6
The Imperial Government
The government of Terren is, by necessity, a complex but well-organized institution which blends elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and even some level of representative democracy to govern its incredibly diverse and far-flung empire. Some of the Imperial Governments institutions are derived from previously existing royal and local organizations already in place within the Terren tribes, while others are new inventions of the Empire.
At the head of the Terren government is the emperor. The emperor is the supreme leader of Terren tasked with ensuring the nation's security, prosperity and power. The powers of the office of emperor are vast and wide reaching. The emperor may declare war, propose legislation, veto legislation, create or disband government agencies, appoint or dismiss beraters, and engage in foreign diplomacy. To assist in these many functions are the Arch and Vice Chancellors. The Arch Chancellor serves as the emperors' voice in the Hoftag, and shares the many powers held by the emperor to a lesser extent, being able to act as a sort of mini emperor should the situation call for it. The Vice Chancellor serves as a less powerful version of the Arch Chancellor, only being able to propose legislation, veto laws, and engage in diplomacy.
Although the emperor is extremely powerful, he does not rule the empire alone. To assist in the running of the nation, Luka has created a group of ministries which are headed by the Lord Chiefs, political officers who are responsible for the running of individual aspects of the country. The Lord Chiefs are appointed by the emperor and serve at his whims, yet they hold complete authority over their ministries, organizing and growing them as they see fit.
Here's an explanation of the different ministries and government departments as well as what their Lord Chiefs are responsible for:
Imperial Privy Council: The Imperial Privy Council is a council of advisors to the emperor who assist him in matters of policy and overall state strategy. Their expert analysis and strategic guidance are used to inform decision-making at the highest levels of government, allowing the emperor to focus his attention on a large number of places at once using their expertise to guide his actions.
Finance Ministry: The Finance Ministry is responsible for controlling the empires economy, collecting taxes and managing the governments budget. It is an important ministry, but many hold it in contempt, for nobody likes the tax man. The Finance Ministry also functions as a state bank, managing the governments internal debts and ensuring the government remains solvent.
Ministry of Architecture: The Ministry of Architecture is tasked with managing the empires architectural and infrastructural projects. The ministry is also responsible for running the Imperial Collage of Engineers. They keep the empires great cities functioning and allow Terren's great infrastructure projects to take form.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Terren Foreign Ministry oversees the empire's diplomatic relations with other nations. The Foreign Ministry manages and controls the Terren Diplomatic Korps and is responsible for managing the nation's foreign policy objectives and international relations. They are also responsible for managing the empires intelligence networks.
Ministry of Education: The Ministry of Education is responsible for ensuring that the populace is well educated, and that learning can continue to thrive throughout Terren. The funding, national curriculum, and all other academic legislation is handled by the ministry, and the Imperial Collage of Engineers falls under their jurisdiction as well.
Ministry of Magic: The Ministry of Magic is responsible for overseeing the quality of magical education and the spread of magical knowledge and research and is also responsible for overseeing and suppling the Universitäten für Magie. Additionally, the ministry manages the Identification Sigils which each citizen of Terren is given at birth.
Ministry of Welfare: The Ministry of Welfare is responsible for providing resources to the disadvantaged and maintaining a large and robust social security network, so that even the lowest Prastagott may have a solid standard of living and a place to live. They also provide generous benefits for veterans who served in the Imperial Military.
Ministry of Public Relations: The Ministry of Public Relations is responsible for managing the empire's public relations and communication efforts. They oversee the state media and even more importantly, manage the identification sigils of the citizens, keeping track of people's movements and providing emergency aid when needed.
Ministry of Transportation: The Ministry of Transportation is responsible for creating and maintaining the empires public transportation networks. The Ministry of Transportation manages the vast steam train networks which snake their way through the Terren Archipelago and its colonies.
Ministry of Defense:The Ministry of Defense is tasked with overseeing and coordinating all civil aspects of the military such as the budget, recruitment, and even veterans' affairs. All of the military branches of Terren except for the Imperial Police Korp are under the jurisdiction and oversight of the Ministry of Defense.
Council of Scientific Advancement: The Council of Scientific Advancement leads efforts to promote scientific research, innovation, and technological development within the empire. They oversee a large number of government-funded research initiatives and their members often advise the greater government on scientific matters.
Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court): The Reichskammergericht, also known as the Imperial Chamber Court, is the grand court system of the Terren Dominion which oversees all legal proceedings throughout the empire. It is vast and powerful, yet it is constantly struggling to manage and organize the empires legal system, for Terren was founded by 15 completely different and independent countries, which each had their own legal systems. Despite that the Reichskammergericht is slowly codifying a single nationwide legal system. The Reichskammergericht also controls the IPK.
The High Lords Peter von Eliad, Anika von Kruken, and Darius von Halten are the 3 most powerful religious figures within Terren, and they are responsible for maintaining the faith and guarding against heresy and corruption. They are also responsible for ensuring that corruption does not infiltrate their own religious organizations and institutions. They also are in charge of managing the nation's welfare and foreign aid programs. But they are not the only religious authority within the government. The Goddesses themselves also play a significant role in politics. They frequently manifest during extremely important political ceremonies to give their own input on Imperial matters. As the divine gods of the Terren people, all six Goddesses are accorded great respect and reverence and their participation in official government ceremonies and rituals invigorates the spiritual and theocratic essence of the empire lending a sense of divine legitimacy to the government.
