On the Governance of the Realm of the Ruideside

[The Dark Lily/ML]

On the Governance of the Realm of the Ruideside
Being a true and accurate accounting and explanation of the offices and organs of the Government of the Realm of the Ruideside, newly regained in Thurazor.

Recounted by
Matilda Lilja
Minstrel and teller of tales in the household of the Lord Commander of said Realm.

     To the most learned Rector, esteemed Professors and earnest students resident at the Halls of Learning in the most ancient city of Tariene, greetings.

     It has come to my attention that there is much confusion as to the workings and structure of the government of the Realm of the Ruideside newly regained in Thurazor, and thus I have taken it upon myself to pen this missive in order to clarify the question for the sake of academic accuracy.

     To begin I will provide a brief overview of the unique nature of the Realm’s government and then I will describe the various organs and decision making bodies  of the government and I will describe the duties and powers of each of the officers in that body.

     Now gentle Sirs, I beg your indulgence if my explanation here seems to you to be confusing as this section is perhaps the most difficult to explain, as it is the result of an arrangement reached on the field of battle to meet a military contingency. The Realm of the Ruideside was redeemed by an association of free companies assembled for that express purpose by the great and noble Doneim Boer, to whit the Federated Free Companies. The Captains of the companies that comprise said Federation are jointly and between them, the rulers of the Realm they regained, and the governance of said realm is in the hands of the high officers of that noble Corporation; the Lord Commander and the Lord-Lieutenant. These two officers are chosen by the Captains of the aforementioned Free Companies in open conclave.

     The Lord Commander is the commander of the Federated Free Companies and the supreme leader of the Realm of the Ruideside, and as such is head of state, chief justice, and commander-in-chief, and his decisions and actions are in beyond question or review by any authority.

     Immediately below the Lord Commander both in stature and in authority is the Lord Lieutenant which person is the Lord-Commander’s deputy and second in command. The Lord-Lieutenant also acts as the president of the Lord Commander’s Council (Commonly called the High Council) and is Lord-Governor of the province of Hope’s Bastion and Governor of the Red Fort.

     Beneath the Lord Lieutenant is the Lord Commander’s Council, called hereinafter by its common name of the High Council, of which the Lord-Lieutenant is the presiding officer. The High Council does not meet on any regular schedule, but rather it is convened by any one of its members whenever there is a need to make a decision of general high policy for the Realm. The purpose of this Council is not to govern, but rather to formulate general policies and aims for the Realm and its decisions are binding on all the members thereof.

     The High Council consists of ten voting officers, namely, the Lord-Lieutenant, the Governor-General, the Lieutenant- Governor, the Marshal of the Realm, the Archpriest of the Realm, the Keeper of the Purse, and the four Wardens of the Frontiers (Northern, Western, River, and Southern). These offices are appointed by the Lord-Commander subject to review and approval by the other members of the High Council. The Lord Commander himself only votes when there is no majority opinion among the regular voting members of the high council.

     Now I will describe the various offices of the High Council and their duties and responsibilities.

     The first of these is the Governor-General who is responsible for executing the decisions of the Lord-Commander and for implementing the policies of the High Council, the Governor-general is the chief executive of the Realm and is in overall charge of the civil administration thereof.

     The next member of the High Council in authority and precedence is the Lieutenant Governor who is, as the title implies the Governor-General’s deputy. In addition, the Lieutenant-Governor has overall responsibility for the defence of the Realm’s frontiers and the maintenance of the overall peace of the Realm, and is therefore the commander of the Militia and is responsible for its training and maintenance. In addition the Lieutenant-Governor is responsible for the logistical support of the Realm’s armies in the field. In all these functions the Lieutenant-Governor is assisted by the four Wardens of the Frontiers, which offices will be described later in this missive.

     The third ranking member of the High Council is the Marshal of the Realm who is the direct commander of the Realm’s military forces and is responsible for their readiness and training. The Marshal also commands the army in the field. The Marshal is assisted by several subsidiary commanders whose function will also be explained in a later section.

     The next ranking member of the High Council is the Archpriest of the Realm. The Archpriest is responsible for all matters having to do with religion and the relationship of the Realm with the Gods. The regulation of all temples and church matters are in the hands of the Archpriest.

     And next in precedence is the Keeper of the Purse, who is responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the Realm. It is the Keeper of the Purse’s responsibility to find the funds required for the implementation of the policies of the Lord Commander and the High Council.

