Shu

The Shu is a diarchy, with two kings who hold joint power over the federation; one king rules the north, and the other rules the south, with both holding veto power over federal decisions. This power split was due to a four-way civil war that erupted shortly after the fall of Meridia, leading to the original Shu empire splitting into four smaller states. The Shukin and Balatia states still remain, but the northern and southern Shu states, both of whom claim to hold the capital and central power of the empire, came to form a federal government after a prolonged cold war.   The day-to-day operations of the Shu are performed by the governors of each province, being advised by a parliament of educated, land-owning nobles, though the kings hold supreme executive power. In practice, Shu acts as two separate nations held together with a weak federal government in times of peace, and as a single, rather disorganized nation in times of war, though the federalization has allowed a more complete monopoly of power to be held.   There are three main classes of peoples in Shu. Nobles are distinguished by being granted land from the king, and are directly beholden to the royal courts and the decrees of kings, but can otherwise act with relative impunity. Below, free citizens comprise the bulk of the middle class, being wealthy enough to protect their own interests, but holding little formal political power. Free citizens can only serve at the leisure of a king, though it is rare, and have no federal legal protection, being bound by provincial laws and courts.   Those who do not possess enough wealth or power to buy citizenship are the Dermeni, and have little to no legal protection against non-criminal acts, even within provincial law. Most Dermeni are free laborers who cannot afford to pay the citizenship tax to become a free citizen, but make enough to live an otherwise comfortable life. Slavery of any sort of outlawed in Shu on a federal level, but indentured servitude is common.