State of the Empire, 110.06.11
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Huge swaths of the Empire are either shell shocked, grieving for lost loved ones, or largely exuberant as a result of the June 6th YC110 world-changing events, all because of the invasion of the Elder Fleet and Jamyl Sarum's triumphant return from death to save the day.
Horizontal Slices
The Empire can generally be divided into different social groups, so call imperial castes.
Leadership
The Holders and the members of the five Houses have much more diverse opinions on Sarum's return. The great game of Imperial politics is already shifting up a gear, the vicious muddle of Karsoth's reign giving way to a far more expansive and increasingly ideological struggle for dominance. The Chamberlain’s allies in particular have either fallen out of view or are shamelessly attempting to realign themselves into a pro-Sarum stance. There are winners and losers everywhere, and Sarum's apparent magnanimity makes many feel they've been let off the leash at last.
The next few years look to be a very active and interesting time for the Empire.
Citizens
The common assumption had always been that the Minmatar "Republic" was simply no match for the Amarr Navy; the Minmatar people were always seen as poor wretches in need of assistance (as well as a useful source of manpower). Following the destruction inflicted by the Elder Fleet, though, people are struggling to come to grips with a world where the Minmatar are, if not military equals, at least worthy of consideration in this regard. Many are grudgingly re-evaluating their feelings about the Minmatar.
Most, though, don't even want to think about what would have happened had the Elders been able to complete their mission unopposed; only Sarum's timely appearance and subsequent annihilation of one third of the invading fleet ensured that that didn't happen. While the circumstances of Sarum's somewhat miraculous return have raised more than a few eyebrows, the majority of the population are happy to take her successes as a sign that God is still on their side, and her strident advocacy of a return to the Reclaiming of old gives a clear message about the relationship between Empire and Republic that most find comfortably familiar. As such, they're generally happy to ignore any niggling doubts and thus to allow her to lead the Empire, provided that the good fortune that's accompanied her return does not suddenly evaporate. They're also very keen on anything which departs from Karsoth's less-than-stellar reign.
Vertical Slices
The Empire can generally be divided into five blocks of opinion, each shaped by one of the Heirs and most prevalent in that House's home regions.
Ardishapurites
Centered around the Ardishapur systems in "lower" Domain, these people are ardent traditionalists. This element of the Empire is the least happy with Sarum's return, they're only grudgingly accepting of her leadership, and quite unhappy with the circumstances of her return. Due to their strict conservatism, reluctance to trade with other groups, and inefficiently strict treatment of slaves, they're now certain to become one of the least advantaged groups within the Empire.
Kadorites
The most vocally patriotic group, these people are strong advocates for the glory of the Empire. They have no particular uniting ideology beyond this, and no particular qualms or preferences about how to advance this goal — they just want to be on top. They'll follow the strongest leader and jump ship the second they find a better candidate. They're decently well-off, not particularly bothered about their slaves (provided the work gets done), and generally content with their situation in the hierarchical scheme of the Empire.
Kor-Azorites
After Aritcio Kor-Azor's "removal" left it in rather more secure hands, the Kor-Azor region had experienced an unprecedented economic boom. These people were decently well off, and decently happy. In the past, they’ve approved of the Empire and of tradition and expansion (and "all that stuff"), content to look away so long as their status quo was preserved. But now, they have been thoroughly rattled by the Elder’s attack; the Kor-Azor worlds were the hardest hit by the Elders within Empire borders, and its planets and stations were the scenes of some of the fiercest fighting in Amarr history. These people will readily cling to anyone who can promise that such a calamity will never happen again. Their comparative wealth gives them disproportionate political leverage at all levels and buys them some time to recover from the widespread damage inflicted by the Elders, but their coffers aren’t limitless. They’re going to need help eventually, and they’re not likely to be particular about who or where they get it from.
Sarumites
With their core in the Sarum worlds of "Upper Domain," the Sarumites are aggressive expansionists who want to further the glory of the Empire directly — i.e., by means of conquest and re-education. They're big on the Reclaiming, big on getting more slaves, and big on working tirelessly to educate those slaves in order that they might have a chance at entering paradise. They're not particularly affluent, as Holders go, but as a group they're not particularly materialistic either, so it doesn't much bother them.
They are largely ecstatic at Jamyl's return, because many are still loyal to her. Their reading of the Scriptures has always focused on more pragmatic aspects, so her message is more important than worrying about dogmatic details.
Tash-Murkonites
Common in Tash-Murkon but present all over the Empire, these people are the beaten-down and the up-and-coming. Udorians, Ni-Kunni, and Khanid, as well as some freed slaves and even a few disenfranchised True Amarr, they're generally on the lower rungs of the social ladder and, for the most part, keen to work their way up. They work hard and pray hard, and are prepared to use more liberal policies in various areas if it helps them out; still, they are pragmatic enough that they treat liberalism as a tool rather than an ideal. For instance, they usually treat their slaves well because they are so valuable, but they won't hesitate to drive them hard if they need to. They're a little put out by Sarum's effortless return to power, but don't have time to worry about it unless they can see how her position might be of direct benefit to them.
Military
The military, as a whole, is even more rattled than the general population, because they know the Minmatar should not have had the strength to do what they did. They're still trying to figure out where the hell all those Minmatar ships came from, and a drastic shakeup in the intelligence gathering arm of its operations seems imminent. With the near-annihilation of the 7th Fleet in the Bleak Lands and the general failure to hold any kind of defensive line, there's significant internal turmoil.
Sarum not only saved a lot of Amarr lives, but she's also following up on the Sarum family's traditional pro-military stance and, as a corollary, effectively absolving the Navy of blame. Generally, the military is more pragmatic about her than the citizenry. They can see that her return is not entirely in keeping with tradition, but they'd rather have her on the throne than any of the alternatives, and they certainly agree with her professed goals. For the foreseeable future, they are likely to be fervently loyal to her.
