Chrysanthemum Banquet
Time: Annually, on the 14th day of Resplendent Earth.
Location: Crystal Palace (Imperial City)
Host: House Mnemon
Invitations: Invitations to the Chrysanthemum Banquet are VERY exclusive… on more than one occasion, a life-debt has been repaid with a single invite to a Mnemon gala. Dynasts of House Mnemon may be expected to obey their matriarch without question in all things, but guaranteed admission to these events is a perk whose value may just serve as due recompense… for those who have not saved lives nor spewed from family loins, gaining entry is difficult indeed without having a good century of political capital to prove one’s worth.
Theme and Activity: The Chrysanthemum Banquet is a great feast, held in honour of the Immaculate Dragon of Earth upon his festival day. Like all Mnemon galas, merely being invited is often enough to guarantee one’s membership in lucrative deals and alliances.
As it is held on a day which celebrates the Immaculate Pasiap, the Banquet’s menu is both fascinating and complex, and were there no political advantages to be had here the food would still draw many interested Dynasts. The chefs of the Crystal Palace are charged with preparing a feast fit for the mouths of the Dynasty, but in obeisance to the dietary strictures of the Immaculate Order. Culinary options are thus presented for all five coils of the monastic lifestyle, and each dish manages to present unique and delicious flavours despite the limitations on ingredients.
As the Banquet is taken seated, where one remains for much of the event, seating is particularly important… who one sits beside and across from determines just what deals one might make during the evening, and the House Mnemon organizers collect a pretty penny in bribes from those seeking optimal seating arrangements.