Fantasmal Government

Overview

The Fantasmal Government is the global governing body of Mendala. It creates legislation that has global impact; regulates global economy and commerce practices; classifies and accredits countries and independent cities; enforces global policy; and handles matter of international crime or terrorism.
The Fantasmal Government answers to the Epouranal Council strictly by design of the Fantasma, but in truth, the council does not monitor the inner workings of the government or make any attempts to reign it in unless the government’s own charter or mandates require their involvement.
The Fantasmal Government does not interfere in the internal matters of country or independent city except when that country or independent city is not recognized as an official country or city or when that country or city is engaged in illegal activities as defined by global legislation (such as slavery). The Fantasmal Government also does not interfere in matters of war unless all warring parties petition for mediation.
In addition, independent cities and even whole countries can elect to be under Fantasmal rule which means they are ultimately governed by the Fantasma. These are called Sunitarian domains. To do this, the domain must adhere to the Worldwide Nonpartisan Treaty, and restructure their entire government according to what the Fantasma dictates. The exchange is that Fantasmal ruled states have high prestige and are protected by the Fantasmal Government if attacked by another domain. Despite this, Sunitarian nations are few and far between, proving that self-rule is still preferable to most peoples.
The Fantasmal Government levies taxes against countries, independent cities, merchants, private banks, and the Warrior Guild to pay for everything necessary to run the agencies within. Because of this, the government is never in debt, and stopped accepting private donations of any kind in 47 TS, to prevent even the hint of impropriety.
In general, there are three main divisions of the Fantasmal Government, the Legislative Division, the Administrative Division, and the Military Division, also known as the Fantasmal Forces.

Origins

The Fantasmal Government was founded in the first years of the TS era by the first appointed Fantasma, a man previous named Jeremiah Fantas. For years before its inception, a growing number of people, from common folk to world leaders, had been clamoring for a central world government and begging the epouranals to establish one. After months of prayer and meditation, they all came to the same conclusion of who to appoint to the position of leader of the world government, and Jeremiah was unanimously chosen to take up the mantle.
Before being made Fantasma, Jeremiah was a slave at the estate of Raymond Rensfield, a wealthy merchant and landowner in southern Candovia, east of the Crystal Sands Desert. On new year’s eve of the last year of the PM era, the twelve epouranals found Jeremiah and whisked him away to the tallest mountain in the world to prove his appointment by moving the mountain to the isthmus between Lumaria and Candovia. Jeremiah accomplished this by using the first known mandamus command, an event so powerful, it was felt throughout the world.
After this, Fantasma’s appointment was announced throughout the world by the epouranals via the mentant realm. Because of this, many people began to send envoys, servants, money, and other means of support to the mountain to aid the Fantasma in establishing. The main support, however, came from his former master Rensfeild.
Though many thought that he should have been the one to form a global government, Rensfield was a man of great faith and not only accepted the epouranals decision without question, but believed it was his duty to help the new Fantasma in every way possible. With Rensfield’s help, the new Fantasma was able to surround himself with knowledgeable and loyal retainers who would help him create the foundation and framework of the Fantasmal Government.
However, not everyone was pleased with the seemingly arbitrary selection of a mere servant, not skilled in any form of government or leadership, as the world leader. Many governments would not submit to the Fantasma, and there was a great deal of opposition.
The most pronounced was from the Warrior Guild an international organization devoted to training people in combat in battle. Many excelled through the Warrior Guild and went on to become leaders and politicians. This system had been in place for several thousand years and though the guild could be brutal, it had always been seen as the most equitable way to advance. All were welcome at guild, even slaves were allowed to use the guild to raise themselves out of debt.
A large army came to Fantasmal Mountain to force the Fantasma to relinquish his claim as world leader. They surmised that no one man could stand against an army of thousands. After all, Fantasma was not an epouranal, so surly this meant he could be defeated. Fantasma proved this theory wrong. He stood at the top of Fantasmal Mountain in a hollow chamber and proclaimed, "You claim that you should have authority because you have power. You've come here to back up your claim by using your weapons and mentus against me, but the Almighty has made me the leader of this planet, and He gave me the power to backup that authority. If ‘might makes right' is all you can understand, then let me show you my might."
He spoke one mandamus command and the armies were scattered across the four continents. The hollow chamber at the top of the mountain was named Echo Cavern because from that location, the Fantasma could use mentus and mandamus that affected the entire world. After this fantastic display of power, no one else dare challenged the rule of the Fantasma, deeming him to be as untouchable as an epouranal, if not more.
Fantasma realized that, despite the previous clamor for a world government, the majority of nations and independent cities did not want to give up their autonomy to function under one centralized rule. Despite all of his power, he did not believe that brute force would resolve this issue and instead would lead to constant turmoil, destruction, and power struggles that would result in innumerable deaths. So Fantasma sought to create a global government that would be widely accepted and thus far more effective. There would still be detractors, but it would be far more manageable. With the help of many wise advisors, Fantasma created the framework of the Fantasmal Government with three basic precepts.
First, the Fantasmal Government would only enact global laws that were designed to apply equally and fairly across the world. The idea behind this was to prevent the Fantasmal Government from creating laws that unfairly targeted a specific country or domain.
Second, the Fantasmal Government would not interfere with the internal matters of nations or independent cities unless those domains broke established global law. This was to reinforce that the Fantasmal Government was not to function as “one world rule” where individual nations and cities lost their autonomy.
Third, the Fantasmal Government would not interfere in conflicts or wars between domains unless all parties agreed to mediation. This third precept was deemed the most important since it was believed that the Fantasma could turn the tide of war in any direction he chose, and world leaders wanted the Fantasmal Government to maintain the type of neutrality that the epouranals for known for.
With these three precepts in place, the Fantasmal Government started being developed and formed and as word spread, more and more nations and independent cities began to send representatives and envoys to show their support for the new government.

