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docs: update HBW/Eirus/Concalian-Empire/Concalian-Culture

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HBW/Eirus/Concalian-Empire/Concalian-Culture.html
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title: Concalian Culture
description:
published: true
date: 2024-04-30T17:44:41.287Z
date: 2024-04-30T18:01:12.645Z
tags: game-master, concalia, concalian culture, concalian empire, concalian
editor: ckeditor
dateCreated: 2023-01-06T16:53:59.820Z
@ -45,7 +45,26 @@ dateCreated: 2023-01-06T16:53:59.820Z
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>The Clergy</h2>
<p>The Clergy unofficially formed the 4th pillar of the Empire's government. They held no official political power, but held a lot of soft power over the other bodies due to being perceived as the conveyers of the very will of the gods. The Empire's deeply religious nature meant that any official would find it hard going too far off what the clergy decreed to be the gods' will, out of fear of public outcry. The clergy tended to have its members closely accompany both magisters and members of the senate in order to levy this soft power as much as possible.</p>
<p>The Clergy was on paper led by the Oracle, though a more accurate term would be that they acted as the Oracle's attendants. The Oracle was a cleric kept in a constant trance through a mix of herbs and incenses, and who was believed to be able to commune directly with the gods while in this trance. The other members would attend to the Oracle, listen to whatever was said or done by the Oracle, attempt to decipher its meaning, and convey that to the governing bodies and the populace. The Oracle was seen as a sacred being in Concalian society, though the permanent trance tended to take such a toll on the person's body that they'd usually die after only a few years as Oracle. The senior members of the Clergy would typically pick a healthy young cleric, whose abilities indicated a lot of favor with the gods, as the new Oracle whenever the last one expired.</p>
<p>The Clergy was on paper led by the Oracle, though a more accurate term would be that they acted as the Oracle's attendants. The Oracle was a cleric kept in a constant trance through a mix of herbs and incenses, and who was believed to be able to commune directly with the gods while in this trance. The other members would attend to the Oracle, listen to whatever was said or done by the Oracle, attempt to decipher its meaning, and convey that to the governing bodies and the populace. The Oracle was seen as a sacred being in Concalian society, though the permanent trance tended to take such a toll on the person's body that they'd usually die after only a few years as Oracle. The senior members of the Clergy would typically pick a healthy young cleric, whose abilities indicated a lot of favor with the gods, as the new Oracle whenever the last one expired. This dynamic meant that, aside from the wrath of the gods themselves, there were little stopping the senior clerics from using the Oracle as a convenient puppet.</p>
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<h2><strong>Overview</strong></h2>
<p>The Concalian Empire was governed by a pseudo-democratic system, divided among three main bodies: the Centuriate Assembly, the Senate, and the Magistrates. An additional influential force was the Clergy, which, though officially advisory, wielded considerable soft power due to the empire’s deep religiosity and the populace’s reverence for divine will.</p>
<h2><strong>The Centuriate Assembly</strong></h2>
<p>The Centuriate Assembly functioned as a democratic forum for those who had served, or were currently serving, in military or civil capacities. It convened biannually in the capital to vote on legislation proposed by the Senate and to elect Magistrates from candidate lists also provided by the Senate. The laws it enacted formed the bedrock of Concalian legal code, only amendable by another Assembly vote.</p>
<p>Voting within the Assembly was stratified by military rank and public service role, with each rank or role allocated a proportionate number of votes. This structure inherently favored higher ranks and those able to influence through persuasion or wealth, particularly as the sum of votes held by officers and equivalent civil positions outnumbered those held by lower ranks. Magistrates were barred from voting in the Assembly, preserving a degree of separation between legislative and executive powers.</p>
<h2><strong>The Magistrates</strong></h2>
<p>Magistrates, elected to govern various domains within the Empire, were responsible for local administration, taxation, and law enforcement, albeit within the constraints of Assembly-approved laws. The highest-ranking Magistrates, the two Consuls, jointly governed the capital and held equal authority, each with the power to veto the other’s decisions. Consuls were also tasked with appointing Senators.</p>
<p>Below the Consuls were the Preators, who governed provinces and were the only officials permitted to lead military campaigns, unless incapacitated. New territories were often governed by appointees, typically relatives of the conquering Preator, highlighting the system’s vulnerability to nepotism and familial dominance.</p>
<p>Lower magistrate positions, not directly elected by the Assembly, were appointed by Consuls or Preators, though the Assembly retained the right to reject these appointments.</p>
<h2><strong>The Senate</strong></h2>
<p>The Senate drafted legislation and prepared the Magistrate candidate lists for Assembly votes. Senators, appointed by the Consuls, served for life unless removed by an Assembly decree—a rare event usually precipitated by public outrage over perceived corruption. Although lacking direct legislative power, the Senate controlled the legislative agenda, effectively gatekeeping the issues brought before the Assembly.</p>
<p>This power to influence, coupled with the cyclical nature of appointments between the Senate and Consuls, often led to collusion and corruption, moderated only by the threat of public backlash. Historical instances of entire Senates being overthrown by the citizenry underscore the volatile balance between senatorial power and public opinion.</p>
<h4><strong>The Clergy</strong></h4>
<p>Functioning as an unofficial fourth pillar of governance, the Clergy wielded significant influence. They were perceived as the direct communicators of the gods’ will, a perception that all but ensured the alignment of governmental decisions with their declarations. The Clergy’s power was concentrated around the Oracle, a cleric maintained in a perpetual trance to commune with the gods. The interpretations provided by the Oracle’s attendants were critical in shaping both governance and public perception.</p>
<p>While the Oracle was revered, the position was taxing and often lethal, leading to frequent replacements chosen by the senior clergy. This process allowed senior clerics to manipulate the selection for their ends, using the Oracle as a puppet when advantageous.</p>
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