Assar Empire
Summery
The largest of the empires in the human known universe, Assar spans ~70% of the inhabited solar systems. The Assar Emperor is the head of a ritualistic, authoritarian imperial state, and below him are the Five Heirs, the heads of the five royal families from which a new Emperor is chosen. The Emperor's authority is unquestioned and absolute, but the archaic and bureaucratic system of government makes it difficult for him to exert his rule unless directly in person. Otherwise, the Five Heirs rule in his name, dividing the huge empire between them.
The Emperor and the Five Heirs can expect to live for at least 500 years. Extensive cyber-implants keep their frail bodies alive, even when their organs begin to fail. These cyber-enhancements date back many millennia, and have become a symbol of royal divinity in the eyes of the Assarians.
Always a deeply religious people, religion remains of great importance to every Assarian, a fervour which at various times has been responsible both for great good and great evil. Shortly after recovering from the worlds war, they began to expand their realm at the expense of neighbouring states. The nations they conquered were enslaved, a practise justified by their religion.
Ever since, the Assarians have enslaved every nation and race they have encountered, and today slavery is an essential part of Assar society. This has, of course, tainted their relations with other races, especially the individualistic New Mars.
In recent years, however, the Assarians have begun to run into serious opposition. First, they met the New Mars Federation. Although much smaller than the Assar Empire, the Assarians soon found the economic and military might of New Mars a match for their own.
To make matters worse, the Sirians, enslaved for centuries by the Assarians, used the opportunity to rebel against their slave-masters.
Since these fateful events almost two centuries ago, the Assarians have learned restraint. They have slowed down their expansion and are less forceful in their dealings with other races, but still view themselves as the most powerful race in the known universe, if only because of their sheer numbers.
Assar Heirs
The Assar Heirs are the heads of the five royal families, the highest caste of the Holders apart from the Emperor family itself. Even if the emperor is the head of state his power outside his immediate vicinity is limited. The entrenched bureaucracy and the semi-feudal governing system means that all over the empire there are local lords that enjoy almost complete autonomy most of time. The Heirs are the most powerful of these lords. Each heir family has vast domains spanning dozens of solar systems. The power of the heirs can best be seen in the way each of them shapes their domain to fit his own wishes. The result is that the Assar Empire is a patchwork of rules and regulations, customs and traditions.
The power of the heir families originates in the changes made during the Moral Reform some 1500 years ago, when the influence of the Apostles was curbed. The Privy Council, the unofficial government of the empire, also dates from this time and all the heirs sit on it. Four of the current heir families are the original families given royal status during the Moral Reform. The fifth is a recent addition after the Khanid family was exiled. The five families are: the Ardishapur family, the Kador family, the Sarum family, the Kor-Azor family and the Tash-Murkon family (the new one). The heads for three of these families are introduced below. The Heir of the Ardishapur family is Yonis Ardishapur, a champion of the faith and avid collector of religious artifacts, some thought to date since before the construction of the ancient Jump Gates. The Sarum family has yet to name an Heir to replace Jamyl Sarum; its domains are currently run by its House Chamberlain
Goverment
The Assar Emperor/Empress is the head of state and appoints the head of government, the Chanceller; he/she also appoints the Court Chamberlain and ’Ruler of the Ammatar Mandate’. The office of Emperor has experienced many transformations in its history. It began as a principate and transformed later to Caesaropapism. The time of the Principate was from AD 16470 to 21460, at this time the Assarian Emperor was the leader of the Apostles, the first among equals, and his authority was channeled through the Council of Apostles.
After the Moral Reforms — AD 21950 — the Emperors became more powerful as secular leaders and also as supreme heads of the church; it was the beginning of the modern emperors. The Emperor's authority is unquestioned and absolute, but the archaic and bureaucratic system of government — including a series of checks-and-balances encountered both in the entrenched Empire institutions and in the rule of various local barons within the empire — makes it difficult for him to exert his rule unless directly in person. Otherwise, the Heirs rule in his name, dividing the huge empire between them. The closest that can be defined as his personal administrative body is the Emperor Family. The Family — with the Imperial Slaves — are the thin line which supports an Emperor to hold the naval forces under control. Realistically, the main support of an Emperor's power and authority is the military. Being paid by the imperial treasury, the soldiers (Paladins) also swore an annual military oath of loyalty towards him.
On an imperial level, the most powerful individuals are the Chancellor, the Chamberlain, the Emperor Family, and arguably the ’Ruler of the Ammatar Mandate’ to the imperial court. In addition, In order to maintain the administration's cohesion as a central body with the provinces of the empire, the Empress relies on the Privy Council, which functions, among other things, as a place where the royal families meet the Emperor. The Privy Council itself is the highest administrative body in the Assar Empire's civil hierarchy, forming the emperor's personal advisory council. In theory it is a gathering of the reigning emperor's most trusted advisors from various branches of government, assembling to offer advice and suggestions for the emperor's consideration.
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Capital
Demonym
Asasarian
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Legislative Body
Comments