The Fantasma

The Fantasma Government is headed by one person who is always known only by their rank: Fantasma. Fantasma in ancient Mendalian means “Greatest Servant.” The Fantasma is always chosen by the twelve epouranal mages. When the current Fantasma dies or retires, the epouranal mages go into meditation for several days and return with the name of the next Fantasma. The Fantasma is always a guardian. Though there is no written rule that says this, it has always been so.
The Fantasma is inaugurated into office through a special private ritual that has never been documented but involves the twelve epouranals transferring the power of the previous Fantasma onto the new one including the adimus identity of “Fantasma,” known as the Fantasmal Signature. From that point on, the previous person ceases to exist, and they are truly the Fantasma. For previous Fantasma’s that are retired, this means that they regain their old identity and can live out the rest of their lives as their former selves.
As stated by the epouranals, the Fantasma is the divinely appointed ruler of global government and therefore can function in any way they see fit. However, the first Fantasma created the Fantasmal Government to provide order, structure and even limitations to the power of the Fantasma and those who serve within the government. This was so that cities and nations around the world would accept the rule of the Fantasma without the constant need to be forcibly made to comply.

Fantasmal Privilege

As the highest government authority, the Fantasma is bound by their own word and oaths, even those made by previous incarnations. As such, the Fantasma always operates within the self-imposed restrictions of the Fantasmal Government unless clear exceptions allow otherwise. However, Fantasmal Privilege stands above all aspects of the Fantasmal Government by virtue of the Fantasma’s divine right to rule.
Fantasmal Privilege is the concept that, by right of their position, the Fantasma can perform any government action they deem fit for any reason without question. In practice, Fantasmal Privilege is usually only evoked in three specific areas:

• The Fantasma’s right to assign anyone to any position within the global government without question
• The Fantasma’s right to enact rules / guidelines / polices for any of the divisions and departments that fall under the Fantasmal Government without consultation.
• The Fantasma’s right to create global law when they feel the situation is warranted, without need for consensus, also known as a Fantasmal Order

Fantasmal Privilege is rarely used by Fantasmas so as not to undermine faith in the systems and structures put in place.

Legislative Division

Legislation is the main function of the Fantasmal Government and all laws created are global or wide reaching in nature. Technically, the Fantasma can unilaterally enact any law due to the privilege of his role. However, as a way to foster agreement on global law and prevent disputes, the Fantasmal Government instituted two legislation bodies known as “houses” which vote on laws which can either be approved or vetoed by the Fantasma.

