Lein Imperial Regalia

The Regalia of the Lein Dynasty are the artifacts which serve as symbols of the power of the Emperor; amongst them the most important are the Three First Bestowments: the Throne, the Imperial Seal, and the Imperial Sceptre.

The Imperial Throne

The Imperial Throne of the Lein is also known as the Variska Throne, after the great three-headed serpent-condor which the Lein used as their symbol. A common image in the mythology and religion of the northern Empire, where Durun himself hailed from, the Variska was a guardian beast created to watch over mankind and defend the weak from injustice. The throne itself is a large, golden chair, made to fit at least three people - the Emperor, the Empress at his left, and the Crown Prince if he was not old enough to have his own seat, in the middle; behind the throne is a gold and silver statue of the Variska, whose wings formed the back of the throne, and its three heads looking upwards in three directions.

Another intriguing feature of the throne is the vast, white rug, made of white ferret pelts, which was draped over the wings of the Variska all the time. This had its origin in a hunt which Lein Durun had, a month before he started his rebellion, and when he was still undecided about the viability of opposing the Har regime and starting his own realm; hitting an eagle over a crag, he climbed the crag to retrieve the carcass only to see that the eagle had an albino ferret in its claws. (Albino ferrets, being extremely rare, were often taken as portents of great fortune or immense misfortune in the Empire.) Taking the sign to be for the good, Durun finally set his mind on rebellion; and when he finally took on the title of Emperor, he ordered that such a coat of pelts be made, and draped over the throne as a personal reminder of the will of Heaven which backed his legitimacy, and the drape has been there ever since.

Imperial Sceptre

The Imperial Sceptre is the symbol of the Emperor's status as supreme commander of all military forces within the Empire, and is nearly two feet long. Made of gold and silver, and encrusted with nearly 60 rubies and 20 diamonds,