Renault's Ancients

The protocol for entering the palace changes from time to time, so I can only offer a general outline. If your business is with the court or council, you should present yourself and your credentials to the guards at the southern gate of the outer wall of the palace. It is best to arrange beforehand for your visit. If this not possible, or if you cannot provide an exact time for your arrival, expect to wait as your credentials are sent into the palace to be checked.

Normally, you will be provided with an escort into the palace. If you arrive at a time before the palace begins its day, you will be expected to make your own way to the eastern gate of the inner wall. There your credentials will be inspected again, along with any document that the palace has sent out, permitting your entrance. You will then be allowed to enter the inner wall and make your approach to the palace itself.

The palace being located atop a high hill, you will find yourself faced with the steepest and longest set of stairs in the world. Pace yourself. You may wish to bring refreshments to partake of at the halfway mark.

At the top of the stairs, once you have recovered your breath, you should show your credentials and palace document to the guards at the gate, holding them up for inspection. The guards may not appear to look at you or even notice you. Do not be deceived. Those are real spears they are holding across the doorway.

If the guards grant you entrance, they will lift the spears. If they do not, you must retreat to the palace's inner wall and determine there what the problem is.

Assuming you manage to pass all these barriers, you will find yourself in the entryway to the palace. You will be guided at this point through the remaining stages of reception, which vary according to your rank and status. At some point, however, you will be let loose from Emor's protocol and permitted to take your own path. Let us start with a general introduction to the Chara's palace.

[Translator's note: This breathtakingly long procedure can be cut short if you possess the right credentials, as can be seen in Breached Boundaries.]

Before I lead you into the palace (figuratively speaking), I need to emphasize the importance of good behavior.

Bad behavior can get you killed anywhere in the Three Lands, but in the Chara's palace it is also likely to get you tortured for days. This is because the highest penalty for crimes committed in the Chara's palace is death by torture - the so-called "Slave's Death." Although the previous Chara ordered the release of the empire's slaves, bringing to an end the torture of every palace slave condemned to death, traitors are still liable to this penalty.

The definition of "traitor" can be quite broad in the Chara's palace. I recommend that you not test its boundaries.

Some specific advice:

Be on your best behavior. Dress well, and learn the rules of courtesy toward Emorian noblemen and palace officials. When in doubt, bow. Address everyone you meet, whatever his age, as "sir" or by his title. You need not address the Chara by his full title, which is quite long; just "Chara" will do.

The wearing of arms is permitted by law in the Chara's palace if it is your custom in your homeland. However, if you choose to wear arms, you will find that every guard in the palace will leap upon you the moment you take the wrong turn in your path. Your life will be easier if you set aside your weapons during your visit. You are in no danger of being attacked yourself; the Chara's palace is the most heavily guarded building in the world, and visitors are free recipients of that guarding.

Also, be aware that the wearing of hidden weapons in the palace is considered a crime of treachery. Even I don't try to do this, unless I have made prior arrangements with the Chara.

[Translator's note: The Slave's Death is a tender topic for the Ambassador. Just why is explained in Blood Vow.]