Legislative Houses

There are two legislative houses whose membership is determined by domain type.
House of Tellus: This includes representatives from all accredited countries. The council deals with issues and legislation specific to countries.
House of Vurbis: This includes representatives from all accredited independent cities and deals with issues and legislation specific to those cities.
To be considered “accredited,” a country or city must have existed for at least a year in a state of non-conflict (internal or external). They must also have a specific minimum population and pay taxes to the Fantasmal Government based on that population.
The two houses meet monthly inside of Fantasmal Mountain; however, many prominent representatives actually live inside the mountain and participate in smaller committees managed by the houses.
Each house is led by a steering committee that determines the house’s sub-committees, what topics will be focused on or brought up for consideration, and the general direction of the house. The steering committee members are voted on every three years, and the same person cannot be on the steering committee more than ten times total. The steering committee chooses a leader who is responsible for running the main meetings and reporting to the Fantasma.
Currently the House of Tellus steering committee has three members, while the House of Vurbis has a twelve-person steering committee.

Oversight Committee

The oversight committee is comprised of twelve guardians whose main purpose is to ensure there is no fraud or misconduct in the legislative process. They strictly monitor the two legislative houses and root out any corruption. They also make sure no domain holds any unduly high sway. The oversight committee accepts legislative proposals from the houses and goes over them before submitting them for approval via the Fantasma’s chief of staff.

Fantasmal Court

Officially the second highest court in the world, (the highest court being the Epouranal Council), in almost all but the rarest of circumstances, all judicial disputes end here. The Fantasmal Court is composed of 7 guardians, selected by the Fantasma or Guardian Council. They hear cases that cannot be resolved within the confines of a city or country's regular judicial process or issues that cross international lines. Depending on the judicial issue in question a case can be heard by one, three or all seven of the court guardians.

Administrative Division

In addition to creating global law, the Fantasmal Government has many other global administrative roles. It regulates global economy, commerce, and trade, tightly monitoring merchants to prevent fraudulent activities which is easy to do with mentus and mandamus. The Fantasmal Government also controls the Warrior Guild, the Lostram Bank, Mandoria Mountain and Weather Mountain among other institutions.
With the exceptions of the guardians, who report directly to the Fantasma, all departments of the administrative division report to either the Fantasmal Mind Mage or the Fantasmal Quickener.

Fantasmal Staff

This refers to all those who work for the Fantasma which incorporates all the healers, quickeners, mind mages, and mandants who do tasks throughout the mountain and the world as well as those who work in hospitality, administrative support, and the support staff who take care of the mountain.

Fantasmal Libraries

The most comprehensive set of libraries in the world. This library not only includes a copy of almost every book ever written but also copies of all public melivian recordings whether they are news, dramatic performances, or just short announcements. The libraries contain copies of every legal document both public and private and contain copies of all records generated for purposes of government or commerce, including meeting minutes, memorandums and even order forms. The libraries also house every known ancient scroll, all known epouranal texts (originals or copies), and an abundance of ancient and priceless artifacts.

Global Trade and Commerce Authority

This agency deals with merchants, trade, and commerce throughout Mendala. Merchant activity is tightly monitored because of the ease of fraud using mentus and mandamus. In many cases a first offense can result in extremely high fines, revocation of licenses, or even jail. The T&C Authority deals with the regulation of Fantasmal Merchants and commercial quickeners. They are also the only ones capable of creating silver and gold ustus embedded with the Fantasmal Signature to prove its authenticity.

Guardian Council

The Guardian Council is composed of 12 guardians who are selected by the Fantasma. They are responsible for assigning guardians across Mendala to various people, places, and positions. They receive regular reports from guardians in the field and monitor guardian actions. The council is also responsible for the training and mentoring of potential guardians and recommending such potentials to the Fantasma. The leader of the Guardian Council is appointed by the Fantasma and reports directly to them.

Lostram Bank

The global banking system. All private banks communicate and exchange currency through the Lostram. The Lostram is also responsible for controlling currency value in relation to centars as well as creating and distributing authentic centars using the Fantasmal Signature.

Special Services

This organization deals with crime on a global scale including terrorism, governmental corruption, and organized crime. The special services incorporates the [Fantasmal Marshals] who pursue and transport criminals that cross international lines, the [Special Agents Of Mendala] who deal with high level organized crime and terrorism, and the [Governmental Investigation Agency] which deals with political or government corruption including the Fantasmal Government itself.

