The Red Empress

You—who must now bear the title of Empress—have been blessed by fortune's decree. It is your honor and duty to embody the strength and power of that name—highest of all names. The threads converge with you.
-Basilica Coronation Speech

The red empress is the ruler of the Palabrani Empire. She is so-named because she and her family are the only people in the empire allowed to wear the color red. This is because of red’s classical association with fate and fortune—e.g. the “red threads of fate.” While several dynasties have held the palm branch throne over the centuries, each one was given legitimacy by “fortune’s decree:” an idea tied to the broader themes of fate that pervade fortune-worship as a tool of the state.

The red empress technically has absolute authority to govern however she wishes. However, as a matter of tradition, she often delegates authority to court officials and to the landed nobles who control the various provinces and territories of Palabran. The extent to which the empress exerts control over the empire varies from empress to empress.