Sundrake Government
Kingdom-Wide Government
The King of the Sundrakes
House Tyr’s claim to the throne came from descent from the Celestial dynasty.
The kings and queens of the sundrakes claim their right to rule due to descent from a ‘child of Hyleg’, and the divine blood this gives them. They are believed to be the only ones capable of properly leading the nation, and any others would bring down the wrath of the sun god upon all their citizens.
There are some rumours that have circulated in hushed whispers since the civil war that neither the Tyrs or Halcyons actually have divine blood. Speaking such things aloud is an offence worthy of execution, but still, some believe that the Halcyons used their immense wealth to have their lineage altered, and that the Tyrs are only related to the bastard of a far-off relative to the ‘child of Hyleg’, with no god’s blood of their own.
The Viziers
When considering who to appoint as a Vizier, sundrake monarchs look for two things; competency and trust. They are the right and left hand of their ruler, meant to be two individuals that they trust above all else. Historical reality has not always aligned with this concept, but there are more stories of loyal Viziers sacrificing all for their leaders than there are conniving, traitorous ones.
The current Viziers in service to King Tigerlilly are:
- Commander Corvus Starstrike - Ruler of Fort Branch, one of the most important military bases in the entire Tyr Kingdom. While the rest of Deepwoods Province has risen in rebellion against the King, Corvus remains loyal.
- Lady Solitaire Phoenicis - King Tigerlilly’s former daughter-in-law, and the widow of one of his elder children killed in the Civil War. Solitaire is an efficient, ruthless dragon with years of experience on the field of battle. Solitaire has a hatred of the Halcyons and their former allies that eclipses even the King’s own wrath, and with the resurgence of “Carinae Halcyon” she has made it her goal to annihilate the false Queen and her traitorous army.
The Royal Council
King Tigerlilly’s Royal Council followed this rule for the most part up until recently, with a strong bias towards dragons from a military background. Since the destruction of the holy city of Memory by his orders in 505 and the rebellions that followed, Shardbearers Fern Psyche and Vesta Saturn have both been removed from his Council as punishment for their betrayal.
House Tyr & the Royal Household
While Zenith is too young and kept too shut away by his parents to have much political power, the Queen-Consort uses her position to great effect. While her husband prefers the company of the Tyrian army, Helia has made many strong bonds with the Tyr Kingdom’s aristocracy.
Previous Ruling Dynasties
Little remains of those who ruled sundrake territory before the Night of the Red Moons but folk tales and old legends. The sundrakes were divided into five regions under the dominion of the Elder Drakes, their borders falling approximately into what the modern Upper Provinces look like today, but historians believe that many of the drakes employed local sundrake Houses to handle most of the day-to-day governance in their stead. The names of these families have been forgotten over time, but their descendants likely live on to this day.
In the modern era, the first ruling dynasty of the sundrakes was the Ad Melioras. Founded by Adeodatus’ granddaughter, Queen Aubade ad Meliora, and her husband, a “child of Hyleg” (an archaic term for a suntouched) whose name has been lost to time. In total, three members of house Ad Meliora ruled the sundrakes; Queen Aubade, King Alnitak, and Queen Chaophraya. They governed the Meliora Kingdom from 37 to 213 A.E.D.
After the ignominious end of the Ad Melioras, the next family to rule the sundrakes were the Celestials. The founder of their dynasty, Lady Rigel Celestial, had led the coup against the Immortal Sun Queen Chaophraya and had been put on the throne in place of the obvious successors; the Halcyons, a noble family of traders who had Ad Meliora blood. In total, four members of house Celestial ruled the sundrakes; Queen Rigel, Queen Antares, Queen Vega, and Queen Hessian.
Nobility & Regional Government
Noble Titles
The table below shows the varying noble ranks in the Tyr Kingdom, ordered from most to least authority.
