Flags
Flags symbolize colonialism and imperialism involving the forceful takeover of independent lands. This symbolism is made more complex by the suggestion that the mere planting of a flag of the invading nation carries greater legal rights to possession than the historical occupation of lands by natives.
Lineals
Lineals are gold bracelets in which the number of linked chains represents a familial generation that has been honored. The more links in a lineal, the more respect the wearer receives. Lineals are a kind of ironic symbol in juxtaposition to flag symbolism since they are intended to symbolize the evolutionary improvement of native families. Foreign invaders could never hope to earn the respect given to those with the most links on their lineal.
Keys
Keys play significant roles throughout the narrative. The most obvious symbolism is that keys represent the unlocking of knowledge and awareness. It is not the key that affords this unlocking, however. It is knowing what the right key is and having access to it. Thus, the symbolism of keys is that they afford access to the accumulation of knowledge rather than symbolizing the knowledge itself.
Dragon Ouroboros
An ouroboros in which a dragon is consuming its tail is the image that appears on all currency and is stamped on every link of every lineal. It is the national symbol. The circularity of the image symbolizes the connectedness of everything from beginning to end. The implicit meaning of this symbolism is that where one ends up is entirely dependent upon where one started. Since minerals are also a symbol of a rigid caste-like division of the population, this concept is especially meaningful.
The Sunderlands
The Sunderlands is the name of a southern continent that has never been actually discovered and has thus become something mythical along the lines of Atlantis. It is a land where dragons can still be found. Eventually, it is discovered to be very real and lives up to every aspect of its legendary status. Those few who find it, however, want to protect it and so instead of the lush land rich in natural resources that is the truth, they report back that it is bleak and barren. The Sunderlands symbolize the fantasies of legendary places that turn out to be real. The decision to keep its true nature a secret transforms it into a modern-day symbol of the damage done to natural beauty by the exploitation of raw resources for industrialization.