Warrior Guild

A long-standing institution that existed before the Fantasmal Government. The Warrior Guild is a place where people learn to fight and can use this to improve their standing in their communities. The Warrior Guild is only loosely regulated by the Fantasmal Government, but death matches are strictly prohibited. The guild is responsible for a large amount of the money used to run the government.

Weather Mountain

Responsible for the balance of weather across the planet. Because of its significance and importance, the mountain is controlled and protected by the Fantasmal Government. However, it is run by the Commander Of Weather and the staff of the mountain. The Commander of Weather is responsible for the regulation and control of all weather masters/mistresses across the planet.

Mandoria Mountain

The official master timepiece of Mendala, it is the only place in the world where mandorian quartz can be found. Because of its significance and importance, the Fantasmal Government controls and protects the mountain, and it is run by the Chief Timekeeper and their staff. The timekeepers are responsible for the maintenance of the Mandorian Chronometer and the creation and distribution of mandorinites.

Military Division

The military division, formally known as the Fantasmal Forces, are the largest standing military in the world and incorporate all the armed forces of the Fantasma. The entirety of Fantasma’s military reports to the chief general who is one of the few people who report directly to the Fantasma.

Mentus, Mandamus & Mettle Military Forces

The main branch of the Fantasmal Forces. They are deployed at all Fantasmal Government sites and Sunnitarian domains as a deterrent to attack. They are also regularly deployed at the request of warring domains to enforce cease fires and temporary or permanent truces. Once a year, during the Sunnin Solstice, the MM&M enforce a mandatory worldwide cease fire for the length of the event. The Sunnin Social System and the Order of Nature have the right to call upon troops as needed for any reason.

Oceanic Protectorate

The Oceanic Protectorate monitors the seas to guard against pirates and other nautical dangers. By global law war is not allowed to be conducted in the ocean and the Oceanic Protectorate enforces this.

Fantasmal Knights

The Fantasmal Knights are technically part of the MM&M but are a small, elite faction of fighters that carry out special missions on behalf of the Fantasma. This could include monster hunting, exploring dangerous areas, investigating war crimes, and various other jobs. The Fantasmal Knights are unique in that they are all nons who have been granted the Fantasmal Signature, endowing them with far more power than the average fighter.
The Fantasmal Knights were the very first division of the Fantasmal Forces, formed by Leonard Timpson, one of the leaders of the Warrior Guild who originally opposed the very first Fantasma’s appointment. After the guild’s catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Fantasma, Leonard returned to Fantasmal Mountain and vowed to serve the Fantasma stating that the Fantasma should never have to display that type of power again in order to maintain their rule. He formed the Fantasmal Knights to be the Fantasma’s personal guards and enforces, completely loyal to the Fantasma and their role has grown and evolved over time.

Non-Combat Corps

The Fantasmal Forces have special engineering and medical corps that help with post war cleanup and rebuilding projects depending on the circumstances. This is primarily used when a war has left the people of a specific area completely abandoned or without a functioning government. In addition, the Fantasmal Forces has a highly sophisticated logistical infrastructure including a communication crystal network, a translift network, and a quickener network.

Page Contents

Organization Profile

Org Type	Government
Founded	1 TS
Founder	Fantasma (Jeremiah Fantas)
Headquarters	Fantasmal Mountain

Library Info & Links

Leader

Fantasma

Leader Title

Fantasma

Location

Fantasmal Mountain

Related Ranks & Titles

• Fantasma

Controlled Territories

• Fantasmal Mountain

Notable Members

• Alice Verning
• Fantasma
• Franklin Stokenshire
• Sharanel Quicksilver

Related Historical Events

• 4041
  Jeremiah Fantas Made First Fantasma

Staff

Alice Verning

Fantasma

Franklin Stokenshire

Honsmordin Pornabus

Karmandrian Jorbedus

Sharanel Quicksilver

Veda Guardman

Character Guide

All Characters Characters by Group / Organization Characters by Location

Groups & Organizations

Government & Politics

Significant Global Law

World Leaders (Main Article)

Epouranal Mages | Epouranal Council Fantasma | Fantasmal Government Daughter of the Sun |Sunnin Social System Terminology