Government
Mycorria is a feudal monarchy; the king is, legally, the owner of the entire lands of Mycorria, and essentially rents it out in exchange for loyalty and a portion of the revenue from the lands. In turn, these lords rent out the land to lesser lords, and so on down a chain, until at the very end are the peasant, who work the land in exchange for a subsistence level of income. The only exceptions to this process are the capital city, Richtenlug, and the main trading centre with the rest of the continent, Shaplochen, who have manged to wrest some measure of independence from the system and are beholden to the monarch only.
Konig
The ruler of Mycorria is determined by heritance under patrilineal primogeniture; the eldest recognised male child of the previous monarch becomes ruler once the previous one dies. Despite it being patrilineal, there have been a few instances where an unmarried female has held the title due to a lack of suitable male heirs. Once married however, the husband assumes authority.
The dynastic line from the original founders of Mycorria has remained almost unbroken in 1500 years with a single exception, about 1100 years prior to the present day, it was feared the line had died out, until a single bastard child was discovered. Since then, great measures have been taken to ensure dynastic succession, including the allowance of multiple Royal wives, Royal Divorce, and the legitimacy of bastards.
The current monarch is Jugen the Third, also called Jugen the Diplomat, due to his efforts to increase Mycorria's standing in the wider world. The presence of the Nexus Gate no doubt has something to do with this. Jugen has five children, to two wives, the first having died during childbirth of the first born. He is reasonably well liked by his subjects, but there is an undercurrent of unrest in his more fundamentalist followers, who see this increased interaction with the outside world as going against the Tenets.
Herzog
Cantons of Mycorria
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Directly under the monarch are the Herzog, a hereditary rank who owe fealty to the Monarch. Although in practice the title can be taken away due to disloyalty and awarded to another, this has never happened in the history of Mycorria. There are 5 Herzog, each controlling one of Mycorria's Cantons (with Richtenlug sitting separate). Like the monarchy, Herzog practice patrilineal primogeniture, unlike the monarchy, there have been times when a dynasty has expired, and a new one appointed to the province.
Herzog are granted absolute power over their Cantons, so long as they keep up their tax obligations to the monarch, and abide by whatever Royal Decrees are issued. Additionally, they are obliged to provide a military force if so demanded, and must attend a biennial parliament called the Landsraad. This power granted to them also includes the appointment of their own vassals and partitioning of the land. The number of sub-divisions varied greatly; the smallest, Gufen has half a dozen, with Kipesen having almost twenty.
Ritter
Mycorria's Cantons are divided up into Manors, each one governed by a Ritter, who is granted that title by their Herzog. Like all other ranks in Mycorria's feudal system, the title was hereditary, although exchange of Manors and titles occurred more frequently at this level as a way for Herzogs to manipulate the loyalty of the people under them. Ritters were entitled to a portion of the land's revenues, and to appoint their own vassals to manage the land under them, although their Herzog had the right to determine law and retained military control of the area. Ritters were responsible for the judiciary of their Manor, sitting as judges in trials, and as such tended to move around the Manor, settling in one place for a season.
Bauer
The lowest rung of Mycorrian society are the bauers, or peasants, who, with a few exceptions, do not own the land upon which they work. They perform all of the manual tasks in Mycorria; farming, mining, trading, crafting, low-level administration, and providing service to the local lord. A bauers profession is typically hereditary, with children taking over their parent's work. Villages form the core of bauer structure, with the village and local area ran by edlars, retired, relatively wealthy freibauers (see below) who rule on minor legal issues and determine who is to be picked if and when the local Ritter demands soldiers or a temporary workforce.
Occasionally, a bauer family will own the land upon which they work, typically as a reward at some point in the past of the family, and granted by a Herzog. Such bauers are also known as freibauer, and are exempt from local conscriptions and pay their taxes directly to the Herzog, although they are still considered subjects of the local Ritter with regards fealty and law. This makes them slightly more well-off than most bauers. There is often contention between freibauers and Ritters, and most freibauer are careful to maintain good relationships with the Herzog, upon whom they rely on for protection.
Gothi
The last part of Mycorrian hierarchy are the Gothi. Not a hereditary position, Gothi are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the temples to the Tenets and generally consist of bauers without any other profession or land to work, and the children of nobles not given an official title. Gothi are held apart from normal society and whilst afforded a high level of respect, are somewhat shunned from normal social activities. Part of the Ritter's taxes are granted to the temples for their upkeep, but the amount varies considerably, with most being on mere subsistence levels.
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The Conocybians do not a formal governmental structure, not ever having needed such things since the defeat of Slatra. Each Conocybian is largely left to their own devices, forming local connections as they happen. Laws and other such constructs do not exist, as interpersonal disputes are almost unheard of. For governance of the Conocybians as a whole, decisions are left to the Melleans, who alone have the foresightedness enough to make such far-reaching decisions. When a Melleans makes an announcement that affects Conocybians, each individual just does as they are told, but such things are limited to interactions with the surface world (an exceedingly rare event) or activities relating to the defence of the mycellium and the occupied UnderDark (which is typically handled by Amanitans).
The oldest, wisest and most powerful of all the Melleans, Uchim The Eternal, is considered the 'leader', as much as one can apply the term, and it is its decisions that tend to guide the species as a whole. It was Uchim who prompted the Mycellian king, Jugen, to open up relations with the outside world, as Uchim sees the presence of the Gate and the wonders beyond it as perhaps providing a solution to the constant need for sacrifice.
Contents
- History
- Geography
- Society
- Religion
- Species
- Culture
- Government
- Economy
