Falenan Alliance: Governance

[Corwin]

You could dump the rules for managing empires in this thread when you finish them, Rat, but for now I'll post the desc of how Sol-Falena was run before we found the Colossus....

Youko is the immortal representative of the Unconquered Sun in Falena. Once her mind is made up, her word becomes law. She is the one to hold the supreme authority and to command all of Falena's subjects. Every citizen must swear to follow her for the glory of Falena to hold public office. The more sensitive positions may have the oath enforced by Fantine, should it be deemed necessary.

Under the Queen, there nominally exist three independent, focal positions of power -- the prime minister, the general of the army, and the head of the clergy. In reality, Hourai holds the first two. While there is no state religion in Falena, the worship of the Unconquered Sun draws the most supporters, and Ramaya is naturally the one tending to his flock.

Beneath the prime minister, the government is composed of the following ministries:

The Ministry of the Interior. This branch of government is responsible for the bulk of the country's organization. It implements the prime minister's domestic policies, and is responsible for industrialization and farming among other things. Due to its nature, this ministry cooperates quite a lot with the others, as their areas of influence overlap the most. This ministry is headed by Somber Dragon, who was once in charge over logistics in Hourai's forces before the change of rulership. He is loyal to Hourai first and foremost.

The Foreign Ministry. Headed by Fantine, this extension of government is responsible for many of the country's dealings with those beyond its borders, both near and far. Everything from spying to diplomatic relations normally goes through the ministry, either in an official capacity or under the carpet, where only Fantine herself and those in her trust she delegates for the role would often have the full picture. The most independent of the ministries by far, it has the most contact with the ministries of commerce and war due to its very nature. Albeit it nominally reports to the prime minister, the true allegiance of this branch of government is to the ruler, Youko (after Fantine, naturally).

The Ministry of War. While Hourai may perhaps prefer to head it, his lieutenant, Marsh, holds this dubious honor. As Falena's military forces are largely nascent, and it has not participated in any major military conflict of a regional nature to date, the job of this ministry is to deal with the logistics and work closely with the foreign affairs representatives to build a clearer picture of the opposition, should the military be called into action. Needless to say, Hourai holds the allegience of this ministry as well, in part due to his position as the general in charge of Falena's armed forces more than his role as prime minister.

The Ministry of Justice. Currently, it is following a basic legal code Queen Youko has deemed to be just, but at its core it is filled with people who served during the previous regime. Judges are among the most educated people in the land, and Youko has not found it easy to merely replace them, especially as they are content to follow her instructions -- those that remained in Sol-Falena, in any case. Youko is considering a radical change in structure, however, due to her developed trust in Ramaya and his order of monks. She feels she can place the dispensation of law into the hands of the followers of the Unconquered Sun, and liquidate this ministry, creating an independant, separate branch of government. Should this work, the intellectuals who continued to serve her lawfully would be transferred to good positions elsewhere, most likely the ministry of education, another place she wishes to make radical changes to. The minister in charge is former head judge Redan, a man getting on in years and set in his ways.

The Ministry of Commerce, or as it is more-commonly known, the Ministry of Trade. By its nature, Falena relies greatly on its export of rice and various medicinal herbs that happen to grow in its parts. There is no serious industry to speak of, and the trade has taken a considerable hit from the years of war, from which it is yet to recover. Therefore, profits from exports and from the now-moderate tithes Queen Youko collects from Guild ships wishing to sail past Sol-Falena are at present the sole source of income for Falena. Marybell, once a clerk under Ranbu's regime in the same administrative division, holds the reigns of this ministry. Her loyalties are unclear, and she is at present the only non-Exalted female to hold such a high rank in Falena.

The Ministry of Education, a fairly recent innovation. It has two goals: raising the educational level of the younger generation to a new, unified standard, and the acquisition of knowledge, mainly by securing enough skilled teachers and artisans for Falena. At present, there is no minister heading it, the previous one dying of an illness mere weeks prior. The ministry is thus being administered by Liquid Dream, a high level executive in its bureaucratic structure. The people staffing the fledging ministry tend to share Youko's designs for it, and are happy to be a part of Falena's future to a large degree.

Falenan army: 400 strong, most of them heavy infantry who double as engineers in a pinch, with detachments of light cavalry. Mostly green if motivated and well-trained troops.