The Empire of Merlandia

Structure

The Emperor

At the top of Imperial society stands the emperor, who has the power to do whatever he wants. In the Empire, the emperor is seen as an almost god like figure: and his will is never to be ignored.

Council of Shadows

Directly below the emperor is the Council of Shadows, they are responsible for advising the emperor. Members of the Council are always part of the peerage and can never be any other race except vampires. At the moment, there are 6 advisors on the Council of Shadows, though the amount of people tends to change with time.

The Peerage

Ruling over the land with power bestowed by the Emperor, is the peerage. They are divided over several ranks with varying levels of power. The names of the ranks are the same as in the current Republic and the old Kingdom of Merlandia and go from high to low. Members of the peerage usually also hold high military ranks, though this is not always the case.

Duke/Duchess: rule over duchies and are also tasked with overseeing the military and development in their territory in the name of the Emperor. They are to be referred to as "your high grace."
Marques/Marchioness: rule over a county that borders another state. Because these regions are strategically important, they receive a higher rank. Especially the peerage that hold a county close to the Republic are seen as important. They are to be referred to as "your grace."
Count/Countess: rule over a county and give instructions to barons. A big responsibility of counts, is the collection of blood and human sacrifices. The same goes for Marquises. Counts are to be referred to as "my lord/lady."
Baron/Baroness: rule over a city, territory or town. In some cases, these can be multiple ones. They make sure that the human population is obedient and fulfill their quotas. They are to be referred to as "my lord/lady."

The Council of Exceptional Humans

At the very bottom of the power structure is the Council of Exceptional Humans. These are individuals that have proven themselves loyal to the Empire and have exceptional abilities. They act as administrators and representatives for the Empire and forward information about their communities. They also listen to the needs of their fellow humans and forward those to their overlords. Neither humans nor vampires trust these people, but by both they are seen as a necessary evil. In exchange for their service, the families of those serving on the council are exempted from blood, breeding and sacrifice obligations and receive a good sum of money. In exchange they promise to be loyal and not flee the country.

Culture

The culture of the Empire is that of vampire supremacy, with other races regarded as lesser and especially humans upon which they feed. The structure within the Empire is very rigid and authoritarian which reflects upon its culture, which contains a lot of traditions, laws and taboos. Speaking out against the state of the Emperor is illegal and loyalty is expected from all citizens: vampire or not. Part of the culture are also 2 controversial laws: the blood tax and the sacrifice tax.

History

Originally the Empire was a colony under the country of Trasildania after their invasion of the old Merlandian Kingdom. A new noble system was established by the Trasildanians in Merlandia, with the highest rank being duke. Nobles titles were easier to earn in Merlandia than Trasildania and so a lot of vampires moved, hoping to receive a noble title of some kind. As the country forged its own identity, a divide in leadership caused the so called "Divide." In which there were several, mostly diplomatic, conflicts between vampire lords of the two different nations. At the end, it was decided that the Merlandian vampires were allowed to create their own state, as long as they stayed allies to the Trasildanians in time of need. The Merlandian vampires renamed their country to the "Merlandian Vampire Councils." Before the independence, the government system consisted of a council of Merlandian and Trasildanian lords, each representing 50%. After the independence the "Council of Shadows" was established. This council consisted of all the dukes present in Merlandia, with no official head except the "secretary" who was to keep order in the council. This changed in 1644 however when Alexandru Domei, by use of corruption and smart diplomatic moves, was pronounced emperor by the Council of Shadows. To this day, he rules the country with an iron fist, with the council of shadows acting as his advisors. During the Blood Wars from 1746 till 1750 the country was forced to fight on several fronts: most notably Ooden-Markt and the surrounding lands as well as the border with Sudemarkt. All sides suffered heavy losses and the Empire ended up surrendering. During the negotiations, the Empire lost nearly 50% of its territory to the "Merlandain Republic." Which they continue to see as their number one enemy.

Unity Through Strength

Founding Date

1605

Type

Political, independent

Capital

Pavelt

Alternative Names

The Empire of Death (considered an insult)

Predecessor Organization

The Kingdom of Merlandia

Training Level

Semi-professional

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Imperial

Leader

Alexandru Domei

Leader Title

Emperor

Head of State

Alexandru Domei

Head of Government

Alexandru Domei

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Eagles, with 1 Eagle equaling 100 Maten. A loaf of bread costs about 2,60 Eagles.

Judicial Body

The High Court: rules on decisions involving nobles. This can range from criminal facts to disputes.
Criminal Court: rules on crimes committed by vampires. Punishments go from fines, to jail time and corporal punishment. There is no community service or death penalty for vampires as this is considered humiliating.
Court of Trade: rules over trading disputes between vampires.
Court of Justice: rules on crimes committed by all races except vampires. Sentences are usually much harsher and reach from forced feeding (draining of blood), to dangerous community service, imprisonment, corporal punishment and the death penalty. For vile crimes or crimes against the Empire the family of the convicted can also be executed.
Lesser Court: rules on civil disputes between humans and other races. Judges are often placed here after punishment and the position is considered "lesser" and even "humiliating." Though some do choose to be placed here, especially beginning judges who look to prove themselves.

Official State Religion

The High Lord

Subsidiary Organizations