The wider the Empire grew, the harder it became to keep its far-flung provinces bound to the Imperial project. Why should they be? In the early days, conquered chieftains would have sent their sons to be tutored in the capital. Through marriages and births, their noble bloodlines became inseparably entwined with those of the old houses.

But the realm sprawled too far. A man on the western frontier might set off walking and not see the capital for years. Such men held no ties. As elven and orcish lands were folded into the borders, discontent deepened. Few saw themselves reflected in the highest ranks.

To restore the old bonds, the Blood Tithe was established. The patriarchs of the great houses were commanded to deliver a portion of their vital essence, distilled and bottled, to the Imperial Palace. With solemn ritual, the vials were poured into a font within which the aging Emperor was submerged. He emerged renewed; a living embodiment of the Empire, with the blood of all his subjects running in his veins. Any citizen, human or otherwise, could look upon him and find some small part of themselves reflected there: a subtle elven point to the ears, the stout dwarven cast of limb.

The Tithe was repeated each generation. All blood flows to the capital, as the saying went. A source of stability, the Emperor’s appearance shifted only gradually with the centuries, mirroring the rise and fall of Houses, and the steady absorption of new provinces and peoples.

On his thirteenth Tithe Day, the Emperor resurfaced, spitting out the blood-red liquid. He swam to the edge of the pool where the senatus stood watching, and perched his breasts on the stone.

“I must congratulate General Domitian on his triumphs against the warrior women of the West,” he said, his stoic expression not reflecting the dismay on the faces of his senators. “Perhaps he has been a little too successful. See that he is reassigned to the northern frontier instead.”

The Emperor paused to gaze down at his form.

“On second thought, I'll deliver the news myself. Have the General washed and brought to my chambers.”