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Gerai'aru: Garrison Command

Everything has a price in Welkwu... Well, everything except...

Requirements

The Gerai'aru, as with the positions of the Gradesto and the Gra'estar before it, required large amounts of proven potential from a military and/or managerial standpoint. The minimum acceptable resume was so large that often the previous Gerai'aru would apprentice candidates for years, even if the candidates had previously managed businesses or districts prior.

Appointment

In times of old, tribal leaders or imperial higher-ups would select the Gradesto or Gra'estar personally for the position. After the formation of Welkwu, there was no one higher than the Gerai'aru to make the determination, so the Gerai'aru himself would handpick the successor. If the Gerai'aru was incapacitated or unexpectedly killed, a foreign power (usually Keyrit, but sometimes Wlitowa, a Yukuric official, or Ugo-yt) would be called in to appoint a successor, so that the Gerai'aru would be least affected by internal squabbles or economics.

History

The Yukuric tribes moved the same way and had the same goals but by no means saw eye to eye. Skirmishes and even wars and blood feuds were commonplace. As the tribes began to settle, towns and villages became obvious targets for rival tribes. To guard these cities from outside threats, tribal leaders would place their most loyal or most competent underlings to control the settlement in their stead. These were the Gradesto.

The Gradesto outlived the tribes of Tuhra. While many still claimed to be loyal to their respective tribes, others submitted their ward to the Tuhran Empire when their overlords submitted. The Empire, fearful both of the massive hassle of administrative reform and of the backlash of the citizenry, respected the commands of the Gradesto in turn. Instead, the empire imposed conditions on the Gradesto, that they wouldn't engage in national or even local politics. To signify the change in role, the positional name was called the Gra'estar.

The continued establishment of the Gra'estar turned out to be a good decision. When Tuhra's standing army was obliterated by Keyrit and Wlitowa, the Gra'estar remained the only vestiges of military experience on the continent. They rallied behind Tuhra's last general, Hut Rarei, and were a major contributor of troops, weapons, supplies, and ammunition. The Gra'estar would outlive the Tuhran Empire; most of them would submit themselves to the Wlitowan Empire. They themselves weren't supposed to engage in politics, after all.

Thus, when the Eastern Uprising triggered, most Gra'estar were overthrown. However, in doing so the rebels lost vast swaths of military tradition and paid the price as a result. The cities which had Gra'estar, namely Welkwu, fared much better than cities which didn't. Welkwu was the only settlement allowed autonomy after the Uprising, so the Gra'estar of Welkwu was the last of his kind. The title was changed to Gerai'aru, a hybridization of the old Tuhrau-Yukuric terminology and the Welokyi words for "Land" and "Father," to reflect the new element of the role.

The Gerai'aru had a staggering historic magnitude to the position, so Welkwu politics didn't touch the role. Even if that wasn't the case, no corporation or district wanted to paint a target on its back by pursuing the support of the Gerai'aru or undermining his role in Welkwu maintenance. The Gerai'aru thus remained a time-honored position, untouched by the changing climate of Welkwu.
Type
Civic, Military, Generic
Form of Address
Commander
Alternative Naming
Militia Supreme, Defence Councilman, Land Father; Gradesto, Gra'estar
Related Military Formations

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