Imperial Monopolies
During her reign, the Scarlet Empress issued many Imperial Monopolies, granting exclusive right to provide a good or service to a particular individual or group. As with everything done by the Empress, this was done for political reasons... monopolies could be granted to reward those who made innovative new discoveries, to enrich favoured groups, or to hobble those who posed a threat by stripping them of a valuable economic position by granting a monopoly to someone else. Monopolies are monitored and maintained by a department of the Thousand Scales, the Principled Upholders of Perfected Mandates, but funding cuts in recent years have brought some doubts to many minds as to the future of many monopolies.
For most in the Realm, three major Imperial Monopolies come to mind.
Imperial Monopoly on Vineyards - The youngest of the Imperial Monopolies, the Imperial Monopoly on Vineyards grants House V'neef exclusive right to grow grapes and produce wine from them. The monopoly was accompanied by a transfer of all vineyard and winery properties to the newly-founded House V'neef. Amongst many Dynasts, this is thought to have been an effort by the Empress to secure a huge influx of wealth for the House of a favoured daughter.
Imperial Monopoly on Slave Trading - This Monopoly was granted to House Cynis in the aftermath of the Trade War between Guild and Realm, recognizing their already-significant slaving assets and their exemplary work on behalf of the Realm in the economic conflicts with the Guild. While any Dragonblooded in the Realm may own a slave, only House Cynis is allowed to buy or sell them.
Imperial Mandate on Legion Supply - This monopoly requires the Imperial Legions to buy their food supplies exclusively from Pangu prefecture. Some see it as a form of reward for Pangu's productivity and innovations in food preservation techniques. Others view it as a system of control over the Legions: forced to import from Pangu, Legions operate without significant stockpiles of food reserves, and either an increase in orders or an influx of food from some other source is an easily-detected signal that a general is considering treason.
In addition to those three major monopolies, the Empress issued a vast array of less extensive monopolies, including:
Mandate of the Imperial Keepers of the Bloodlines of Hearth-Cats - Monopoly granted to the Stargazer patrician clan approximately 250 years ago, when they managed to breed a species of domestic cat known as the Hearth-Cat, which produces a comfortable heat for those around it. Only the Stargazers are permitted to breed these felines.
Imperial Monopoly on the Trade of Poppy Juices within the Devoted lands of the North - Monopoly granted to the Guild, in exchange for them keeping out of the drug trade within the Realm. By Realm law, only the Guild may trade in opium within the satrapies of the northeastern coastal regions, including Cherak, Azerban, Madura, Valis, and Ceben.
Imperial Monopoly on the Trade of Medicines with the House of Cynis - Monopoly dating from the end of the Trade War between the Guild and the Realm, which serves at once as a restriction on Guild operations and a binding tie keeping House Cynis from too much aggression towards them. During the Trade War, House Cynis had attempted to establish a monopoly on medicines by siezing control of Guild facilities and caravans, and while these were not returned at war's end, the Guild was granted a special monopoly: they could sell medicines to House Cynis and no one else in the Realm, but House Cynis could BUY such drugs only from the Guild. House Cynis remains dominant, though short of monopoly, in the medical drug market within the Realm.
