The sacred compact that ended the Age of Dusk and founded the Empire. Phaethon's victory over the Old Gods was sealed by three oaths — the Crown would rule, the Order would guard, the Consortium (then a guild of glasswrights) would supply. Each oath is now a chain the signatories strain against.
The Three Oaths
The Crown's Oath: The secular sovereign shall govern the Empire's people, collect the lumen-tithe, and keep the peace. In return, the Crown's armies shall hold the borders against the Blight — and never raise a hand against the Order.
The Flame's Oath: The Radiant Order shall tend the Everflame, enforce the Awakening, and judge those whose magic burns beyond control. In return, the Order shall never sit upon the Sunward Throne itself.
The Glasswright's Oath: The free guilds shall mine and refine sun-glass for the Empire's defense, and never withhold supply. In return, their trade is free of Crown taxation — a concession that built the Consortium's power.
Each signatory believed the others would honor the oaths. None fully have. The Concordat is the Empire's foundation — and the crack running through its center.