SANTHARIAN
RANKS
AND TITLES |
Governmental organization in Santharia has a long tradition. Though the uniting of the ancient kingdoms through the ascension of Santhros the Wise to the Santharian throne brought a new governmental structure to the lands on the highest levels and also led to the re-naming for ranks and titles on lower ones, most parts of the power hierarchy lived on in the one way or the other when the new kingdom was formed. As the system of feudalism was the foundation of society in the ancient kingdoms, so it was continued in Santharia: In a pyramidical manner land was given from the topmost level, the Crown, to sub-oridinated landholders, who divided their portions to other sub-ordinated landholders below their level, and so forth, until the landholders on the other end of the pyramid are reached, who administrate the smallest parcels of land.
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Though rights and duties for the single levels of the hierarchy were defined
in the King's Act back in the time of
Santhros, the historical and regional differences and developments of
course still reflect as well in specific titles and powers of regional
leaders, who still may exert their independence from the King to a certain
degree. The actual power constellations compared to the theoretical
definitions therefore are much more intricate and complicated, but still
they operate to a vast degree in the layed out confines. We try to give you
a general overview here on how these governmental structures of
Santharia have developed in the course
of time, how the ranks hierarchy is defined, how it works and where there
are the most important exceptions, adjustments and additions on regional
level.
Historical
Development. The
Third Sarvonian War was perhaps the greatest turning point in Santharian
history. Apart from marking the dawn of the modern era, it was perhaps the
first time that all the races of Santharia had close and agreeable contact
with one another, united by a common foe: first Coór'Melór, and then his
son; the Móch'rónn, Saban
Blackcloak. After the third great Sarvonian war, the
human tribes were finally united under one
King, Santhros the Wise. The advantages
that good relations with their neighbouring races had brought during the war
were not lost upon Santhros and as an
extension of this new found and long sought after unity, it was decided that
an inclusion of the other races into a United Kingdom would help to create a
stable and prosperous environment. The King (since
Santhros' follower also called the
"Santhran"), to this day, presides over the
Linked Hands, a great council, representative of all in Santharia. The
Council is made up of the King, the eight Thanes who reside over the eight
human provinces of Santharia, the
elven Avá’ránn who resides over the
High Elven Circle, various
dwarven leaders and other additional
leaders of other races may attend as is appropriate.
The dream of all men united under one King
is an idea deeply rooted in the history of Southern Sarvonia. Gorm for
example, a human foundling raised by the
elves, sought to steal an important
artifact, the blood of the former
Erpheronian sovereign
Maengolth, to achieve that very aim and in the process triggered the First
Sarvonian War and the ensuing Age of the Blood. Far later, the
Erpheronian king Thar
achieved, to a limited extent, a unification of the
human tribes. None, however, were as
successful and persuasive as Santhros.
Perhaps it was his powerful personality; perhaps it was simply that the
tribes of Santharia needed a reason to unite. In Coór'Melór, the very
incarnation of evil and destruction, and later his son the
Móch'rónn, who sought to
destroy the Earth Titan, that reason seemed to be provided by the Gods
themselves.
However, humanity did not fight the war
single handed. For the first time in Sarvonian
history the elves,
men,
halflings and dwarves fought
together, and were also joined by other minority races of Santharia, who to
many had been thought simply to be nothing more than fairy tales. King
Santhros was a shrewd man, and knew
that unification of the human tribes had
in the past (for example when Thar created
the unification that was Tharania) unsettled and worried
man’s elven
neighbours. He was also aware of the great advantages that improved
relations among the races had provided since an alliance had been formed.
The best course of action, and a rather natural step by that time, was to
include all races in the unification. Each race had its own reasons for
joining and their own reservations about the system, but join they did, to
form the united Santharia we know today.
Ranks Hierarchy.
The organisation can be described in detail as follows. Note however, that knowledge of Santharian history is essential to understand how government works in such a
vast kingdom:
The Santhran (Santharian
King)
The King is the figurehead of the United Kingdom of Santharia. Since the
death of Santhros the King also bears the title "Santhran" honouring the
famous and by now legendary deeds of the first Santharian regent. The King's
spouse is also referred to not only as "Queen" but as "Santhranna". In the
course of the seventeen centuries of the Kingdom's existence males
undoubtedly dominated the position of reigning Santharia. Nevertheless there
were also several occasions when female Thanes were allowed to exert this
power when elected by the gathering of Thanes, the Thanemoot.
The power of the Santhran however shouldn't be overrated. Due to the vast
size of the Santharian Kingdom alone, the Santhran has only a very limited
influence in the matters of the provinces themselves. Though he represents
the kingdom and can prescribe decrees and laws for all of the provinces by
his own decision, there have been several occurences when the Thanes refused
to enforce these regulations or suspended already existing ones. Thus only
very few decrees are actually passed out by the Santhran himself without the
consultations of regional leaders, basically these are only slight
amendments to already existing regulations. These difficulties demonstrate
on how complex it is for the Santhran to govern over Santharia and also on
how important it is to have a charismatic and convincing leader. It has
proven to be essential for a strong Santhran to try to seek contact with the
provincial rulers in order to strengthen his own position while at the same
time guaranteeing cohesion within this vast realm and to nurture
understanding of each other's needs.
