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In the Shadow of the Dragons
The Dragon Lords
Political Structure of Taera
The political structure of Taera, in broad strokes, is broken up into two main branches: the religion, and the secular government.
Religion
Taera's religious structure is based upon the Priesthood, or the Dnalla. The Priesthood consists of both men and women, with the male half referred to as the Kilith, and the female half referred to as the Cened. The Dnalla is ruled by a High Priest and a High Priestess. Their members are usually extended members of First and Second Families. Despite the caste structure of Taeran society, it is based fundamentally on a meritocracy (in the realm of magical ability, usually) and it is typically through the Priesthood that advancement through the ranks is possible, even by changing Families. Because of the way that magical power is divided among the Children of Daela, with women having strong natural defenses skills, and men strong offenses skills, women are typically the swordfighters; it requires less effort for them to defend themselves against magical attack, freeing them for the physical battle. Men fight with sorcery. Men are also able to be trained to use their power for healing, and so a large part of the Priesthood is given to that end. The Priesthood also contains most of the country's intellectual scholars as intelligence and magical ability are often highly correlated. The Priesthood, however, are not permitted to participate directly in the secular government of Taera. They are represented on the Council by the Dragon Lord. He is sometimes considered the third head of the Priesthood, and they are exceptionally loyal to him.
Council
The Council of Taera is the ruling body of the secular government. It is headed by the Lord Primary, the nominal head of state (his line were former princes, so one might think of this as the House of Lords, back in the day, although the Lord Primary has little independent power of his own). The Council has 24 or 25 Lords on it. This would be one Lord from each of the First Families and then the Dragon Lord. Often, however, the Dragon Lord and the Lord Te Daelan are one person, so in those cases, only 24 Lords sit on the Council. Like other ruling bodies, a simple majority is needed for passage of a measure, and a quorum of 15 is needed to hold Council. The Council is officially completely secular, as the High Priest and High Priestess are not permitted to enter the Council chamber under any circumstances, but neither are they obligated to follow the dictates of the Council. The unity in purpose comes from the Dragon Lord. He is obligated by the Council, and he may obligate the Priesthood in turn.
The Dragon Lord
Based on the descriptions above, while on paper it appears that the Dragon Lord is largely a ceremonial post, he is certainly the most powerful Lord in all of Taera because he commands the power of the Priesthood. He is also the most powerful sorcerer in all of Taera. This is not just a hereditary claim. Each generation of Dragon Lords must prove their right to take up the position through a very real magical Challenge. During the Challenge, they must fight and defeat anyone who comes to try to claim their seat. These may be childhood rivals, or they may be brothers. Because of the requirement of the Challenge, young children and women cannot become Dragon Lord (although, they may inherit as Lord Te Daelan if they are in that line). Every Dragon Lord since the time of the Exile has been from the Te Daelan Family. This is why they are considered a more powerful Family than even the Lord Primary's Family. I should also mention here, that the Lord Primary CANNOT become Dragon Lord. The concentration of such power in one person has been forbidden since the Te Daelan and the Taeradthin lines split early in the history of Taera.
Peasants
The third caste in Taera are the peasants. They have little political power, in truth, but Taera does not operate under a feudal system. The peasants are free, independent farmers. Typically, they will buy protection from the nearest Lord through the payment of taxes in kind. The agricultural technology is fairly high for a non-industrial society. Peasants may also work as labours, usually in seasonal positions such as construction, or harvesting another's field, or the like. Peasants also frequently work on ships and in international trade. The Children of Daela are highly skilled artisans in all aspects of the Element of Earth--pottery, metallurgy, quarrying stone, etc. Quarrying stone, pottery, and "baser" metals are the general purview of peasant artisans, with typical Second Familied, and occasionally First Familied, artisans working in more refined metals like iron, gold, etc. These goods are highly sought after, and hugely expensive, outside of Taera. A peasant can make an extremely comfortable living trading in these goods. The peasant classes may also serve in the army in time of war as infantry, or in city administrative positions. They tend to fill up the vast majority of other trades, where few First and Second Familied Taerans can gain advantage through their magical abilities: staffing the keeps, bakers, clothiers and clothmakers, etc.
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Last updated: 2005 August 23