The Dar’Tia Bureaucracy (Darr Tee)

The Dar’Tia Bureaucracy is the name of the governmental system and organisation that runs the Rhuman Empire. It is the empire's law and political organ through which it rules. It stands out in the world of Zephyr was most states run on a feudal system where you are born into power; but that’s not to say there are no gaps between the intellectual and monetary elite who has a chance to get into the bureaucratic system and those who don’t have a chance at the entrance exams.

General Information

History

Before the world shattered it was common for trade guilds and states to control the flow of goods. Not everyone was allowed to buy and sell tea, gold, maps, and not everyone was allowed to get into a profession. The world may have changed and the job and goods that are considered important have shifted but the world is still very much the same. Once the dust settled and the house of Rhuman established control of the Dar’Chartan sky continent they subjugated the other states by tightly controlling key resources like wood, wyrmsilk and water. When the first summoner who came from house Rhuman ascended and established the Rhuman Dynasti the Dar’Tia Bureaucracy was put in place. An organisation who acted fairly making and enforcing laws of conduct, safety and commerce that in theory everyone had the equal opportunity to enter and rise in rank. The reason for this shift was to include the multiple states and put them under a more agreeable “soft” subjugation. Follow the few rules of the Dar’Tia, respect the officers and judges, and the subjugated state would be left alone to handle it’s own matters as they wished.

Agenda

The public agenda of the Bureaucracy is to protect the common interests of all subjects under the Rhuman Dynasti in a fair and just manner. Imperial offices are placed around key areas and judges roam the islands to bring law and justice where it would be otherwise lawless. It is difficult to have permanent lawmen in every little community and sky island without traveling Judges.
To the empire it is important to control key goods and make sure there can’t be any rebellions against it. By controlling goods that make ships, solar sails, magical plants, weapons as well as identification and land ownership rules the Dar’Tia Bureaucracy in their mission try to keep the peace and lead the empire to prosperity. However the bureaucracy is still young and with how it’s structured and the power of officials and judges there have been multiple cases of clan favoritism and corruption. It will be up to the near future to decide what the bureaucracy will shape into.

Organisational Structure

Outer Circle

There are four main ranks within the bureaucracy: Officer, Knight, Judge, Archon and The Arch Arcon. They work and spread their influence through imperial offices or travel around to more remote areas to ensure the long arms of the bureaucracy reach the whole of the empire.

Officer

An officer handles policing, administrative duties and makes sure the orders of the higher ups are being carried out. The footmen of the hierarchy and the local politicans. If an officer performs well they can be promoted to the title of Knight by a judge or archon.

Knight

A Knight holds authority over officers as the chairman of the imperial offices and gets the ability to send in requests for surveys, law changes or other letters of importance to campaign for a cause to the inner circles of the bureaucracy.

Inner Circle

Judge

Judges are expected to flawlessly understand the laws and have the power to carry out tribunals on their own. They are respected and feared, treated as noblemen wherever they go. They are part of Judge circles that control a larger region where they carry out their duties. During a three month period judges are called to Central to vote on laws, budget and debate important topics that have to do with the running of the empire. A judge must be able to uphold the laws of the empire, deal personally with threats through their might if it’s needed and be able to navigate the forums of the bureaucracy.

Archon

An archon is a judge who has also passed the requirements of a Canary or Summoner; someone who can call upon the powers of an aeon. They have the ability to veto a vote and are only outranked by the Empress herself. They are extremely few and very powerful.

The Arch Arcon

At the very top of the hierarchy is the Arch Arcon.They are chosen through a closed door process between the archons. They can veto out even the Acorns and are in direct contact with the empress herself, their authority being given as the right arm and second highest ranked person in the whole empire.

Entrance Exams

Innovative to the bureaucracy compared to previous forms of government, getting a position as an officer is not based on your family lineage or privilege like in the times of peasants and nobles. To get in you have to have served four years in the imperial army and pass the entrance exam hosted once every three years. The main reason for the army time requirement is that it ensures that you are a member of the empire, gives you proper identification, shows you have some combat skills and guarantees some experience working with a larger organisation.
The exams are held in the imperial offices over a three day period and test knowledge about laws, history, poetry and literature, accounting and several other topics. The tests are then sent to central where they are graded and a set number of top performing results are eligible to become an officer. Cheating on a test or tampering with the test results is considered a serious crime with a hefty cash fine and being banned from working in the offices

Patron Houses

For wealthy individuals who wish to have influence on the rulings of the empire it is common to sponsor a promising candidate by giving them study materials, tutors and a place in their home. The point of sponsoring someone is that the exams are very difficult without training and you can make your candidate obligated to work in your favour. Since most officers who get in have the patronage of some wealthy individual, be it a lord, clan, house or king, it is fair to question how unbiased the workings of the bureaucracy is.

Pomegranate. A symbol of prosperity and unity as well as a relic from the house of Rhuman as the fruit was their family symbol and now used by the bureaucracy.

Founding Date

230 ZC

Type

Government, Law Enforcement

Alternative Names

Paper Government, The Offices

Parent Organization

The Rhuman Empire

Related Professions

• Ruling Judge

Ranks

1. The Arch Archon
2. Archon
3. Judge
4. Knight
5. Officer