The d'Aboville genealogical numbering system is used to indicate descent. Permanently deceased members shall be marked with a
Notes on the Pàn Clan1. 判死人 Pàn Sǐrén (aka Mors IV Nerrolar)
l. 1957-2064, ud. 5006-present
(Kaiser of Shireroth, 1978-2064 and 5415-5494)
1.1. 判霜花 Pàn Shuānghuā, daughter by unknown parent
l. 5533-5553, ud. 5553-present
(髞凰鐵崖女王 Sàohuáng Queen of Tiěyá, 5565-present)
1.1.1. 判窕珉 Pàn Tiǎomín, daughter by 梁變通 Liáng Biàntōng, Minister of Works
l. 5706-5735, ud. 5735-present
(光明親王 Royal Princess Guāngmíng, 5706-present)
1.1.2. 判地友 Pàn Dìyǒu, son by 全烽侯篤志 Quán Fēng, Marquess Dǔzhì
l. 5720-5845
(心智親王 Royal Prince Xīnzhì, 5720-5845)
The Pàn clan (判宗族 Pàn zōngzú) refers collectively to those lineal descendents of Mors IV Nerrolar (aka Pàn Sǐrén) descending from him through his daughter-in-undeath, the Sàohuáng Queen. The family name, and membership in the clan, passes equally to male and female descendants in perpetuity. It should be noted that the membership of the clan is currently identical to that of the Shirerithian line of Nerrolar, as defined by his last decree as Kaiser:
As the Sàohuáng Queen is currently the only child derived from the former Kaiser while undead, this limits the Nerrolar membership to her descendants. It is not known whether the former Kaiser is likely to sire other offspring, and if so, whether they or their descendants would qualify as members of the clan; if they did not, the clan membership would acquire a different definition than that of the Line of Nerrolar. No official opinion has been issued on the matter.BE IT KNOWN that although in life I was a member of the Line of Mortis, in undeath I, and any descendants that may be derived from my undead flesh, shall form a new junior branch of the Line of Mortis, known as the House of Nerrolar;
By Tieyanese custom, which applies equally to the Pàn clan, both family name and clan membership can be revoked by the head of the clan, either unilaterally (effectively 'disowning' the individual) or at the request of a member wishing to leave the clan. In the latter case, though the clan head is not bound to accept the request, it is generally considered extraordinary for him or her not to do so. While an appeal against such a refusal could ordinarily be made to the Royal Government, the fact that the reigning King or Queen of Tiěyá is also the head of the Pàn clan would in that case complicate the appeal. Thus far the matter has not been tested.
The monarch's leadership of the clan could be considered somewhat surprising given that its ultimate patriarch, Mors IV, is still extant. Neither he nor the Queen have seen fit to provide an explanation. Although it must be assumed that the former Kaiser is not inclined to contest his daughter's position, it seems unlikely that his opinions on the worthiness of his descendants would go without notice.
Notes on the Gǔ Dynasty
Membership in the Pàn clan alone does not confer eligibility for the throne; that privilege goes to the 皇室 huángshì, the members of the Gǔ Dynasty (骨朝代 Gǔ Cháodài). The dynasty is a specific subset of the Pàn clan, whose membership is defined, not by custom, but by the Basic Law of the Kingdom, due to the potential for its members to take the reins of government.
The Basic Law, in defining the membership of the dynasty, states:
One must be directly descended from the Sàohuáng Queen. This definition excludes the Queen's father, former Kaiser Mors IV, as well as any other of his descendants. (It could be argued that the wording also excludes the Queen herself, but it is best not to contest the point.)
One must not have committed treason or disobeyed the laws or command of the King or Queen. To betray or rebel against family, against the head of one's clan, against the nation, must surely show that one is unfit to become a monarch. This provision also provides a legally defined means for the monarch to actively remove eligibility from a huángshì: by issuing a command that the individual will not, or even cannot, obey.
One must not have married, procreated, or adopted without the permission of the King or Queen. Control must be exercised over the membership of the Dynasty. Although this provision can be used to affect the size of the Dynasty, the intent is more to control quality: to prevent huángshì from bringing unsuitable figures into association with the Dynasty and gaining a hold on a potential heir to the throne.
One must not be more than six generations descended from a reigning King or Queen. When a considerable proportion of the royal clan, like the rest of the population, is undead, there appears the increasing chance of a situation in which an individual will see many generations of descendants arise. If all descendants of the Sàohuáng Queen, regardless of generation, were eligible for the throne, the pool of candidates would eventually grow to immense proportions without extremely strict controls on offspring. To reduce the necessity of such an approach, membership in the Dynasty is therefore "timed": each generation removed from a reigning monarch reduces the rank of an individual, easing each line closer to the common condition, until a seventh-generation descendant is effectively merged into the rest of the population. This imposes a natural limit on the growth of the huángshì; the number of descendants may keep increasing, but only so many of them could legally contest the throne.
In the event that the throne passes on to a closer ancestor than the previous monarch, a huángshì's rank increases to match. However, those who are not members of the Dynasty do not automatically enter it, since:
One must not be descended from one who has lost membership in the Gǔ Dynasty. Largely intended to prevent eligibility from unintentionally being granted to those who had not had it.
The King or Queen may, irrespective of the above, grant or restore membership to any direct descendant of the Sàohuáng Queen who is not a member. The last provision allows for flexibility in the membership, should circumstances demand its consideration. Perhaps a previous offender is forgiven; perhaps a younger generation, not eligible for the throne, must be brought in to maintain the Dynasty. This leaves such things to the discretion of the throne.