Decarchy (Deck-ark-key)
The elected leaders of the Phurzic Dominion, the Decarchs are a council of the most powerful individuals in the nation, and perhaps the Isles. Elected to decade long terms, for which they can only run once, even years after leaving office, they can obtain substantial degrees of wealth and status otherwise unavailable to them.
Decarchy, or the rule of ten elected officials from the senate, the latter of whom tend to do the day to day runnings of the city and the Dominion as a whole. The Governors of the colonies, while powerful in their own right, still answer to the Decarchs, though they often lack the material wealth of some of the Phozian senators and aristocrats. The Decarchs, in contrast often come from many of the most powerful families in the nation, or of esteemed military commanders.
As the name suggests, there are ten offices, theoretically equal, within the Decarchy that are observed. They were initially all named after the different extremities of the griffon-the national symbol of Phurzia, but this was considered too confusing, so names were changed later on. These include;
The Beak: The spokesperson for the Decarchy, the Beak also is the chief administrator of the Decarchs, who archives the activities of the Decarchs alongside the Scroll. In cases of emergencies, the Beak tends to be the one who decides martial law alongside the Talon.
The Hand that Feeds: The religious head of the Dominion’s faith. This person manages the different cults within the city to ensure that sound and orthodox teaching is given and that the cults do not wage war upon one another. They also involve in charity to the poor.
The Talon: Supreme Commander of the Dominion’s army. This individual manages the greater movement of soldiers throughout the Governates and Homeland alike, and mobilises coordinated fronts in the event of military action, external or internal. Can work alongside the Beak to establish martial law in times of emergency.
The Feather: Handles justice within the realm, ensuring that the judiciary system throughout the Dominion is consistently upheld and high ranking criminals are given appropriate trial. More of a managerial role most of the time, this individual often partners with the Scroll for more efficient management.
The Cyclone: Supreme commander of the Dominion’s navy. This person organises the admirals and naval officers of the Dominion, as well as the defences of the island Governates. The planning of amphibious attacks may be coordinated with the Talon, while the Breath may work with the Cyclone when regarding insecure trade deals.
The Heart: This person ensures that the governates are properly handled, managing policies such as taxes, monitoring local rule and ensuring that the power of the governors does not overstep their boundaries, while ensuring local governments officials still have a degree of say in how they are ruled.
The Scroll: This person writes and revises the laws of the land, mainly in Phurzia itself, though can extend edicts to the governates with consent from the other members. Tends to be the one with the most direct contact with the Senate.
The Breath: This person manages external trade with other nations, ensuring that Phurzic vessels are kept secure, often collaborating with the Cyclone and Voice to ensure that deliveries and negotiations are secured.
The Voice: The voice runs diplomacy between the Dominion and other powers, managing ambassadors from other nations and keeping a close eye on external affairs to ensure the Dominion’s safety from external threats.
The Eye: This individual runs security in the city and throughout the Dominion as a whole. They manage internal threats to the order, mainly in terms of political radicals and especially dangerous criminals. They also supervise security forces within the Governates, offering forces someone other than the governors to answer to. If the Eye is the man on the leash, the Black Eye are the rapid dogs. A legion of assassins, secret police and spies, the Black Eye root out threats that are to be discreetly dealt with, including within the nobility.
Decarchs are elected for ten year terms, reflecting the sacred number in Phurzic religion, and each is put in control of their particular aspect of the economy, and tower in the Spires. While with advisors from the senate, they are mostly autonomous in how they enact their roles, with the senators either helping implement these rules or vocally opposing them, depending on what political party to which they belong. Each individual is only allowed to serve one term in their office, thanks to the Edict of Al-Barad of 523AF, following the Treachery of the Six, a five year long civil war where six of the Decarchs became too entrenched in their power and served as kings instead of abdicating to the people.
The way in which coalitions of different parties are managed when there is not a conclusive victory of one party over another is that the party with the most votes overall gains the majority of seats, with a token seat or two from a related party to moderate. Mixed party coalitions are considered too unstable to last following the Great Divorce of 617-627, which contained eight years of political deadlock and two of civil war, mainly limited to Phurzia unlike with the Treachery. In this way, the opposition is able to plan out their overall campaign more effectively, instead of relying solely on the charisma of just one or two candidates, for fear they may end up being venerated in life as gods, a blasphemous presupposition in the cults of Phurzia. During the infancy of the Dominion, the treacherous would-be- "emperor" Djumen Vartos, also proclaimed himself a god in human form, an allegation even the ancient Olmese Emperors did not take.
Requirements
Has to have served at least a decade within the senate and have popular support within the senate and nobility.
Type
Civic, Political
Form of Address
Your Elevance.
Alternative Naming
The Ten
Source of Authority
The Phurzic Senate and democratic election (particularly with Phoz).
Length of Term
Ten years
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