The Curia Regis is Simoneâs cult. They call her the Regent.
Theyâre a heavily hierarchical society:
Simone is the most important member of the Curia Regis, as sheâs the founder and the one who ultimately controls the cult
The 3 Regal Insignias (Axukius, Izarius and Enefius) are directly below Simone, as theyâre a product of a brief symbiosis with her. However, they donât hold real power within the Curia Regis
Historians are directly below the 3 Regal Insignias because they can create time loops, which the Curia Regis uses to keep its existence and activity a secret from the The Kinship
Imlia are below historians because Simone is an imlium herself (though of a superior kind due to her ancestry)
Puppeteers are below imlia because they are the backbone of the Curia Regisâs internal âpoliceâ. They are their equivalent of sentinels
Wraiths are below puppeteers thanks to their ability to transport people all across the globe. If necessary, they will help puppeteers apprehend deserters
Conductors are below wraiths, as theyâre seen as an extension of the domestic force theyâre able to summon
Mirages are below conductors because âthey are natural deceiversâ. This is an excuse for Simone to look down on her auntâs (the First Mirage) people
DoppelgĂ€ngers are below mirages given the fact that the Curia Regisâs greatest enemy (Yrr Skuldottir, Commander-in-chief of the Archaic Army and Simoneâs cousin) shares insignia with them. DoppelgĂ€ngers from the Curia Regis are strictly forbidden from cryogenising their bodies to extend their lifespans âunnaturallyâ
Establishing symbiotic relationships is strictly forbidden for two reasons:
Imlia canât lower themselves to becoming one with humans
Symbiosis are Simoneâs realm
Although stratified, the difference between each type of Curia Regis member is not the same:
Mirages are only marginally better than DoppelgÀngers
Conductors are held in a significantly higher esteem
Wraiths are barely more influential than conductors
Thereâs a great leap of importance from conductors to puppeteers
Thereâs not a big difference in influence between puppeteers and imlia; the same happens going from imlia to historians. In fact, thereâs not much of a difference between puppeteers, imlia and historians
While thereâs no rule that prohibits the different types of Curia Regis members from intermingling:
DoppelgÀngers and mirages are encouraged to be together
Conductors and wraiths are encouraged to be together
Puppeteers, imlia and historians are encouraged to be together
When dealing with a superior stratum, the formal way to address someone is by saying, âAhxeâ and bringing a fist to the heart. The Saz from the superior stratum is under no obligation to mirror the gesture. For example, a conductor should ahxe a historian, but a historian doesnât have to ahxe them back.
In the case of isolated humans, romantic and/or sexual relationships between stratums arenât discouraged nor encouraged, as any possible offspringâs insignia wonât be determined by their parentâs.
Simone, as the Regent, is at the top of the Curia Regisâs political structure. She makes the most important decisions, leads the cult, appoints people into various positions, etc.
Directly below the Regent is the Viceroy, a position established to be Simoneâs right-hand-man in the moments Simone is there, and to serve as an interim regent in the instances where Simone is otherwise occupied.
The Viceroy is a position which is normally held by historians (as is the case in 2020), but imlia and puppeteer may also opt for the position. Wraiths, conductors, mirages and doppelgÀngers are never eligible for the position.
In order to keep the Viceroy under her control, Simone feeds them a drug called Yquul. This is a concoction made out of Roxiaâs sap and distilled LSD. It can be drunk, smoked or injected into the veins. The Yquul will enhance the Viceroyâs natural abilities as well as keep them distantly connected to Roxia âand by extension, Simone. It has several side effects, including:
Currently, the position of Viceroy is held by Laelia Assanius.
Another figure of the utmost importance (albeit not officially recognised) is that of the Head Guardian. This is the puppeteer charged with keeping the peace within the Curia Regis. Currently, the position of Head Guardian is held by Dragoslav Cvetko.
[Laelia Assanius, left // Dragoslav Cvetko, right]
The Court is the name the headquarters of the Curia Regis receives. The Court is below the Aboveground Catacombs of Pecs, Hungary.
It is composed of 8 floors:
The Regent floor is the topmost floor, while the DoppelgÀnger floor is the last one.
