Political System of Arameia

The Political System of Arameia

The Church of Luxor

The Church seized power in 3899, seizing power from the Emperor and quickly started to establish themselves as a power base independent from the nobility. The nobility of Arameia, at the time, had a well deserved reputation for being corrupt and taking advantage of the populace. The Church were greeted as saviours from a corrupt system, but it did not take long before the Church became just as corrupt as the system it replaced.

The Church of Luxor is the ruling body of Arameia and is generally in charge of everything in it. It roughly follows a five tier system reminiscent of nobility in other fiefdoms. At the top is the Prelate and at the bottom are the Priests.

As with most governments in Adylheim the Church is at its most powerful in Aram and the central cities, with relatively little impact in the smaller and more remote villages where people for the most part do as they always have and have little connection with the outside world, save the occasional visit from the tax collector and passing trade caravans.

Prelate

The Prelate is the Sovereign of Arameia, the Protector of the Crown, the Glorious Hand of Luxor. He presides in the palatial temple to Luxor in Aram. As the head of the Church he has full authority to start wars with other fiefdoms, apply policies as he likes and appoint Bishops. The Prelate commands the Paladins of Luxor and can alter the law.

Bishop

A Bishop is the equivalent to a Duke, there is a total of 13 Bishops in Arameia, with Bishops of particularly important dioceses known as Archbishops. Together the Bishops form the Immaculate Conclave, although the Bishop of the Arameian Highlands is generally excused from attending meetings as the Highlands are isolated from the Heartlands during large parts of the year.

Vicar

A Vicar is technically the same rank as a Rector, but serves as the Bishop's right hand man. During meetings of the Immaculate Conclave, or other times when the Bishop is absent or incapacitated the Vicars serve in the Bishop's stead and ensure that the Diocese is run according to the will of the Bishop. The Vicar is also responsible for running services, as the Bishops generally do not have the time for much by the way of religious responsibilities.

Rector

The Rector, while technically the same rank as a Vicar, generally has less prestige attached to his post. They are generally seen as the equivalent of a Baron, attending to the spiritual and administrative needs of small towns and large villages.

Deacon

A Deacon is the equivalent of an aide de camp for the most part. The prestige of their position depends greatly on if they are assigned to the Prelate or a Rector, though you will find them most everywhere in Arameia, working away to ensure the bureaucracy of the Church tics along nicely.

Priest

Priests head up small local churches and deliver blessings to congregations. In some regards they have a station similar to that of the Deacons, however they are more concerned with the spiritual side of the Church than the administrative. Priests sometimes run their own small churches in small villages and sometimes roam from town to town, delivering blessings to places too small and remote to have their own church.

Church Law

Church law rules Arameia, there is no getting away from it. Only the most remote places of Arameia doesn't feel the touch of Church law. Even among other fiefdoms the laws of Arameia are known for being extremely convoluted and hard to understand, based, as they are, on centuries of legal precedents, ancient lore, Church preaching and similar.

There are not many who know the full extent of just how convoluted Church Law is, as part of Church Law expressly forbids non-clergy from studying Church Law at all. Those members of the Church who specifically study law are known as the Catellus, because they are required to have the Book of Law manacled to their arm for the duration of any court proceedings.

The criminal courts serve as a decent source of income for the Church as most charges can be settled with fines, among the few exceptions can be found High Treason and Murdering Clergy. Many peasants and otherwise poor inhabitants of Arameia who cannot afford to pay the fines may find themselves sold into slavery to pay off their debts to the Church. In addition, since the only way to study law is to be among the Clergy, hiring someone to defend oneself at criminal hearings can be obscenely expensive and is outside the financial reach of most.

Among the civil court cases, it's mainly a case of adjudicating between two sides and little legal knowledge is generally required, although a Castella can be called in to settle particularly difficult disputes. Even here though, the cost of trying a case before a Rector or Bishop can tend to have a high costs associated with it.

Factions and Orders within the Church

The Catellus

The Catellus are a specialised order of priests who study Church Law at the Temple of Luxor in Capport. The Doge of Capport is generally seen as being the protector and patron of the Law School. The Catellus can be found all across Arameia, practising law. The seniority and skill of a Catella can generally be seen by the silver or gold rings they have in the chain which connects them to their Law Book.

Paladins of Luxor

The Paladins of Luxor are a force of soldiers who answer only to the Prelate. Their appointments are highly political, and as such, only sons of high ranking members of the clergy are generally chosen for the task. The Paladins don't number any more than 70 and new additions to the force are always the subject of a great deal of political scheming among the clergy.

The Immaculate Conclave

The Immaculate Conclave is a gathering of all 13 bishops, it rarely convenes, except to elect a new Prelate from its ranks or to denounce a Prelate. The Bishop of the Arameian Highlands is often excused from the meeting as the Highlands are isolated from the Heartland large parts of the year.

