Editing Stardust&AetherWinds:Main Page (section)

===Life in the Empire===
The Dragon clan rules the Empires military. They also have several dark secrets. They, and they alone want to control the future of the Empire. To this end, they have constructed secret training facilities and research labs to train weather mages, and research the secrets of the Aether Hurricane. They are close to a breakthrough, and when they do, the galaxy will tremble.

	The dragon clan's plans may be hidden, but the reason for their plans are quite plain. They fear the influence of the Republic, and are terrified that the Empire is treading down the path of corruption and decadence that the Republic follows. To stave off this threat, any sacrifice is worthwhile, even destroying the Empire so that it may be preserved.

	The Emperor serves at the pleasure of the two ruling houses of the Empire itself. The upper house consists of 10 members from each of the 5 houses. The lower house consists of one representative from each of the planets in the Empire. The Emperor typically serves for a term of 20 years, and then a new emperor is chosen from the next house in line. The complete cycle of empire takes 100 years, and each house gets to place an emperor before the wheel turns again. The Dragon clan's emperor recently stepped down, and the current emperor is from the Griffin clan. The houses can force a turn of the cycle, and a new election for the next emperor by passing a 2/3rds vote in each house.

	There is a 6th 'clan' in the Empire, though it has no official standing or recognition. Officially the ninja do not exist, and are certainly not organized into anything like a clan. In truth, the Shadow Clan are highly organized, and influential in all manner of underhanded as well as overt actions. They serve no party completely, simply selling their services and using their power to make certain that no matter what may happen in the galaxy, the clan will continue.