The Tundra Enclave
The nation-state of Suranth and its complex legal code was and is written and handled with only the approval of the High King, Cormac Ironcliffe. However he is a wise dwarf and his people are folk of collaboration amongst their own. The High King has a legislative council made up of 12 other individuals along with himself. His own clan and people under his dominion elect a representative, as is custom, and then the head of Sir Kartheart's Clergy sit on this council, along with the Protectorate Lord or Lady's appointed individual of choice from each of the other five ruling clans, and one elected person from each of the provinces, including the Ironcliffe Province. This legislative body is known as the Tundra Conclave, and those appointed serve for life or until dismissal, whilst those elected serve with 10 year terms between elections, except the High King who serves for life, as is the ancient traditions and codes of the position. These folk end up relocating to Geata-Iarainn with their families, and often with a small personal staff, numbering anywhere form four to eight people, and their families. There are estates held in trust within the Caverns of Geata-Iarainn meant solely for these political appointees, and other houses in the district, held in trust to house their trusted staff and families. This inner circle oft includes a second in command, two or more personal body guards, one or more scribes or clerks to handle documentation, and at least one personal servant. This Conclave meet and work daily through all manner of political affairs, legislative business, economic policies, and anything else of country wide interest, all throughout the business week.
Structure
The Tundra Conclave is structured as a thirteen seat council that represents the interests of their people and clanholds, one that handles federal level policy, such as federal law, tax budgeting, military spending, foreign economic policies, societal policies and so forth. Basically the 'bigger picture' items of running a country, letting provincial governments, land trustees/ranking nobles and their advisors, and town/village councils, worry about each rung down on the scale and scope in such matters.
The sitting members break down simply. Two seats are permanent, though the people can change over the centuries as one dies and a new one takes their place. Listed below are the seats, and whom they represent.
Suranthi Crown Seat:The first, whom is very likely close to that time where a replacement must be chosen, is the seat of the High King (or Queen). High King Cormac, now in his fifth century of life, is old, very old, even for a dwarf. Though tough and stubborn, it is obvious he is not well these last few months, and though he tries to play it off, many expect it is only a matter of time, and that time isn't long now. Of course the holder of this seat is allowed to appoint a trusted Warden or Advisor to it for no more than two months at a time without needing to show up in person, and make the appointment anew with a stated reason. This is because, as one should obviously figure, the High King may not be available every single day. They may be busy in lengthy talks with a foreign leader, an ally, or their representative. Such is the line of duty.
Seat of the Valorous:The second seat, that of Sir Kartheart's faithful, is currently held by a dwarf whom none are sure, not even himself, of his age or proximity to the end of his life. Storm Father Niosgruam Axe-Hand Árthachmac, the head of the entire Cult of Sir Kartheart, the ranking religious official of the entire religion, of course is another whom does not have to show up in person, and may send a trusted advisor or member of the clergy to sit for him, though to his credit, most days he is present and taking part in at least half the day's discussions and votes.
Provincial Elector Seats: These six seats are elected positions, up for grabs once every ten years. The election process takes three years, a year long campaign in each governed region within a province to basically pick their favorite representative, six months to insure all ballots are counted correctly and totalled correctly, and then another year of political campaigning to win hearts and minds across the province by all the regional victors, before a province wide election between them all. The regional vote is simply done by count, whomever gets the most wins, but the provincial vote is done in a ranked choice system, which in the principle of why and how it works, is not so different from how the rather secretive process of electing a High King or Queen works, though the common folk don't know this.
Appointed Official SeatsThese five seats are there for the Protectorates, of the other provinces, besides whichever one the current High King was voted in from, to appoint an official to represent their interests. These officials are also appointed for life, barring the Protectorate they serve were to be put on the throne of course, or until their liege sees fit to dismiss them, should such a circumstance occur.
This unique balance of basically favorite citizens and actual officials is a very forward thinking step by High King Cormac, and his decision to include the throne and the church as the last two seats was a wise one indeed, insuring that Sir Kartheart has a voice, and therefore placating many important factions including the Storm Lancers, whilst ultimately, but insuring the throne is always the last voice to vote, that ties are only ever decided by the person whom should in theory, have the best information, the most complete picture, and the best interests of their people, their nation and their culture at heart. Of course he is wise enough to realize though it is the best he could do, this does rely on future holders of his own position to learn from his example and build competent and trustworthy advisory boards, utilizing well the Wave-Runners and their intelligence operations, and keeping an active and open mind.
The sitting members break down simply. Two seats are permanent, though the people can change over the centuries as one dies and a new one takes their place. Listed below are the seats, and whom they represent.
Suranthi Crown Seat:The first, whom is very likely close to that time where a replacement must be chosen, is the seat of the High King (or Queen). High King Cormac, now in his fifth century of life, is old, very old, even for a dwarf. Though tough and stubborn, it is obvious he is not well these last few months, and though he tries to play it off, many expect it is only a matter of time, and that time isn't long now. Of course the holder of this seat is allowed to appoint a trusted Warden or Advisor to it for no more than two months at a time without needing to show up in person, and make the appointment anew with a stated reason. This is because, as one should obviously figure, the High King may not be available every single day. They may be busy in lengthy talks with a foreign leader, an ally, or their representative. Such is the line of duty.
Seat of the Valorous:The second seat, that of Sir Kartheart's faithful, is currently held by a dwarf whom none are sure, not even himself, of his age or proximity to the end of his life. Storm Father Niosgruam Axe-Hand Árthachmac, the head of the entire Cult of Sir Kartheart, the ranking religious official of the entire religion, of course is another whom does not have to show up in person, and may send a trusted advisor or member of the clergy to sit for him, though to his credit, most days he is present and taking part in at least half the day's discussions and votes.
