Kantra Territory
From Fantasy Novel
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
==Founding of the Realm== | ==Founding of the Realm== | ||
==Government and politics== | ==Government and politics== | ||
| + | The Kantra High Council is the supreme ruling body of the Kantra Empire. The council meets at the Great Hall of the First City of the Kantra Empire. The High Council is presided over by the Chancellor, and is composed of a faction-based cabinet. Members of the High Council are the leaders of each of the [[Great Houses]] - or the 9 parent families to which each small family has sworn fealty to, and the Chancellor is chosen as first among equals (or primus inter pares) among them.Once a Chancellor dies or abdicates, the Great House to which he belonged selects a new leader, who is appointed to the council, thus reasserting the nine and allowing a succession to take place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Chancellor sits in an elevated chair at the front of the room, and the other council members surround him in a semi-circle. A large Kantra insignia hangs on the wall at the front of the room, behind the council members. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The council directs the political, diplomatic, military, and internal matters of state. The Chancellor is empowered to enter into treaties on behalf of the council and the people, and has general executive power, although he is considered a primus inter pares subordinate to the Emperor. They also provide overall strategic direction on military matters, but in practice tactical and logistical matters are left to the battlefield commanders. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The council is also the final Court of Appeal, deciding matters pertaining to the various Kantra Houses. One example would be granting dispensation to allow a woman to rule over a house if her husband died in unusual circumstances and they had no sons. If one of the Houses falls and another makes a claim to the lands and property of the House, the council will judge the validity of the claim. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The council acts as all three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial. For crimes committed against the Empire, the council can judge the guilt of an individual Kantra and their entire family. If the Kantra is found guilty of a crime, they and their entire family will suffer the consequences of the crime. For example, treason causes the family to lose their honor for seven generations. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The members of the council serve at the pleasure of the Chancellor, who is able to dismiss council members if he deems it necessary. The Chancellor does not have the power to (directly) appoint replacements, that must be done by the Great House in question - and the dismissal of a council member may carry with it many other problems (internal dissent), so it rarely happens. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The means of choosing the Chancellor vary. One way would be challenging the Chancellor to a fight to the death. If the challenger was victorious, the old Chancellor would be dead, and the challenger would usually take the role of Chancellor for himself, or in rare cases bestow the role to another. If a Chancellor died of natural causes or not as a result of direct combat, an Arbiter of Succession would be named. The Arbiter would designate the strongest challengers, who would then fight each other to the death for the office. | ||
===Administrative subdivisions=== | ===Administrative subdivisions=== | ||
===Law=== | ===Law=== | ||
Revision as of 09:20, 20 August 2007
Contents |
Early History
Founding of the Realm
Government and politics
The Kantra High Council is the supreme ruling body of the Kantra Empire. The council meets at the Great Hall of the First City of the Kantra Empire. The High Council is presided over by the Chancellor, and is composed of a faction-based cabinet. Members of the High Council are the leaders of each of the Great Houses - or the 9 parent families to which each small family has sworn fealty to, and the Chancellor is chosen as first among equals (or primus inter pares) among them.Once a Chancellor dies or abdicates, the Great House to which he belonged selects a new leader, who is appointed to the council, thus reasserting the nine and allowing a succession to take place.
The Chancellor sits in an elevated chair at the front of the room, and the other council members surround him in a semi-circle. A large Kantra insignia hangs on the wall at the front of the room, behind the council members.
The council directs the political, diplomatic, military, and internal matters of state. The Chancellor is empowered to enter into treaties on behalf of the council and the people, and has general executive power, although he is considered a primus inter pares subordinate to the Emperor. They also provide overall strategic direction on military matters, but in practice tactical and logistical matters are left to the battlefield commanders.
The council is also the final Court of Appeal, deciding matters pertaining to the various Kantra Houses. One example would be granting dispensation to allow a woman to rule over a house if her husband died in unusual circumstances and they had no sons. If one of the Houses falls and another makes a claim to the lands and property of the House, the council will judge the validity of the claim.
The council acts as all three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial. For crimes committed against the Empire, the council can judge the guilt of an individual Kantra and their entire family. If the Kantra is found guilty of a crime, they and their entire family will suffer the consequences of the crime. For example, treason causes the family to lose their honor for seven generations.
The members of the council serve at the pleasure of the Chancellor, who is able to dismiss council members if he deems it necessary. The Chancellor does not have the power to (directly) appoint replacements, that must be done by the Great House in question - and the dismissal of a council member may carry with it many other problems (internal dissent), so it rarely happens.
The means of choosing the Chancellor vary. One way would be challenging the Chancellor to a fight to the death. If the challenger was victorious, the old Chancellor would be dead, and the challenger would usually take the role of Chancellor for himself, or in rare cases bestow the role to another. If a Chancellor died of natural causes or not as a result of direct combat, an Arbiter of Succession would be named. The Arbiter would designate the strongest challengers, who would then fight each other to the death for the office.