Rank | Address | Role & Responsibilities |
---|---|---|
Shardbearer |
Shardbearer (neutral) Occasionally have the suffix “of the White Cliffs”, “of the Sunlit City”. Only used in formal introductions. Address is thought to be descended from the Elder Drake’s system of addressing land-holders. |
Second only to the King and his Viziers, Shardbearers are the rulers of individual Tyrian Provinces. They rule from their provincial capitals. This role is inherited and passed on through the generations to the title-holder’s child; should the entire family perish, the ruling monarch will appoint a new Shardbearer from the idle aristocracy. As of current times, there are seven Shardbearers:
|
Baron |
Baron (masculine), Baroness (feminine), Baronex (neutral) |
Barons are the governors of cities in the Tyr kingdom. It is an inherited role, passed on from the title-holder to their eldest child (or other nearest relative). They also have authority over villages, towns, and farmland adjacent to their holdings; their domain is referred to as a “barony”. While families generally hold this title into perpetuity, a barony can be lost if they lose the favour of their Shardbearer or if the whole household perishes. In these cases, it is up to the Province’s Shardbearer to pick a new baron. |
Comte |
Comte (masculine), comtesse (feminine) |
Comtes are the governors of towns in the Tyr Kingdom. It is an inherited role, passed on from the title-holder to their eldest child (or other nearest relative). Comtes have authority over the land immediately adjacent to their holdings; their domain is referred to as a “county”. While families generally hold this title into perpetuity, a county can be lost if they lose the favour of their baron or if the whole household perishes. In these cases, it is up to the local baron to pick a new comte. This is the highest rank a player character can hold. |
Petit noblesse (the idle nobility) |
Lord (masculine), Liege (neutral), Lady (feminine) |
While many nobles hold positions in government and powerful titles, others have no official role. They are defined by their influence, wealth, and the amount of land they own. A ruler must always be conscious of their opinions when making decisions. Though “idle nobility” lack the same political power as their peers, they still have all the rights and privileges noble status entails. |
Chevalier (knight) |
Chevalier (masculine), Chevalière (feminine) |
Chevaliers are highly respected warriors and military leaders. Though the title commands respect, it does not grant any rights to territory and is non-hereditary. Each chevalier earns their title through their own deeds. A knight’s apprentice is called an écuyer. |
Government within Cities & Towns
The rest of the Baronial council is appointed by them. While they’re encouraged to include scholars so that they can receive good advice, this is not always the case in practice. Members of the council vote on different issues and have a measure of influence over what happens in their city.
Due to the smaller populations of towns and villages, the citizens can speak directly with their ruling comte/comtesse. The exact policies regarding this depend on the ruler in question; some hold their discussions in a large public place so that the entire village can participate, while others only hold council by appointment.
Inheritance
Bastards are ineligible for inheritance even in extreme cases; if a bastard hatchling is the only remaining potential heir, the title will be returned to the appointee upon the current holder's death and handed to a different family. As such, they are often scorned by their families and looked down upon in proper sundrake society.
Losing & Gaining Rank
Losing a position of power is rare; those appointed into their position are more at risk of this than those born into it. Appointed rulers may be demoted if they displease their ruler and do not have enough political support to hang on to power. Born rulers are hard to remove from power even if they were unpopular. Attempts to do so can result in revolts, as no one wants a precedent to be established that could result in them losing their title. Outright treason is a surefire way to demotion and execution, though.
Citizenship
For a non-citizen to work and sell goods in a city, they need a permit from the local noble; this is a contract that determines how much they need to pay them for the privilege of using their territory for their business, as well as any special exceptions they might have. These are negotiated entirely on an individual basis and vary wildly, with some lords typically trying to get the most out of each contract that they can. Usually digging for minerals and hunting is banned, but butchers and jewellers might get permission to do so in exchange for paying a higher rate to their lord. Runesmiths and alchemists might get an extremely lowered tax rate, in exchange for steep discounts on services - or even free services - for their lord. Their contracts are the only things that protect their property; without that, the ruling noble owns everything and anything in their territory.
It is not uncommon for successful sundrake merchants and craftsmen to leave for other lands to establish their businesses there.