Provincial Elector Seats: These six seats are elected positions, up for grabs once every ten years. The election process takes three years, a year long campaign in each governed region within a province to basically pick their favorite representative, six months to insure all ballots are counted correctly and totalled correctly, and then another year of political campaigning to win hearts and minds across the province by all the regional victors, before a province wide election between them all. The regional vote is simply done by count, whomever gets the most wins, but the provincial vote is done in a ranked choice system, which in the principle of why and how it works, is not so different from how the rather secretive process of electing a High King or Queen works, though the common folk don't know this.
Appointed Official SeatsThese five seats are there for the Protectorates, of the other provinces, besides whichever one the current High King was voted in from, to appoint an official to represent their interests. These officials are also appointed for life, barring the Protectorate they serve were to be put on the throne of course, or until their liege sees fit to dismiss them, should such a circumstance occur.
This unique balance of basically favorite citizens and actual officials is a very forward thinking step by High King Cormac, and his decision to include the throne and the church as the last two seats was a wise one indeed, insuring that Sir Kartheart has a voice, and therefore placating many important factions including the Storm Lancers, whilst ultimately, but insuring the throne is always the last voice to vote, that ties are only ever decided by the person whom should in theory, have the best information, the most complete picture, and the best interests of their people, their nation and their culture at heart. Of course he is wise enough to realize though it is the best he could do, this does rely on future holders of his own position to learn from his example and build competent and trustworthy advisory boards, utilizing well the Wave-Runners and their intelligence operations, and keeping an active and open mind.
Public Agenda
To govern, advise, guide and lead the Suranthi people forward into this age of Revitalization and Industrialization. To strengthen and maintain our position within our current alliances, to further develop and grow our grip on the vast wealth of untapped potential and resources in our homeland, and to secure our grip on a future of prosperity and advancement.
Assets
To count their wealth would be a challenge as this legislative body is also responsible for the national budget, and so is playing with house money, as it were, the entiriety of the country's tax revenue. That can be a misleading statement of course, as about sixty percent of this revenue is then sent right back down to the provincial level, whom take their part, dividing up the rest to send to their down to the estate boards, and so on and so forth, insuring every town or village has some sort of yearly budget to work with for public works projects.
History
The Tundra Conclave was first established actually as High King Cormac's trusted military officers and advisors when he was but a young dwarf, leading the Reclaimation March for his ancestral homeland, though he'd never seen it. The policies of they came up with, as they reclaimed city ruins, lost holdings, and kept up the pressure, has seen Suranth through to where it is today. To a place where her great cities are returned to her, intact, no evidence of the Sundering left within their walls. To where they've expanded outwards and reclaimed large swathes of their land and resources, and consolidated those gains.
But in doing all this, over a near two and half century campaign, early on Cormac knew he needed to leave a blueprint for the future. Military rule would only see a rise of a new kind of chaos for his people, especially since his kindred were not the only race living in Suranth, nor the only one with that right. The men, elves, halflings, Vrock and even few gnomes whom had joined his cause from the great metropolis, their descendants had every right to be counted as equals in most matters certainly, and in all matters of state absolutely. In Cormac's mind only those things that were issues within a given great clan were outside that definition, and so his legal code enshrined. Beyond that, he went as far to name two human lineages to status of Great Clan, replacing two fallen clans. This decision was a hard one to sell to his kin, but the dwarves could not deny that the humans of the Storm-born and Romain lineages deserved their place, as their bravery and valor stood equal to those of the other four great clans in the battles and conflict time and again.
And so High King Cormac knew what needed to be done. Even as he set about consolidating, and structuring a military, a tax system, a legal code, an economy, and well...an entire nation, including alliances, education systems and more, delegating and manuevoring manpower, resources and all else as needed, he also codified the future of his country. He codified what High King, or indeed High Queen, would actually mean. His people would not be ruled by one clan, but by all, and though the one sitting on the Valor's Throne would be elected for their lifetime, that person would not have absolute power. They would be but one voice, the voice to break stalemates, among thirteen others. Thus was the Tundra Conclave born.
But in doing all this, over a near two and half century campaign, early on Cormac knew he needed to leave a blueprint for the future. Military rule would only see a rise of a new kind of chaos for his people, especially since his kindred were not the only race living in Suranth, nor the only one with that right. The men, elves, halflings, Vrock and even few gnomes whom had joined his cause from the great metropolis, their descendants had every right to be counted as equals in most matters certainly, and in all matters of state absolutely. In Cormac's mind only those things that were issues within a given great clan were outside that definition, and so his legal code enshrined. Beyond that, he went as far to name two human lineages to status of Great Clan, replacing two fallen clans. This decision was a hard one to sell to his kin, but the dwarves could not deny that the humans of the Storm-born and Romain lineages deserved their place, as their bravery and valor stood equal to those of the other four great clans in the battles and conflict time and again.
And so High King Cormac knew what needed to be done. Even as he set about consolidating, and structuring a military, a tax system, a legal code, an economy, and well...an entire nation, including alliances, education systems and more, delegating and manuevoring manpower, resources and all else as needed, he also codified the future of his country. He codified what High King, or indeed High Queen, would actually mean. His people would not be ruled by one clan, but by all, and though the one sitting on the Valor's Throne would be elected for their lifetime, that person would not have absolute power. They would be but one voice, the voice to break stalemates, among thirteen others. Thus was the Tundra Conclave born.
Founding Date
1307
Type
Governmental, Senate/Parliament
Leader
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
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