Power Structures Outside the Church

Nobility

While the nobility as a mass lost their right to rule with the Golden Proclamation. However the nobility has found a variety of ways to survive. The upper levels of the Church are almost exclusively staffed by members of the old noble families. Their aptitude and training for leadership has proved useful to the Church, however they retain little of their old rights. Nobility have found other ways to stay relevant though, through creating the Loyal, a massive network of nobles and otherwise powerful men. Extensive tax farming among the bishops have also allowed them to go beyond being simple land owners.

It should be noted that the noble families of Arameia are interrelated on a level which exceeds any other fiefdom. The disuse of the more feudal system of governance enjoyed during the imperial days has led to no new noble families being introduced, as they have in other fiefdoms, and the noble families have had no choice but to choose to constantly interwed between each other.

Border Lords

The Border Lords were part of an agreement the Church made with a segment of the nobility when they were seizing power in Arameia. As part of the agreement the Border Lords would continue to secure the border with Starkwater, while the Church prepared to take over when the border was finally secured and peaceful. As this has not happened yet, and with the Church not being willing to allow an exchange of power to weaken their presence on the border, the Border Lords retain the power to gather armies and defend the border.

The Doge of Capport

The Doge of Capport is technically a subordinate of the Archbishop of the Diocese, but is generally allowed to rule the city without conferring with the Archbishop. Part of this can be seen as a product of the rather large sum the Doge pays the Archbishop annually to look the other way, part of it is tradition. It is nevertheless true that Capport is one of those places where Elron rules more firmly than Luxor.

The King of Gallowhorn

The King of Gallowhorn is the head of an old noble family who maintain and tax the one road that goes through the Old Woods and retains the right to raise an army should the fairies ever decide to rise up. The only reason the King is allowed to keep this right is because the likelihood of this happening is relatively remote and no one has ever got around to removing the clause in Church Law which allows him to keep his rights.

The Imperial Legion

Stationed at Fort Resolve are the last remnants of the once vast Imperial Legions. As a standing army it retains its own courts and law for its soldiers, it also has rich holdings in the nearby area, where retired Legionnaires make their home. The Imperial Legion is technically answerable to the local Bishop, but is generally left to its own devices and has more than once acted contrary to the wishes of the Church.

Politics of Starkwater

This article contains information on the political systems available in Starkwater, both dealing with the Archduke's law and the nobility of Starkwater as well as some of the more common punishment meted out by the courts of Starkwater.

Nobility

All land-holding nobles are responsible for ensuring that a set sum, based on the size and other factors of their fiefdom, is paid to their patron and have different legal and military duties to fit their titles and fiefs.

Knight

Knights are only nominally nobility, their purview is entirely that of war. Knights are soldiers which have been raised to this office, or bastard sons or daughters of some of the more important noble houses. Knights are essentially well paid, well trained and the backbone of Starkwater's armies. Among the ranks of nobility the knights stand out somewhat as they do not necessarily report to the next rung up the feudal ladder. Every major noble house in Starkwater has knights which owe their personal allegiance to them. In some of the more remote regions of Starkwater, knights are occasionally given the responsibility of keeping the peace.

Knights are usually addressed as Sir or Dame. They may also occasionally be referred to collectively as the Hird when their loyalty is given a more important noble than a Baron.

Baronet

What knights are to Sword Nobles, Baronets are to Sceptre Nobles. They primarily perform tasks of administration for the Barons and other nobles. They may occasionally have their own holdings, but are generally stuck with whatever their patrons chose to dole out.

Baronets are usually addressed as Sir or Dame.

Baron

Barons are the local nobles of Starkwater, they can usually be found in just about every town. There is little that can be said generally of the barons in Starkwater. The infamous Border Barons are typically Sword Nobles, with little regard for the day to day handling of their holdings and generally leave such things to their servants. The more urban barons, having holdings centred on or near a major town or city are generally considered to be more political than others and often include an excess of Sceptre Nobles, whereas those inhabiting the more remote regions of Starkwater are generally considered to be a little backward and are often sneered at by their more urbane peers.

Barons have the unenviable task of acting as an arbiter of conflicts and criminal cases among his subjects, though this task may occasionally be given to their more trusted servants or left to the Archduke's men. They are also responsible for the upkeep and manning of any keeps within their fiefs.

Barons are usually addressed as Lord or Lady of their respective domains. Some of the older Baronies are referred to as Thegns, referring to a Baron as a Thegn is considered to be either a mark of respect or flattery, depending on the situation. Border Barons may occasionally be referred to as Marcher Lords.

Viscount

Viscounts are an institution only found in eastern Starkwater. They serve as a rung between that of Barons and often have two or more Barons sworn to their service. Much like Barons they have their own holdings, usually these include a large central town in which they keep their holdings.

Like Barons they are usually charged with being arbiters in local disputes and criminal cases and are responsible for military upkeep within their holdings.

Viscounts are usually addressed as Lords or Lady of their respective domains.