[Top row to bottom row, right to left: Regent floor, Historian floor, Imlium floor, Puppeteer floor, Wraith floor, Conductor floor, Mirage floor and DoppelgÀnger floor]
The Regent floor is quintessentially a palace. The Regentâs, Viceroyâs and the bearers of the Regal Insigniaâs rooms are there. Similarly, a number of events are carried out there:
The Viceroyâs Appointment
The Birth of the Axukius/Enefius/Izarius
The Harvesting (withdrawal of blood from the Izarius)
The Historian floor is where most of the Curia Regisâs information is stored. It is fashioned after mythological libraries (e.g. the Library of Alexandria).
The Imlium floor looks like the heart of a lavish manor. Itâs walls are decorated with paintings of imliaâs fantastical appearance, so as to reaffirm their otherness.
The Puppeteer floor is overridden by nature, to the point that it may seem like a post-apocalyptic building. That is a way to honour puppeteersâs sway over the wilderness. Since Dragoslav Cvetko became Head Guardian, the Puppeteer floor has come to be adorned with statues made out of former deserters.
The Wraith floor is arranged like an abandoned mansion. It is a nice floor, but it largely lacks the ornamentation and the care afforded to its superior floors. The entrance to the Court âa portal that leads to the Aboveground Catacombs of Pecsâ lies in this floor.
The Conductor floor looks like the servants area of a 19th century townhouse. It is fitting, considering how conductors are seen, essentially, as providers of labour.
The Mirage floor is devoid of almost all ornamentation with the exception of multiple tapestries that serve as a visual reminder of the Curia Regisâs hierarchy. It is the coldest floor.
The DoppelgÀnger floor serves as the dungeons. It looks like a catacombs and is a oppressive, labyrinthine space.
All floors have rooms to inhabit. The members of each stratum shall use the rooms of the floor assigned to them (e.g. imlia must occupy the rooms from the Imlium floor), unless they will the sharing a room with someone of a higher stratum, in which case they may use that higher stratumâs floorâs rooms.
Members of the Curia Regis traditionally wear parchment-coloured robes and masks.
Masks are also used to represent someoneâs stratum:
DoppelgĂ€ngersâs masks are plain and the number 7 is carved on the forehead region
Miragesâs masks have very, very little ornamentation and the number 6 is carved on the forehead region
Conductorsâs masks are considerably more adorned and can even be painted in plain colours. A number 5 is carved on the forehead region
Wraithsâs masks are styled in a similar fashion to conductorsâs masks, but the range of possible colours is a bit wider. A number 4 is carved on the forehead region
Puppeteersâs masks are ostentatious and the number 3 is carved on the forehead region
Imliaâs masks are slightly more ostentatious and the number 2 is carved on the forehead region
Historiansâs masks are the most ostentatious ones. The number 1 is carved on the forehead region
When an imlium is born into the Curia Regis, theyâre instantly gifted a mask. Likewise, isolated humans are given their stratumâs masks after they awaken to their insignia. If someone joins the Curia Regis later in life, they receive their mask promptly after their initiation.
Wearing a mask and robe isnât a requirement. Many members of the Curia Regis wear their personal clothes. However, an exception was made when Coraline Everitt got captured by Laelia Assanius and Ines Asumu, for Laelia compelled all members to don their mask and robe so as to preserve their anonymity in the event their prisoner were to escape.
The Viceroy receives a headpiece of their choosing upon acquiring their position.
Two of the most influential families in the Curia Regis are the Whitakers (Clara and Carter Whitaker) and the Assanius (Laelia, Robert and Umbria Assanius).
Robert Assanius, born Robert Whitaker, is Claraâs older brother. The Whitakers used to have an oldest brother, Alphonse, but he died in the 1990s at the hands of Dahlia Everitt, Matthias Beardsley, Xuegang Yang and Lei Hao.
The youngest member of the Whitaker family, Oliver Whitaker, Clara and Carterâs only son, has not been informed of the Curia Regisâs existence, but he is expected to learn of it soon.
The current Whitakers are based in Mirror London, UK. The current Assanius are based in Mirror Pretoria, South Africa.
It should also be noted that the Curia Regis counts with the support of the leader of the Mirage Emblem, Isabel Asumu, and her niece/protégée, Ines. Ines is rumoured to have been in an understanding with Laelia for over a year.
The Asumus are based in Ciudad de la Paz, Equatorial Guinea.
[from left to right, from top to bottom: Clara Whitaker, Carter Whitaker (né Twaddle), Robert Assanius (né Whitaker) and Umbria Assanius]
