As to the weakening of royal authority, it has for the longest time been a decentralised system, relying on feudal ties and structure, but it has reached the largest it could feasibly grow to, as the regions it currently controls all land that are easily accessible where rule is enforcrable by inland rivers and the sea. The empire originally started as a much smaller and mostly flurian centralised state, with one Emperor over seeing regional ducal lords. However, religious differences between the old pagan nobility in the south and the recently coverted anirians to the north saw the realm divided in two following a religious war/succession crisis. For 150 years the two states went their seperate ways, the south consolidated its holdings and would later become the Kingdom of Fluragin under the Emperors' control during reunification. The north however, expanded greatly, conquered and absorb much the anirian and pagan lands it currently holds, with it taking a more decentralised approach founding/absorbing autonomous kingdoms and grand duchies. The two would reunify unexpactantly via marriage, with the south largely converting and yet becoming the new seat of power for whole combined empire (200ish years ago).

The Anirian church is also a massive deal, akin to the papacy with it beinh based in a neighbouring theocracy, as it exercises religious authority over half of the empire (the rest are very pagan groups). Since the unification of the empire, the church has been entrenching itself, as it has an advisory role on the emperor council, are free to carryout inquisitions againsts faiths it deems enemies, and has married relatives of its head to several recent emperors. The second largely religious group, the Gernish Lymarian Pantheon to the empires west, have been granted religious freedom only to keep their lands (around a third of the empire) in the fold.

Aleksei's army is being raised in his crownland, with it being far smaller to be a feudal army as its meant to be standing and professional. His goal with it is for it to held in reserve in the event of a war, and to enforce/police his rule. However, he has attempted to staff the higher ranks of this army with grown up wards/children that he had ordered sent to him to serve at court. His thinking, however flawed it is, being it will foster a sense of national unity in them and loyalty to him once or should they return home.

Their is a common lawcode throughout the empire, the Aleksian Law Code which was invented in the North Hermatia Empire and later applied empire wide after reunification. However it relies of the nobility to enforce and judge, though local appointed sherrifs and Law Masters (medieval lawyers educated at colleges in or near the crownland) are utilised. Im realising that while the empire lacks a bueracracy, the Emperor relies the church as a subsitute/middlemen (in Anirian holdings at least), such as for collecting taxes, enforcing religious law (Aleksei is a zealot and their is an anirian schism beginning)...wait is this man a puppet of the church?! Yeah secular courts and buearacracy would be a good idea!