[Hsin]

Early Optia, Era XII
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Lord Zhou unhappily reviewed the column of numbers and their associated expenses for the last time before closing the thick black tome and returning the heavy book to its proper place on his bookshelves. The position of the Imperial Exchequer carried with it a certain professional pride expected of a minister with the reigns of an Empire in his hands. Only a handful possessed the will and skill to excel and render unto the Crown its dues. The Rakrya had no such sense of pride, or even the common decency to leave behind a meaningful record of their income and expenses. Often their Exchequer’s fiscal conduct walked the fine line between fiscal incompetence and criminal conduct. Thus the former members of the mage-government found themselves living forever under a writ of execution. Hundreds of Auditors and Accountants poured over the fragmented remains of their ledgers and tried to piece together a budget based on the ghosts of a bygone past. These had been sent to their respective Ministers, and formed the basis for the first revision of the Imperial levies during the tenure of the small, tired Kemite. But enough of that. His own office too could benefit from introspection and revision. Reforms were needed, and to that end the young journeyman had already purged a collection of managers linked with the wrongdoings of the illegal regime. His dark eyes brightened noticeably as the Kemite returned to his desk with another ledger bearing the ominous title of the Budget of the Ministry of Finance. This was the work of cycles compressed into its basest form, a tale of a thousand changes in the pursuit of a singular goal. Beauty lay in the eyes of the beholder, and to the Imperial Exchequer Hsin Zhou this was indeed beautiful.

The core of his domain was the Imperial Treasury; the mechanism through which taxes were collected and revenue doled out to the deserving. Eada Arthelian, Chairman of the Imperial Treasury, ruled her department with a velvet glove and an iron fist. Her one good eye watched employee and citizen alike with the intensity and cruelty of a hawk. She was an Auditor by training, though the middle-aged Esh’lahier was more than skilled in other aspects of finance and management. Beneath her the Imperial Treasury divided further into three departments. The Department of Tax Collection were charged with the careful analysis of a province’s status to decide (and subsequently collect) the Imperial Levy. The Department of Auditing (more well known as the Imperial Auditors) were the most feared branch of the Ministry of Finance; black clothed individuals charged with the investigation of financial waste, mismanagement, and corruption. The last branch was the Department of Accounting, who’s clerks and managers were charged with allocating money to the myriad of different government offices.

Personnel of the Imperial Treasury
Chairman of the Imperial Treasury: Eada Arthelian

Department of Tax Collection (Imperial Tax Collectors)
Director General: 1
Director: 9
Assistant Director: 18
Division Head: 54
Group Manager: 162
Tax Collector: 648
Assistant Tax Collector: 1296

Total: 2,188 (Divided amongst provinces, with greatest concentration in AP.)

Department of Auditing (Imperial Auditors)
Director General: 1
Director: 9
Assistant Director: 18
Division Head: 54
Group Manager: 162
Auditor: 486
Assistant Auditor: 972

Total: 1,702 (Marginal permanent presence amongst provinces, with most in transit or in AP.)

Department of Accounting (Imperial Accountants)
Director General: 1
Director: 9
Assistant Director: 18
Division Head: 54
Group Manager: 162
Accountant: 810
Assistant Accountant: 1620

Total: 2,674 (Divided amongst provinces, with greatest concentration in AP.)

Next was the Imperial Mint. These craftsman (and the not-insignificant amount of guards they hired) were charged with turning gold bullion into the Crowns upon which the Empire demanded for currency. Their employees were almost entirely concentrated in the Imperial Mint in Alleria Prime, save for some experts who consulted with the Imperial Auditors in the pursuit of counterfeiters. The Imperial Moneyer was an open, outgoing dwarf named Blint Steelglint, an Empire renowned goldsmith.

Personnel of the Imperial Mint
Imperial Moneyer: Blint Steelglint

Director General: 1
Director: 5
Assistant Director: 25
Division Head: 125
Group Manager: 625
Craftsman of the Mint: 3125
Assistant CoM: 6250

Total: 10,156

Third came the Imperial Board of Trade. Lord Borst Guilderstein sat as the Chairman of the Imperial Board of Trade along with eight other members. The Chairman of the Imperial Treasury, the Imperial Moneyer, the Governor of the Bank of Alleria, and the Commander of the Treasury Guard all held a seat, as well as the power to nominate a single outstanding economic mind to the commission. Their mandate extended from the establishment of imperial tariffs to standardization for equitable trade, import and export criteria, and the oversight of all commercial entities, merchant leagues, and trade guilds.

Personnel of the Imperial Mint
Imperial Moneyer: Lord Borst Guilderstein
Members of the Board of Trade: 4

Director General: 1
Director: 3
Assistant Director: 12
Division Head: 36
Group Manager: 108
Clerk: 540
Assistant Clerk: 1080

Total: 1,780 (Divided amongst the provinces with the majority in AP.)

Fourth came the immense and arcanic Imperial Bank, the details of which filled three volumes even after Hsin’s own staff had distilled the raw data. Suffice to say that the Lord Lyonnais Torveskalardim, Governor of the Imperial Bank, wielded great power over the economy.

The very last department was the Treasury Guard. General Burgess Rackham recruited his soldiers not only for their martial excellence, but also for their trustworthiness and loyalty. Their mandate was twofold: to protect the Imperial Vaults and those who worked within. There were ten units in the Guard: First and Second Guard based in Alleria Prime and the Third through Tenth Guard based one in each province. Each Guard was furthermore divided into another ten units further divvied amongst the main Vault, local branches, and the transport of the precious golden crowns. They had never been intended as an army, but rather a guard to ensure the uncompromised transport of funds. The Exalted were expected to coordinate their activities with the soldiers of the Imperial Legions. This was not to say that the Treasury Guard could not hold its own in the defense of their shipments. Their transports were each planned meticulously with the care of a surprise raid, and it was a doomed bandit that attempted to raid one of their caravans.

Personnel of the Treasury Guard
General of the Treasury Guard: General Burgess Rackham

Eternal: 3
Exalted: 10
Revered: 100
Honored: 300
Brother: 900
Acolyte: 3600
Initiate: 14,400

Total: 19,313 (Divided amongst the provinces with the majority in AP.)

The young journeyman spent another candlemark reviewing dispatches and reports from his officers before summoning Hochen and asking his secretary and butler to have the carriage prepared. It had been a long day, and every passing day would only be longer. With a soft sigh, Hsin replaced the book, extinguished the lamp, and left his office.