Chancellery of the Republic
The Eminent Chancellery of Frankonia is the diplomatic service of the realm as well as the office of its High Consul. It nominally conducts foreign relations with neighbouring nations and races, though it also undertakes the role of international espionage. Its headquarters, the Cardinal Estate, is located in Ponvarus.
Structure
As is usually the case for diplomatic services, most of the Chancellery's members are diplomats, envoys, and attachés stationed in and around various locations in the Twisted Realms in order to represent Frankonia's interests abroad. However, it also has an office dedicated for its covert operations: the Consular Vicariate. Officially, the representatives of this office, the Consular Vicarii, are diplomat-adventurers who mostly manage foreign relations in the field rather than in an embassy, by interacting with officals, locals, and other notables all around the country. Unofficially, the Consular Vicarii collect information of strategic and economic value, such as internal power hierarchies and major and minor trade routes, though they also draft maps and hypothesise national income and expenditure.
Internal Hierarchy
The Chancellery maintains usage of Old Frankonian in formal contexts, which is reflected in its hierarchy. Some of its full titles, like Solar Consul, only exist to distinguish them from duplicate titles used elsewhere, and are always shortened to its most logical form (such as Consul or secretary). The Frankonian variants are not necessarily directly translated from its Old Frankonian equivalents.
However, the Vicariate, in addition to using Old Frankonian more frequently and having a notoriusly inconsistent terminology, also have a pseudo-noble title associated with each rank. This is an interdepartmental peculiarity.
Eminent Chancellery
- High Consul (princeps consul): the appointed leader of the Chancellery and chief diplomat of Frankonia. Currently held by Éminence Garderique.
- Ambassador (princeps legatus): the diplomat of an embassy who represents the Prince-Mayor dírectly.
- Republican legate (legatus popularis): a special ambassador appointed for some foreign missions.
- Solar Consul-General (consul primus solaris): the senior consul of a diplomatic mission.
- Solar Consul (consul solaris): standard term for official diplomatic representatives of Frankonia.
- Permanent secretary (princeps officii): chief secretaries of a department.
- Adjutant (adiutor): chief assistants to ambassadors, consuls, and legates.
- Secretary (exceptor): secretaries to higher functionaries.
- Notary (singularii): common term for low-level bureaucratic staff.
- Revolutionary praetor (praetor): called magister/magistra officiorum; associated with the title of dauphin/dauphine.
- Chief Investigator (censor): called censor/censura; associated with the title of count/countess.
- Prefect (praefectus/vicarius generalis): called vicarius-/vicaria-general; associated with the title of viscount/viscountess.
- Consular legate (legatus consularis): called legatus/legata; associated with the title of baron/baroness.
- Delegate/senior investigator (delegatus consularis): ranked slightly higher than vicarii. Called delegatus/delegata; associated with the title of baronet/baronetess.
- Deputy/investigator (vicarius consularis): called vicarius/vicaria; associated with the title of marquis/marquise.
Culture
The Eminent Chancellery is an internationally well-respected organisation, and the principal reason why Frankonia is usually seen as a reliable actor: its staff work tirelessly to maintain its good relations with friendly nations and honour the republic's many agreements and commitments. Unlike the Republican Guard, who are openly hostile towards the Septemvirate dynasties, the Chancellery maintains frequent contact with the Seven Families and are sometimes called in to mediate conflicts between them. However, the Chancellery's clandestine activities are not unknown, and as a result, they have a score of enemies that they also have to contend with.
History
The Chancellery was established in 1398 AM, two years after the republican government proclaimed during the Dawn Revolution had stabilised. As the nascent state begun consolidating its rule over Frankonia proper, it also sought to legitimise its rule abroad, as it was a republic in a sea of monarchies and hence subject to suspicion; at first, the government sent specially-appointed representatives to plead their case and good intention before foreign kings and magnates, though they quickly came to the conclusion that a professional body of career diplomats would be more suitable in the long run. The title of Eminent Prefecture of the Office of the High Consul was created, who was initially the primus inter pares alongside the four consuls in the Azure Conventus, and was supposed to represent the assembly itself as chief diplomat. Within a century, a separate building and staff reserved uniquely for the Chancellery had been created. The High Consul's status in the Conventus was subsequently relegated to a ceremonial role, a tradition that survives to this day.
Six centuries after the Chancellery was established, a motion put forward by tribune Victoria Anastasia Garderia (of the Garderii: later altered to Garderique with the transition of Old Frankonian to Frankonian) in the Azure Conventus proposed a structural reformation of the republic's diplomatic corps; the implementation of a new and flexible type of diplomat in the image of the famed continental adventurer: the Consular Vicarii. Unbenownst to most, this proposal was a concerted effort supported by the shadowy entity known as the Delegate, who masterminded the creation of both the Republican Guard and the Consular Vicariate in a complex scheme to eradicate the criminal Golden Cabals from Ponvarus. Secret protocols gave the Consular Vicarii far-reaching extrajudicial powers; after Operation Persevering Sentinel, the remnants of the Azure Conventus rescinded this prerogative.
In the wake of the Grand Betrayal, these secret protocols were instituted again, ostensibly to support the courts in their mass trials. When these trials ended, the protocols were revised to only apply to Consular Vicarii designated 'Home Delegates.' It is believed that Home Delegates exclusively operate in Frankonia.
Peace from Friendship and Trust.
Founding Date
1398 AM
Type
Governmental, Department
Leader
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