To many the Santhran himself must seem little
more than a fairy-tale. A citizen of Strata, or a
peasant in Nyermersys, is unlikely to have ever
seen the King, nor anyone who ever has. However, the King is held in a
certain awe and wonderment, due to the myth and prestige associated with the
unification of the human tribes throughout
history.
While the King in the ancient kingdom of Tharania was used to be selected by his predecessor, thus
making him a family member or an advisor for example, the Santhran is
elected among the Thanes of the provinces in the so-called "Thanemoot", a
gathering held usually shortly after the Santhran's death. At rare
occasions, when the time of death of the regent is obviously imminent or the
Council of the Linked Hands sees the necessity to elect a new Santhran, the
Thanemoot will take place while the Santhran is still in office.
It has to be noted that the Santhran is always
human. There are several good reasons for this. Firstly,
elves simply do not have the same need or
perception of leaders as humans. There are
no leaders among elves, and in
elven eyes, Ránns or Rónns are only
required for three reasons: As a mark of respect to the eldest among them or
for the tactical advantages that having a central figure provides, or
because that individual is a great spiritual leader. As such, they do not
wield the power that human kings do. To an
elf, the
human idea of monarchy is simply insanity, though they are a peaceful
race, and are happy – with a certain amount of self-rule – to be governed by
a human monarch.
Dwarves are much the same in that they do
not share a human concept of monarchy.
Dwarves are dreadfully clannish, fiercely
spiritual, and rather independent-minded. They each have a clan leader (the
Gornegron) who
is chosen by election, who oversees to the daily running of the cavern, the
trade lines, production levels, and so on. However, the main system of
government might best be described as a theocracy with individual free will.
Each cavern also has a Denirim, or spiritual leader, and many of the
Thergerim's decisions, special days, and lifestyles are based on their
belief in Urtengor (or TolBarol,
Thergerim
TolBarol,
as they call him) and the Denirim's interpretation of His desires for their
life. Everyone has a place in the system, everyone is content to serve in
that place, and if Sthommur, "Rockfaith" (can be translated loosely as
"honour", or "duty") is kept, the Thergerim
will go peacefully into his Time of Stone and from thence to
Urtengor's great halls. Since the
dwarves are an underground nation who
deliberately keeps themselves remote from other races by choice, a
dwarven king of Santharia would simply
not be practicable. They are, however, secretly rather proud of being on the
Santharian Coat of Arms and enjoy having the other races depend on their
smithing skills, and the resultant appreciation and cash flow.
Halflings on the other hand would simply fail to command
the same prowess as a human king, for
reasons of both myth and stature, while other races have their own
individual reasons not to take the throne, though one majority reason must
simply be that these races make up, even collectively a small minority of
the Santharian population.
The Council of Linked Hands
The human Thanes meet together with the
King at the Council of the Linked Hands to make national level decisions.
The Santhran is also the head of the Linked
Hands, a council making national level decisions. The Council mandatorilly
includes the leaders of the provinces, the Thanes. Other members of this
council are the elven
Avá'ránn, the leader of the
High Elven Circle, who can speak for all tribes, and is usually the most
respected, or perhaps the eldest elf among
elven leaders.
Halfling leaders and
dwarves are also represented. The
dwarves usually send the Gornegrons (Clan
Chieftains) to Linked Hand meetings or the Gorkavon (Underchief). This is
partly for security reasons and also allows the subchief to familiarize
him/herself with making priority decisions in lieu of the Chieftain, or in
case of the Chieftain's incapacity. Sometimes a Denirim (Priest, Holy One)
also accompanies the dwarven
representative to ensure that will of the Hammerlord TolBarol is met.
There are
also representatives of the more 'minor' races, the
gnomes and occasionally the
Brownies. The latter may attend at meetings, but don't have to - only the highest
representatives of the races can influence decisions directly with their votes.
The Council gathers usually annually, though important matters may require
instant meetings ("instant" of course is quite relative, as preparations for
an irregular Council meeting in a kingdom of the size of Santharia may take
a few weeks). Depending on the issues, Council discussions can last from a
few days to several weeks.
In this Council the Santhran instructs the Thanes of the eight provinces and
proposing the laws of the
land, though these laws mostly must be kept open, as each race has a certain autonomy of
rule. The elves of the
Aellenrhim have a saying
derived from watching their human
neighbours: "A law is passed, and a way past it is found", implying that to
some extent, even humans are ruled more by
provincial law than by the Santhran.
The Santhran's Orders
The Santhran's actual power comes from a series of orders, who swear an oath of loyalty
to the kingdom of Santharia to preserve its boundaries and laws. More
importantly they swear alligance to the Santhran. In return, the orders receive
certain privileges and status.
There are many different branches of the King's Orders, doing various
different jobs. Some of them are ancient orders, for example,
- The
Order of
the Fallen, who were so influencial and successful against the
orcs during SW III so that it made them a
natural choice as an order of the Kingdom. Other orders include the...