When founding the Terren Empire, Luka decided that he wanted the position of emperor to be an elected rather than hereditary position. He did this because he understood that the tribes of Terren where diverse and distinctive and it would be difficult for a hereditary monarch to gain recognition and legitimacy from all of them. But if the position of emperor was an elected position each tribe would have input on who would become their leader, hopefully giving any of his theoretical successor's similar levels of legitimacy that he currently enjoys. Thus, the Elector Princes where formed. The Elector Princes are a council comprised of 7 of the most powerful superhuman heroes within Terren which will be tasked with electing the next emperor of Terren should Luka ever die, become incapacitated, or abdicate his throne. Each Elector Prince is both a mighty champion of the empire and a powerful political figure who holds significant power within the empire, personally governing large territories, particularly in the Colonial States.
The Royal Family is composed of the emperor's closest family members, specifically his wife and children. Although they do not hold any legal power, the members of the Royal Family are afforded great respect, and their voices are heeded in the Hoftag more often than not. The eldest son of Luka is a man named Typhon von Heinrich, who is currently the most favored candidate to be elected emperor, to the point that he is often referred to as the "Crown Prince of Terren" although his position is far from secure and many of his siblings are secretly vying for the throne to varying degrees of success.
There are three branches which make up the Terren Hoftag (also known as the Imperial Parliament). These are the High Lords, the Reichsbundesrat, and the Bundestag. The way legislation functions in Terren is simple. First the Reichsbundesrat writes a proposal for a new law, then the Bundestag vote on whether or not the proposal is in the interest of Terren and its people, then the emperor or Arch-Chancellor approves the law, and finally the High Lords see to it the law is implemented in their dominions.
The High Lords are the former kings and queens of the Terren Tribes who are now responsible for administration of each of the Lauder provinces. Each High Lord holds considerable influence and authority within their respective territories and are tasked with managing local affairs, maintaining public order, and delegating between the local estates and nobility in their Lauder. When the High Lords converge, they are overseen by the Grand Overlord, a powerful figure within the empire who mediates and facilitates their discussions and plans.
The Reichsbundesrat is a deliberative assembly composed of representatives selected from each of the Terren Tribes. The members pf the Reichsbundesrats are selected by the vote of the nobility of their respective tribes. The Reichsbundesrat convenes regularly to debate and propose legislation for they are the branch of government responsible for writing and proposing most national laws and policies. They are overseen by the Chairman of the Bundesrat, who is elected from within their ranks and then approved by the emperor.
The Bundestag is the only democratic institution of the Hoftag, being a body comprised of elected representatives from the empire's various tribes, with its members hailing from a diverse background of social and economic classes. They are elected through a ranked choice vote. The members of the Bundestag advocate for the interests of their constituents and the common people, examining the legislation created from the Reichsbundesrat and voting on whether or not the proposed laws are beneficial for the common people of Terren.
During exceptional circumstances the emperor may summon the entirety of the Hoftag to discuss matters of extreme importance, such as declaring war, establishing new colonies, forming international alliances, or simply to discuss major policy changes. During these meetings, known as "Imperiale Versammlung", all members of the Hoftag are summoned to give their input and the traditional rolls of the governmental branches are temporarily suspended until the final decision is put up to a vote, the results of which are either approved or vetoed by the emperor. If the decision of the Imperiale Versammlung is vetoed, they must come up with a new decision and then submit that to the emperor.
The Nachtdämonengericht is the secretive and distrusted sister institution to the Terren Hoftag. While the emperor commands the broader government of and the Hoftag, it is the Empress and the Empress alone who controls the Nachtdämonengericht. Composed of a hand selected number of extremely powerful Menshloyer champions, the Nachtdämonengericht serves as a counterbalance to the human dominated imperial government. The Nachtdämonengericht is a remnant of the ancient nation forged by the Great Menshloyer Lord, and is designed to keep the ancient traditions of that dark empire alive. This of course means that many within the imperial government, human or otherwise, distrust or are even outright hostile to the Nachtdämonengerichts continued existence. Nevertheless, the authority of the empress protects them and the Nachtdämonengericht continues to meet under the cover of darkness in the ancient city of Hazarika. The Nachtdämonengericht does a variety of things, including publishing recommendations for how the nonhuman kingdoms of Terren should legislate or respond to certain situations, assisting the Elaidic Cult in spreading the influence of Elisfizz, assisting in the training and controlling of powerful servants of darkness such as Crypt Knights or Arc Necromancers, and most importantly hunting down ancient demon artifacts and tomes of forbidden lore, as well as eliminating powerful servants of darkness not aligned with the Terren Empire. They are the primary force responsible for ensuring darkness does not overcome the empire from within.
The Colonial Governors of Terren act very similarly to the High Lords. They are responsible for controlling the different colonial states of Terren, keeping the far-flung territories of the empire under control. Like the High Lords they are also responsible for maintaining control of the nobles (called Herrstivars) within their colonies. Most governors are individual rulers who manage their colonies with complete authority but there is an exception. The Imperial College of Free Cities is a group of individuals who manage the Terren Vassel City-States of Alorian and Terrzonia by sharing power with each other.