The Lords and Masters of Deci

[Sire Halfblack]

King: Earl Majius
Grand Vizier: Anath Halfblack
Defence Minister: Jander Sunstar
The Sleek: Baron Throttle
The King's Wizard: Master Twirl
Mennihaft: Dirk Draken
Governor: Baron Selgard
Commissent: Alendari

[Sire Halfblack]

King is not an Imperial term but a Tribal one, one applied to a Chieftain who comes to such prominence that other chieftains present tribute and accede to his leadership on matters of great import. Although the fate of such kings at the end of their reign is something not thought on too deeply…

As King, Earl Majius, is the undisputed ruler of Deci and her Nobility, to him do they come on bended knee and with the utmost respect and without a word of dissension. There is little of significance that the nobles of Deci can do without dispensation from their King and the people of the city treat him with deference and respect that is beyond the understanding of outsiders.

For quite some time Earl Majius, on the advice of his Vizier, resisted the mantle of King but in the end it could not be avoided any longer without the city crumbling into chaos. It needed a figure head, a leader to focus its woes and ills upon. By his acceptance of the crown he became a symbol of imperial defiance such that the people of Deci believed they had completed their rebellion against the Empire and thus, somewhat ironically, stopped trying to rebel and got on with their lives in an orderly fashion, working hard and paying their taxes. To their minds they had ceded from the Empire, ruled by a King not an Empress they felt free of the Imperial yoke, regardless of the more complex truth of the matter.

Of course, those with any familiarity of the history of Kings, especially Deci’s, know that their rule is often short and characterised by madness and insanity, something strangely loved and expected by the people, who currently feel their King is making a poor show on that front. Even the Earl knows that he cannot rule forever but whilst he does his power in Deci is absolute.

[Sire Halfblack]

It is somewhat traditional in Deci that whilst there is a figure head for the people to love, loathe, scheme against, fawn over or despise there is someone in the shadows pulling the strings and getting the actual job of running the city done unencumbered by official post, power or internal politics, of which Deci seethes with. For the last decade this has been Master Halfblack.

Like King, Vizier is not an imperial term but more one of slang. Whilst Anath would more readily refer to himself as Finance Minister in recent years the people have simply taken to using the slang of Vizier and one to which he has become accustomed, it is somewhat politer than most terms for what he does.

He has the respect of the citizens and is in the unique position that in Deci his advice is considered less advice but more an order, what he says is done almost entirely without question, even by The King and with such loyalty and obedience to his multilayered schemes and planning he has been able to guide the city to grow in spite of its constant tendency to self destruct.

In any other city he would be referred to as the Craftenguilder but his remit is so much more than simply being the representative of the city’s craft guilds on the council or the council’s representative to the city’s craft guilds. As Finance minister he made himself responsible for the city’s trade and, in truth his example lead to many Craftenguilders in the Empire refocusing their efforts towards trade and less craft.

Additionally the natural evolution of the stirling work that he, Sire Haruld, Ember, Hatsuki, and Croch performed lead to the post of Craftenguilder eventually becoming that of de facto Vice Governor. When the people can not find the Governor it is to the Craftenguilder they would turn. In Deci, when there is a problem it tends to be to the Vizier that those within and even without the city first turn.

[Sire Halfblack]

In the early years of the effective takeover of city councils by the Mercenary Caste Deci had a large council divided into three Ministries: Finance, Social and Defence. Each ministry had a number of more imperially recognisable posts answering to them such that the three ministers reported to the Governor and with the Craftenguilder reporting to the Finance Minster, the Magistrate and Watch Captain reporting to the Social Minister and the Commissent and Stadtus reporting to the Defence Minister.

In more recent years, with a somewhat smaller council and a city more tightly under the control of its rulers it has less need for such posts and the only remaining Ministerial post is that of the Defence Minister.

Jander has long held a position of influence in the city and has, on previous occasions been its Commissent and Governor as well as the post he now holds.
m
Defence Minister is probably one of the hardest post to administer in Deci. The nature and culture of the city is such that it does not form up armies, hosts or warbands for its defence. It will not even defend its own city walls. Instead it has always seemingly capitulated to aggressors and let them into the city, only for the invaders to over the course of weeks and months be robbed and slain in their sleep, or simply assimilated into the city’s cultures such that a few years later any memory of invasion is all but forgotten, especially by the invaders...

