The entrenched corruption reaches nearly to the very top of the bureau

[chichi]

Once the tribute is collected, it is brought back to the Upright Collectors’ fifa 15 coins office in the Garrison for counting and auditing. In recent years, House Cathak has been siphon- ing off a much greater percentage of the tribute for its own uses, greatly reducing the amount being paid to the Impe- rial Treasury. The accounting section fiddles the numbers to make it appear as though the natives are not paying the full amount of tribute, necessitating the collectors to force the natives to pay even more. Most of the accountants also skim some for their own personal use.

The bureau’s policy explicitly places its staff above reproach. The employees are all hand picked by the senior management for their “honesty, loyalty and integrity.” When a tribute shortfall is detected, the investigating officers simply assume that the error lies outside the bureau and that any receipts produced to prove otherwise are all forgeries. The investigators — for their part in covering up the embezzlement — are paid a cut of the stolen tribute.

The entrenched corruption reaches nearly to the very top of the bureau. The middle managers claim a sizeable percentage of the stolen jade from the account clerks as protection money, to ensure that the racket is kept quiet. The senior managers right up through the hierarchy — including the Upright Collectors’ deputy head, Cathak Jocas — claim the same from their immediate subordi- nates, in a giant pyramid scheme.

Cathak Jocas, despite being the deputy head of one of the most important bureaus in Harborhead, is an incred- ibly lazy man, with little self-discipline. Jocas spends much of his days wasting his ill-earned gains at the Elegant Lotus. Jocas believes he is in love with the Lotus’ owner, Cynis Vecos, and tries on a weekly basis to woo her. His obsession is costing him a fortune in jade, but he considers it money well spent, particularly if it will net him a bride as attractive as Vecos.

The Blessed Office of Garrison Oversight runs the Imperial Garrison itself. This duty includes the mainte- nance of all roads, public buildings and gardens within the Garrison’s walls. To much of the population, including most of those who work in the Administrative District, the Office is the least of the administrative bureaus in Harborhead. The staff does take a great deal of pride in their work, however, and knows that its service is vital.

Much of the Office staff are actually tradesmen who tend to the Garrison’s physical necessities.