modern fashion. It is a closed system, not connected to the public steampost connections. The hub of the departments -the private redirection office of the Emperor- is in the palace in a guarded room.

The Departments

Department of Common Affairs (DCA)
The DCA works on any affair that is not taken care of by any of the other departments or chambers. These are normally temporary matters.

The Emperors Department of Treasury (EDT)
Everything concerning money is for the EDT. They see to it that money is worth its value, that the Empire will have money to keep healthy for the next generations, that the Departments can pay their employees.
The employees of the EDT are called the Keepers of the Hoard by the Dalethians.

Department of Labour (EDL)
The EDL is responsible for enough work in the Empire. If there is not enough work, they might create projects. They see to it that any labourer (employee, etc) is threatened well and paid for what (s)he does - except for the prisoners whose labour is also controlled by the EDL.

Chamber of Poverty Affairs and Salvation (PAS)
The PAS is housed in the EDL and controls the laws and measurements for the poor. They examine the problems of poverty and try to find a solution. All workhouses are under control of the PAS - the employees of the PAS decide who is allowed to live in the workhouse or in any other institution that cares about the poor.

Department of Transport (DOT)
All affairs concerning transport and infrastructure are for the DOT. They prepare great projects such as the railways and the steampost system. They are also responsible for the security of the infrastructure.

Department of Education and Science (DES)
The DES is in control of most schools, libraries and universities. They will tell schools what to teach and check if they really do. Some "private" schools are not controlled by the DES. The DES finances laboratories and expeditions when the scientists can prove the experiments are good for the Empire.

Chamber of Modern Technics and Steam (MTS)
The youngest of all departments and chambers should lead new innovations into a smooth practical adaption for the empire. The people working here stay in close contacts to scientists and universities, and the DES, who hosts this chamber. Further, they are responsible for new ways to use steam power and the safety of the steam engines.

The Emperors Department of War and Public Order (WPO)
All military institutions and everybody working there belongs to the WPO. So does everybody who should secure public order. In times of war the WPO is the leading Department.

Chamber of National Security (CNS)
It is called the Chamber of National Security, and there is a clerk in a room of WPO who works for this Chamber, but where the Chamber has its true office is unknown. The Chamber of National Security is also know as the secret service. Who works for the CNS is a mystery, where they work is an enigma, and what they do stays a secret.

The Emperors Department of Law and Justice (DLJ)
Apart from the Board of Advice and the WPO is the DLJ. Where the Board of Advice and the Emperor make the laws, and the WPO checks if the citizens live according to the law, it is the DLJ who check if the new law is compatible with the already existing laws and contracts. It is also the DLJ who contracts and contacts judges, lawyers and others involved in justice.
The DJL is also involved in any law case that cannot be solved in any lower branch of the trade. Whoever does not agree with a penalty, can turn to the DLJ.

Department of Health and Wellbeing (DHW)
DHW is the department that claims to work with humanity. They see to it that all who live in Daleth have a certain standing of living: food, clothes, housing. They explore the possibilities of stopping diseases and plagues, and make laws to make Daleth a healthy land. The sewers and running water-systems in the houses are set up by the DHW.

Department of Urban and Rural Planning (URP)
The URP usually has clashes with the other Departments, but is also used to work close together with them. The URP plan new neighbourhoods to existing settlements, roads, and a range of facilities. They do give advice on architecture as well. In their archives (which will be put on puncher cards in the near future) is the whole of land measurement stored - everybody can check how big their piece of Daleth is in the URP archive.
The Department is rather new, and now many of the employees work on reconstructing the old inner cities to make them more accessible to the busy traffic of today and tomorrow.
It is said the URP hired a clairvoyant to see in the future, but apparently -when examining present projects- it didn't really help to predict the future.

The Emperors Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
The Emperor has foreign offices (Hindairus) in Altheizar (Overveer), Diwan (for Dernian Landis and the Unknown Territories) and in Faunèz (Fanigawi). Regularly, a envoy travels to the south, to negotiate with Luban, but there is no foreign office in that realm yet.

Chamber of the Union (COU)
Not really secret, but not really public as well, the COU is a quiet group of politicians who work on the main task of restoring the United Empires as they once have flourished. Nationalists of Overveer, Salamandran and the Weslanan are against new United Empires, and the more extreme nationalists will fight against this Chamber as much as they can. The Chamber hasn't got its own chamber, but assembles in whatever room is free in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Department for Agricultural Affairs (DAA)
One of the most important departments in Daleth. The DDA is responsible for a steady flow of food into the mouths of the Dalethians. They control storage, import and export of food. Although agricultural, fishing is also part of the department. Further, they should encourage farmers to produce in an effective way that also holds profit for the future.

Chamber of Arts (COA)
Only a few chambers of the DES are used for the COA, but many more buildings are involved in this chamber. The COA runs all affairs that have to do with art, such as the annual Imperial Art Prize for the best piece of art produced, and the maintenance of art in the public museums. They separate the true artists from the wannabees, and finance the ten best of the true artists.
They also give advice in public arts, such as statues on squares.

Chamber of Religious Affairs (CRA)
Religion is not a topic that is controlled by the government. There is a Chamber of Religious Affairs to stay in contact with the spiritual world many citizens live in. It gathers information about the various religions in Daleth and meets with the priests to discus topics as "can we build a new temple on spot X?". The chamber is said to have a secret side that infiltrates in the religious movements, especially that of fundamentalists and steampriests.