[Sire Halfblack]

There is no Imperial Law and Order in Deci. That which would function in any other city cannot in the lawless culture of Deci. However, wherever there are rulers there are the ruled and there are rules. In Deci the will of the rulers and their rules are enforced by the Sleek, Thieftaker, Judge and Executioner in one.

Baron Talath, The Sleek, fulfils the roles of Magistrate and Watch Captain which would otherwise just not be possible in the chaotic and entropic city.

The Lord Sleek whilst somewhat blasé about his power is a dangerous and feared man in the city. He enforces the will of his brother The King and it is said that nothing of note happens in Deci without it being brought to his attention and his psychic link to the people of the city makes for someone with eyes everywhere.

[Sire Halfblack]

The King’s Wizard is simply but another name for what would in another city be called the Stadtus. The Stadtus is responsible for monitoring the growth of Supernatural power and the enaction of rites used within the city. As an exponent of the Twilight Path, that form of ritual adept for the countering of rites and manipulation of supernatural power, Twirl is uniquely suited for the task of Stadtus.

[Sire Halfblack]

In an ordinary city the Mennihaft represents the interests of the Nobility on the council and the interests of the council amongst the Nobility. In Deci this is not entirely necessary given how the city's ruler is also ruler of the Deci Nobility. The two mesh together without need for a Mennihaft in the traditional sense, in fact, what is often over looked and forgotten is that before he became Governor Earl Majius served his usual Deci apprenticeship on the streets as Watch Sergeant and then several years as Deci's Mennihaft at a time when the only other City mennihaft of note was Countess Alcaster of Eartholme, with whom a certain amount of competition was enjoyed.

Consequently the role of Deci's Mennihaft is now more orientated to representing the interests of the more insular Deci Nobility amongst their cousins in Halgar and across the Empire.

[Sire Halfblack]

Alendari, has only just been recently appointed as Commissent in Mai IM 1011, a post which until then was held by the city Mennihaft Dirk. A bit of a redundant post given Deci’s culture with regards armies and defence and Jander’s own presence, however in his time Dirk has managed to turn that around a little, at least within the city walls. The relationship between Jander, as Defence Minister, and Dirk as Commissent has effectively worked out less as the previous Minister and subordinate and more based on regions. Jander, with his interests in the city’s mining industry spends much time in travelling the Rural Lands and thus has devoted his time to the rural defences, whereas Dirk, with his dual responsibility of Mennihaft, spends his time with in the city walls and thus has looked to dealing with matters with in the city.

It could also be observed that Jander has tended to look to the protection of the common man and Dirk to the protection of the Nobility, with the raising of the secretive Order of the Spire Guard.

[Sire Halfblack]

In any other city the Governor would be simply appointed by the Senate to govern the city in the name of the Senate. Of course, in Deci, things are a little different. Governors tend to come and go and Deci has had a fair few in the last decade: Dalron Majius, Jander Sunstar, Troy Majius, Duke Stoneheart, Gabriel Drake and now Baron Selgard, whilst those in the shadows tend to remain, quietly orchestrating the growth of the city and tending to their schemes.

The reality of the post in Deci is that the Governor governs at the Largesse of The King and by the hand of the Vizier. This is not to say that the people do not respect the Governor, far from it, they simply know that the King is the city's ruler and the Governor, is, the Governor. Few outside Deci could understand quite how this works, in actuality few in Deci understand it either but it does.

Whilst only recently in the post Selgard is proving popular as a local lad done good. His lands are in Deci and he has served on the council in the past as Craftenguilder and is well known to the people. Although often mocked by fellow mercenaries Selgard, is quietly competent at working behind the scenes and is an old hand at the game of politics.

Within the Hundred Chambers is whispered the rumour that the current Governor attained his position following the sly scheming and machinations of the Vizier who sought a candidate that would be acceptable to both the people of Deci and the Senate. Of course, it would require foresight and planning of unbelievable magnitude for the Vizier to arrange such and manipulate his own personal choice in such a Senatorial appointment, so, that’s hardly a credible rumour…