Factorization Emerald

"Who can tell me what's special about the Factorization Emerald?"

"The leaf patterns on the facets?"

"What do they signify?"

"They were chosen to honour the participants in the tri-wedding of consorts Liara and Zhan to Aumhavar Pebea."

"Honour them how?"

"Leaves were thought to commemorate duty, each leaf drinks sunlight and feeds the tree sugar, but it can fall away, for the good of the tree."

"So self-sacrifice, as an aspect of duty, shall we say?"

"Aye, Traci."

"And this filligree, it persists to this day, Aunsom?"

"The emerald itself, and the fine filligree on it, were destroyed?"

"Correct, that was a trick question. Now, why were there three rings?"

"Ancient Seylons has complicated nuptials?"

"Not that much more complicated than modern Kagomine, but this was a tri-wedding, rare, but not unheard of, even in current mores."

"So this Aumhavar Pebea, she married a man and a woman?"

"Aumhavar Pebea invented the title of Aumhavar, to mean care-taker. It was quickly re-purposed to mean: high-priestess, so much that her grand-daughter's wedding ring bears the title, or would, if she wasn't simply known to most, as Kagomé, the founder of our Empire."

"And how does that affect Modern-Day Kagomei?"

"Well, her descendent is Meihomei."

"Her descendants comprise the families of Dandelion Family, Matsumoto Family, Kagome Family and Takahashi Family. The relationships between the four are more tense than most insiders will admit, and represent a shift from early Kagomine society, where they were pretty much interchangeable. Why does this matter, in modern-day Kagome?"

"Each family is basically, a faction, a power bloc with its own supporters?"

"All but the Takahashi, who've been practically subsumed into the priesthood's voting block in recent years."

"Why aren't the Takahashi fighting back?"

"Because their allies, the Ma and the Aixpee just advise caution, and taking the long view. So far, they are following that advice, and the Kingmakers are seething."