     And finally we come to the Wardens of the Frontiers. These four officers are responsible for maintaining the security of the Realm’s frontiers and act as the local commander of the Militia within their respective areas of responsibility. The four Wardens and their areas of responsibility are as follows:

     The Warden of the Northern Frontier, who is responsible for the defences of the province of Hope’s Bastion, and is the commander of that province’s Militia.

     The Warden of the Western Frontier, who is responsible for the defences of the western frontiers of the provinces of Victory and Boerstand, and is the local commander of the Militia in the province of Victory.

     The Warden of the River Frontier, who is responsible for the defences of the eastern defences of the provinces of Victory and Boerstand along the Ruide River, and is the local commander of the Militia in the province of Boerstand.

     And lastly the Warden of the Southern Frontier, who is responsible for the defences of the province of Boer Valley, and is the commander of that province’s Militia.

     These preceding officers make up the High Council. As stated above, the Governor-General is the effective head of government for the Realm and as this is a weighty and time consuming task, he is assisted by the Governor-General’s Council, popularly known, and hereinafter referred to, as the Low Council. This body, the members whereof are appointed by the Lord-Commander, constitutes the true administrators of the government, as they are the officers who are directly responsible for affecting the will of the great Lords of the realm. The Low Council meets regularly and often to advise the Governor-General and to implement the decisions and directives of the higher organs of the government. And it is this reason that the vast majority of laws and decrees affecting the general populace are proclaimed as issued by “The Governor-General in Council”.

     Besides the Lieutenant-Governor, who acts as presiding officer of the Low Council, there are currently five members of the Low Council, they are:

     The Secretary-General who acts as the Chancellor of the Realm and is responsible for the overall smooth running of the government apparatus.

     The Lady Chatelaine who is responsible for the smooth running of the court and government, effectively fulfilling the role of Seneschal.

     The Quartermaster-General is, as the title would imply, the quartermaster for the Realm and is responsible for the recruitment and logistics of the Realm’s army. In this capacity he works closely with the Lieutenant-Governor.

     The Castellan-General, who is responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of the Realm’s fortifications and structures.

     And finally the Purser-General, who is responsible for naval logistics.

     As promised earlier, I will now give a brief description of the high military commanders of the Realm’s army and Naval forces. As stated before, the direct command of the Army is in the hands of the Marshal of the Realm, beneath him; in order of precedence of command are the following officers.

     The Mistress of Foot, who is responsible for the maintenance and training of the Regained Realm’s infantry, and has overall command of them in battle. In addition, the Mistress of Foot is the default second in command of the army.

     The Commander of the Van is responsible for the security of the Realm’s army when it is on the march. Reconnaissance and scouting are the responsibility of this office. The Commander of the Van also acts as third in command after the Mistress of Foot.

     The Master of Horse, who is responsible for the maintenance and training of the Realm’s mounted forces, and has overall command of them in battle and ranks after the Commander of the Van.

     And finally there is the Siegemaster-General, who is in overall command of the army’s artillery and engineering elements, and has direct command of any siege operations in which the army may be engaged.

     The Realm’s naval forces are divided into two flotillas, each commanded by its own Commodore. They are the Commodore of the High Seas Flotilla, who is the commander of the Realm’s blue water navy, and the Commodore of the River Flotilla, who commands the Realm’s vessels on the Ruide River.

     Here ends my brief essay on the governance of the Realm of the Ruideside. I pray that this information will be of use to you in your studies. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend the invitation of Lord Commander Messer to any promising young graduates of your most famous institution to come to the Ruideside and to assist in the governance of this realm to the greater glory of the Most High Lord Haelyn and the memory of the most puissant and noble Lord Doneim Boer.

     Written by my own hand with the knowledge and express approval of His Excellency Otmar Messer, Lord Commander of the Federated Free Companies and the Realms Regained in Thurazor, Governor-General of the Ruideside, Marshal of the Realm, and Captain-General of the Brethren of the Black Flag, on this fifth day of Roelir in the in the one thousand five hundred and twenty third year since the divine ascension of the Great Lord Haelyn, may he look kindly upon us.

Matilda 

Explanatory drawing: http://www.twilightpeaks.net/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17

[The Dark Lily/ML]

Here is a copy of the original letter as sent.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/00pwpxw3da862o9/On%20the%20Governance%20of%20the%20Realm%20of%20the%20Ruideside%20-%20Brecht.pdf