| Order of the Phoenix | |
| Award Information | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by | |
| Type |
|
| Eligibility |
Civilian government officers |
| Awarded for |
"outstanding contributions to the Empire's civilian service" |
| Description |
Four variations, all featuring a flame-colored ribbon or sash and a Phoenix feather medal |
| Post-nominals |
SOP (Superior) |
| Approving authority | |
| Presenting authority |
Consul or higher |
| Statistics | |
| Notable recipients |
Zogryth (OP) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) |
None |
| Next (lower) | |
The Order of the Phoenix was the highest civilian decoration awarded by the Golden Empire. It was awarded to members of the Empire's civil service for "outstanding contributions to the Empire's civilian service". It was named for the Abstalian Phoenix, the symbol of the Empire.
Grades[]
The Order was awarded in four degrees: Superior, Knight, Companion, and Member.
- The Superior grade was worn as a badge on a sash in six fire colors, representing the fiery feathers of the Abstalian Phoenix. The badge itself was five Phoenix feathers set on a flame-colored circle. In ribbon form, it was the fire colors on a ribbon with the badge device in gold set over it.
- The Knight grade was awarded as a medal of three spread Phoenix feathers on a circle suspended from the fire ribbon. The ribbon variation featured the three Phoenix feathers in gold, without the circle, as an attached device.
- The Companion grade featured a medal of two parallel, vertical Phoenix feathers on a circle suspended from the fire ribbon. The ribbon version featured two gold, mirror-image Phoenix feathers set on the fire ribbon.
- The Member grade was a single Phoenix feather diagonally across a flame circle, suspended from the fire ribbon. The ribbon version was the fire ribbon alone.
Recipients of the Order were addressed verbally as "Sir" or "Lady", and entitled to post-nominal letters (SOP, KOP, COP, and OP, respectively).
| Superior | Knight | Companion | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ribbon | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
Awards[]
Generally, only high-ranking government officials (Consuls, Tribunes, and Ministers of the Grand Council of the Golden Empire) received any of the degrees, although some particularly distinguished deputy ministers and Vice Consuls were admitted on the recommendation of their superiors. All awards were ultimately decided by the Sovereign, but like all civilian honors, recommendations for the Order were handled by the Council of Honors.
Behind the scenes[]
User:Sakaros is indeed intimately familiar with—and very fond of—the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and long debated using the term for the Golden Empire's highest order of merit. He eventually settled on doing so because the Abstalian Phoenix is the symbol of the Empire, and because the Order of the Phoenix is also a Greek order of chivalry—User Sakaros may be purloining the term, but took comfort in the fact that JK Rowling stole it first.
Some of the design elements of the Order were inspired by the United States Legion of Merit.