The villains of one of my campaigns belonged to an empire known as "The Mandate" which developed over centuries as bureaucratic protocols became so entrenched and governed so many aspects of society, it replaced the need for executive leadership. Almost every aspect of society, governance, and diplomacy can be consulted in the Mandate, which is now a labyrinthine collection of tomes. Everyone has their duties in life and collectively, those duties go toward the ultimate purpose of the Mandate, which is to expand the Mandate and bring the rest of the world into the fold.