Chapter 02 / Houses and service
Society organized by obligation
A Xi'an House is more than family. It functions as lineage, state, corporation, and social anchor, with each House permitted to perform a vital role for the Empire's prosperity.
Service binds those Houses to the larger whole. Between ages 40 and 70, Xi'an enter the imperial bureaucracy and military structure, learning loyalty to the Empire before returning to House life, or remaining in service permanently.
Their long lives also slow the rhythm of culture. Meditation, drone-like opera, careful art, and a calendar tied to the lost homeworld all reinforce a civilization trained to consider how small acts echo through time.