Kingdom of Karatan

Government structure

Laws are established by the King, but he does keep an Inner Council of trusted representatives for various guilds, regions, and other groups. The council also has a representative from each of the main branches of government: the masters of coin, trade, magic, law, and the Emerald Guard. No law is ever formed without the input of the council, and if they reject it, the king is likely to reconsider rather than overrule.

Judicial system

While the Emerald Guard acts like the military and police of the kingdom, they are not the ones to pass judgement. The mayor of every settlement appoints someone, possibly themselves in a small area, to act as Justiciar of the King. These will in turn judge cases of all forms and assign punishments for the city and nearby area. In populous regions, they might delegate some tasks, but they are still ultimately responsible for every decision made.
The matter of punishment is often handed back to the Guard unless it can be settled immediately.

Structure

For the most part, the Kingdom is highly decentralised, but with a strongly centralised military force in the form of the Emerald Guard. This way, the government doesn't have to deal with local issues or a lot of administration, but it can keep an eye out for any dissidents.
Mayors are elected by the people where they will govern. In theory, the mayor has to be approved by the King (or a majority of the Council), but in practice, this is a mere formality. There are King's Knights who are responsible for travelling between cities and towns to make sure the mayors are doing their job, but most of the time they act as messengers for any new laws or impositions by the government as well as the ones to collect taxes from each city. These Kights are often well versed with both the sword and with magic in order to keep the tax money safe. Some of them are even able to magically teleport back to the capital.

Demography and Population

The northern parts, near the Greyfall Mountains, has sizable minorities of both dwarves and gnomes, as well as more than a few dragonborn. South of the mountains, in and near the Selsgarden Forest, the population shifts more towards elves and half-elves. The rest of the nation has a majority of human.

Religion

Worship of any god or spirit is permitted within the kingdom. Of course, not all types of actions are legal and claiming religion as a reason will not get anyone off a murder charge. The Emerald Guard make sure to keep a close eye on worshippers who might encourage illegal behaviour.

The fact that all religions are allowed also means that no religion is officially sanctioned or receives any sort of support from the government, financial or otherwise. This means that temples are built during times of wealth and pious desires, and then fall into disrepair during harsher times when everyone looks to their own. As a result, there are many old ruins that are used for little more than raw material.

Foreign Relations

The Kingdom fiercely defends its territory and often considers its neighbours potential threats, real or not. It tries to thwart this not only by patrolling its borders but also by regulating ideas that might cause dissent. This is less true under the current king than it has been, but the western parts, near the Verillian Empire, is still treated more strictly.

Might through Honour

Maps

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  Kingdom of karatan

Founding Date

-330

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Demonym

Karatan

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Unitary state

Currency

1 Herald =
10 Platinum stars =
100 Gold stripes =
1,000 Silver moons =
10,000 Copper cuts

Subsidiary Organizations

• Emerald Guard

Official Languages

• Elvish

Controlled Territories

• Algan Mire
• Ren Vinsun
• Shadehold

Related Historical Events

• 1121 SR
  Northern part is annexed into karatan
• 960 SR
  The south is annexed into Karatan