Count or Eorls

Counts are more common than Viscounts, and can be found all over Starkwater, however, in the western and northern parts of Starkwater they are usually referred to as Eorls. In the east, Counts may have two or more Viscounts sworn to them, whereas in the west, they often have ten or more barons sworn to them.

Much like the lower rungs of nobility Counts have the right to be arbitrators in disputes and criminal cases, however they rarely make use of this privilege as the majority of such cases are handled at a lower level of nobility. Counts may also grant charters of market to towns. In addition to military upkeep, Counties by the sea or along important waterways are also responsible for naval upkeep.

Counts or Eorls are usually addressed as Lords or Lady of their respective domains. Their fiefs are referred to as Counties or Eorldoms respectively.

Marquis

Marquises are the next rung up, there are generally about thirty Marks, the fiefs of a Marquis, scattered throughout Starkwater. Available noble holdings have a tendency to be turned into non-hereditary Marks when the Archduke grants palatinates.

While most marquises may be part of the normal noble system and in charge of military and potentially naval forces, some marks carry specific responsibilities. Such as the Marquis of Coldwater who is charged with ensuring the safety and upkeep of the aqueduct leading water to Spire City or the Marquis of Winterhome whose purview is the Red Guard and whose influence extends throughout Starkwater rather than just locally.

Marquises are referred to as the Most Honourable or informally as Lord of their respective domains.

Duke

The eight ducal houses of Starkwater are the most powerful nobles in Starkwater, short of the Archduke. While it is theoretically within the rights of the Archduke to appoint new Ducal houses and remove old ones this has never been done except when old Ducal houses have perished. When the Archduke dies without leaving a legitimate heir, the new Archduke is usually selected from among the eight Ducal houses.

Ducal families have the right to establish their own mints and retain the ability to alter local laws as long as they do not contradict the Archduke's edicts.

Dukes are referred to as Your Grace or informally as Lord.

Archduke and the Prince

The Archduke is the political leader and ultimate head of Starkwater. As such he reserves the right to declare war and deal with the neighbouring fiefdoms. In addition to being the titular head of Starkwater the Archduke retains expansive holdings in western Starkwater and is personally in charge of Spire City.

The Archduke's heir is usually left to govern western Starkwater from Grey Lake and given the title Prince. While the Prince is all but sovereign in western Starkwater, he remains under the command of the Archduke.

Officials

The officials appointed by the Archduke and serving as part of his administration always rely on the Archduke for their power and normally have little to no connection to other nobles. Their respective positions are also never hereditary.

Magistrates

Magistrates are the archduke's officials, they serve in a series of capacities. Primarily they work to administer the holdings of the Archduke and may occasionally oversee criminal cases.

Palatinates

Palatinates are nobles who are sworn directly to the Archduke or the Prince. A person may become a Palatinate through service the Archduke or Prince or through other means. Palatinate titles have been known to later translate into hereditary titles, but for the most part they are not.

People who have received Palatinates are generally referred to as Count Palatinates, or whichever title they have been given with the addition of Palatinate.

Red Guard

The Red Guard are the secret police of Starkwater. They have offices in every decent sized town and have operatives all over Starkwater. They often make people disappear in the dead of night and do their best to keep rebellions and treason from taking place.

To the annoyance of many nobles, the Red Guard even has the purview to deal with them if need be.

Reeves

The Reeves are the wandering police of Starkwater. They patrol throughout Starkwater and have the authority to deal with criminal cases where they need to. Reeves are also responsible for keeping down bandit activity and generally ensure that the peace is kept. Reeves typically carry around with them a specially issued cudgel and a writ from the Archduke's court proving their authority.

Barons tend to have a particular dislike for Reeves as they may demand money from their treasuries to issue bounties on wanted criminals.

Punishment

It should be noted that the type of punishment set forth by the judicial system will vary depending both on what parts of Starkwater you are in, how lenient the judge chooses to be and your social standing. Many killings by nobles are often settled out of any court by simply paying off the commoners, whereas a commoner killing a noble will almost always be taken to a court or simply killed. In many cases the local customs will overrule anything the Archduke has decided on the matter and mob rule when it comes to criminal cases is a common occurrence. A commoner harming a noble will nevertheless almost always face a harsher punishment than vice versa, the place you hold in society is all important to what kind of punishment you receive. The point of the law is to enforce the status quo, not to bring about justice.

While most legal issues are settled with fines paid to the judge, there are occasions when harsher punishment is needed. Reeves in particular are known for their harsh punishment of those they judge guilty. Typically incarceration is relatively unheard of as a punishment, rather people are stuck in the stocks for lengths of time or they may lose a limb or a hand as punishment for their crimes. Many serious criminals are branded so everyone can know their shame. For those who have committed the most grievous of crimes though, death by torture or burning is not unknown, though hanging or beheading is more common in the less civilized parts of Starkwater.