Imperial Prefect
A unique position within the Empire of Turelion, the post of the Imperial Prefect is regarded as being one of the most august appointments in the Empire, as the holder of the title is responsible for every aspect of the Imperial Capital, Meltaro.
Appointment
Like most of the most important positions within the Empire of Turelion, the Imperial Prefect is appointed directly by the Emperor. Whilst in theory this appointment is the prerogative of the Imperial personage alone, in practice when a vacancy arises the Congregation of Lords will prepare a short list of appropriate candidates from which the Emperor can pick the next Imperial Prefect. This means that the pool of potential candidates is almost always restricted to the members of the Congregation of Lords, and the members of the Imperial Court who have a large amount of influence within that body.
Duties
Everything to do with the administration and defence of the city of Meltaro, save for the area of the Grand Imperial Palace and its grounds comes under the auspices of the Imperial Prefect. From ensuring that harbour tariffs are being accurately collected and tallied to ensuring that the roads remain in good condition everything and anything that is involved in making sure that the business of keeping the great metropolis runs smoothly crosses the Imperial Prefect’s desk.
In reality, the vast majority of these duties are delegated to the several hundred staff that the Imperial Prefect has at their disposal. This means that, in reality, the Imperial Prefect only undertakes the most light and honorific of duties, but inevitably each holder of the office has always been able to fill their time with the likes of opening buildings and attending state banquets.
Theoretically, the defence of Meltaro comes under the remit of the Imperial Prefect, and for a time shortly after the Empire of Turelion's founding Imperial Prefects were selected from the Empire’s generals. However as time wore on and the likelihood of the capital being attacked became less and less, Imperial Prefects began to be selected from bureaucrats and politicians rather than warriors. This means that almost all Imperial Prefects delegate oversight of the city’s defences and give unchallenged command of the Meltaro Guard to the guard’s head, the Marshall of Meltaro.
Benefits
As well as an incredibly generous stipend, the Imperial Prefect is given access to an official residence within the Administration District of Meltaro, along with a large annual grant to go towards paying for the servants of this residence and for incidental expenses involved in carrying out the duties of the office, including holding state banquets. Imperial Prefects are also granted a seat ex officio in the Congregation of Lords.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
Short of committing treason, there is little that an Imperial Prefect would do that would threaten their position. As the overseers of law and order in the Imperial Capital, there is a vast amount of scope for Imperial Prefects to use their power to protect themselves and their associates, regardless of what underhand things they might get up to.
The greatest risk to an Imperial Prefects position is losing the favour of a statistically significant number of the members of the Congregation of Lords. Loss of such confidence would likely result in them not being recommended to the Emperor to remain in post at the end of their term of office, or in a few select cases might even result in a vote of no confidence being levelled against them in the Congregation of Lords, resulting in their immediate dismissal. Fear of this happening means most holders of the position do whatever is in their power to grant favours and manipulate the system to the advantage of their peers in the Congregation of Lords, regardless of how morally repugnant such actions might be.
Type
Civic, Political
Form of Address
My Lord/Lady Prefect
Source of Authority
Theoretically the Imperial Prefects authority stems from the Emperor, but all Imperial Prefects know that they must keep most of the Congregation of Lords on side to avoid being missed off the shortlist of candidates when their term of office expires
Length of Term
To ensure accountability for the steward of the Empire of Turelion’s most important city, the length of term for the Imperial Prefect is five years, though there is no limit to the amount of times that one can hold the office in succession.
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