- Paladins of Armeros, who try to ensure peace
in the realm by force and justice, but not necessarily by the kindest means!
- The White Knights are, however, an order
focused around the deities of Eyasha and
Nehtor. They also promote peace and
justice and are respected diplomats.
The Santhran cannot "use" the orders directly, as such; the
Santhran does not set
the goals of the orders, but he does demand their loyaty and asks them to promote
stability among Santharians. They provide the Santhran with his political might
in areas far from the New-Santhala power
seat, but are power structures that are not influenced by racial or tribal
heritage, and thus can act for the Santhran for example in solving disputes
or by reminding provincial leaders by exerting pressure that the Santhran
has last say on certain issues.
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The Dukes and Duchesses
Each of the eight Santharian
provinces is split into further districts of administration, the Duchies.
Large elven woods, however, which form a
complete unity of their own (like the
Auturian
Woods in Manthria or the
Sharadon Forest in Brendolan) are called
"Stý'cáls" ("Lands of the Elves").
Dwarven or
halfling territory usually is not as
large as to reach the size of an elven
Stý'cál in order to form a similar administration unit as a Duchy.
Constituting the second highest rank in
the province just below the Thane, the Dukes govern over all the local
lieges, the Gravens. They need to report to the Thane regularly, consult him
and make sure to exert the kingdom's and the province's laws in their given
counties.
In general it can be said that the way in which local decisions are made
by the Thane, the Duke or the Gravens varies from place to place, and tribe to tribe.
The influences from the provincial governors are very dominant in certain
regions, while in others (e.g. scarcely populated ones) the local autonomy
plays a much larger role and is tolerated by the Dukes.
Similarly certain races or tribes have their own form of independence.
The Gravens (Markgravens,
Landgravens and Moundgravens)
The Gravens (male
and female form is identical) are instated by the Dukes to maintain a
certain fief they have been granted. The Gravens often have a close
relationship to the Dukes, are relatives or personal friends and swear faith
to them, just as the Dukes do to the Thane and the Thane to the Santhran. The fiefs are segmented by the
Gravens, the lieges, and granted to subordinate landholders (nobles and
aristocrats), their vassals. Sometimes
these landholders can have a special privileged status as well (see
Privileged Nobility
below). Such a fief is not owned by the occupant, but is managed by the
occupant for both, the superior landholder and the occupant's heir. There
are different titles and functions for Gravens, the most popular are:
- Markgravens. Markgravens control 'marches',
mostly border territories or passes and therefore are deemed as the most
import lieges.
- Landgravens. Landgravens hold basically land
and farmlands.
- Moundgravens. Moundgravens (in certain
regions called Hillgravens or Mongravens in slang expression) are
responsible for mountainous or heavily forested regions.
The advantages of this geographic system obviously is that the various areas
can be more justly represented in terms of trade needs and business
associations; the sizes of each region vary depending upon the resources
available.
Privileged Nobility and Aristocrats
(Barons, Viscounts etc.)
Barons, Viscounts
and several other mainly province specific titles
represent minor nobility who have special rights
and/or duties. They often possess individual holdings - usually a
castle, manor, or other fortified dwelling, and
of course a substantial portion of land to go with
it (given by the Gravens), which commonly exceeds the
amount of land regular nobility possesses. They are responsible
directly to the Gravens
above them just like every other landholder and
for the individual people who farm, herd, fish, or
otherwise toil on their holdings. However, they may exert
as well their special powers and freedoms in making decisions, granted to
them by their liege. In some cases privileged nobility may act nearly
independent in their given land.
The Landholders (Lords and Ladies)
The Landholders
are the nobles and aristocrats at the lower end of the
Santharian hierarchy,
living in manors. They are responsible for ensuring that the land is being
cultivated by the peasants, who produce and make income. The
Landholders' duties are to show loyalty, honesty and
usefulness to their liege - this includes to provide financial assistance,
attendance at court if necessary, and military service. Usually the position
of landholder is inherited or transfered to people through marriage. In
other cases clerics or nobles may be granted a fief to maintain.
Honorific Titles
Finally there exist several titles in
Santharia, which are not directly
integrated in the described hierarchy. These include the following (these
are just some representative titles picked from a large assortment):
- The Knight. The Knight owns his own
horse, arms, and armour. He may have
his own dwelling but usually is retained by a Viscount or Baron at the
noble’s castle.
- The Mage. These
magic users are formally educated and titled by
Ximax but may be employed (and then paid) by the Crown as researchers or
scholars.
- The Sage. A scholar who often has some
magical abilities but not necessarily a
graduate of Ximax, may be a retainer of the Crown.
- The Masterbard. Title granted by the Bardavos
College or equivalent musical school - also can be ratified by the Crown and
made a paid honorific.
- The Masterartisan. Masterartistans are
artists and craftsmen who are held to be the highest representatives of
their abilities may be granted this title by the Court.
Regional Ranks and
Titles. To be added.
Information
provided by
Artimidor Federkiel
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