The Kingdom of Parin
Overview
A semi-constitutional monarchy, the Kingdom of Parin is ruled by the monarch, High King Meladron Sovok XIII. Little is known of Parin as they rarely leave their own space and just as rarely allow vessels to visit. Any vessel that conducts trade does so at one of the military outposts the Kingdom has set up outside its system. The Kingdom of Parin is capable of FTL and has officially recognized the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Diplomatic channels do exist directly to the Parin Ministry of the Exterior.
Location
Treaty With The Federation
Signed by Captain Alistair Nimitz of the U.S.S. Pegasus on Stardate 95681.7, the treaty explicitly outlines several provisions.
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Scientists from the Kingdom of Parin will travel to the Federation to learn technologies in the medical, economical, and agricultural fields.
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The technological level being studied is the same the Federation government, regime, and state has attained.
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The Federation acknowledges the right of the Kingdom of Parin to appoint a representative the right to power of attorney and act as a legal representative of any Parin scientists accused of criminal acts.
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This technological sharing shall occur for no less than one year.
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The Federation will be given ownership of the ‘Tomb of the Ancients’ in return, along with everything in it.
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The building and everything within will be given to the Federation, but the land it is on will remain as part of the Kingdom of Parin.
There are about fifty pages that simply define terms and any conjecture as the result of the terms. What the Kingdom of Parin is as an entity, that the King is head of state and government, that the ministers are an extension of the monarch, etc. The treaty itself is fairly straightforward without any implication of trickery or dangerous loopholes.
Government
As a semi-constitutional monarchy, the monarch has broad legislative and executive power. An assembly, the Kultok, seems to have some influence in government. The head of the Kultok bears the title of Grand Archon. While the monarch has power over his government, it’s seems that the grand archon is capable of maintaining some influence. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles exterior diplomacy. The Ministry of Public Welfare handles much of the interior regarding the citizenry. A third would be the Ministry of Security and Harmony, believed to control the secret police, seems to have significant authority in the government.
The Kultok
The Kultok is the legislature of the Kingdom of Parin. Its powers and role in society, much like everything else in Parin’s politics, is the result of compromise between the reigning monarch and the nobility. Through threats, bargains, and civil war, the Kultok has considerable power. All officers members of the government (I.E. cabinet ministers) must either be members of the Kultok or pass a confidence vote of a simple majority by the body when appointed by the monarch.
Whilst most of the day-to-day legislation is passed by the sovereign via royal decrees, the Kultok also has the ability to pass statutory law that overrides said decrees. Due to the political makeup of the legislative body, it often shifts between being an active force issuing new laws, and a reactive check on the monarch’s power that only overrules the most controversial of decrees.
The head of the Kultok, the Grand Archon, is selected via a majority of vote by its members. The Grand Archon’s primary duty is to represent the Kultok at all official and stately matters, their power tends to range wildly depending on the makeup of the Kultok. The current Grand Archon, Fosun’dru’Ran, is known for his proactive approach to his duties. Present in every important conversation held behind closed doors, the present Grand Archon is as close to the formulation of government policy as any government minister. Fosun has wielded the powers of the Kultok and the near-supermajority of the aristocratic faction to pursue the interests of the Kultok and to maintain and expand the power of the nobility in Parin’s politics.
Every member of the Kultok is appointed by the High King of Parin. The appointments are usually for life, barring some exceptions. Whilst such appointment power grants the High King considerable leeway, he is also bound by the politics of reality. Whilst it may be convenient to fill the Kultok with loyalists, doing so would alienate much of the influential aristocracy that pervades Parin’s politics. Instead, a balancing act exists between the High King’s own influence and that of the nobility. The Kultok does not determine the power of the nobility, but rather the other way around.
Political Factions (and current seats held/100)
Aristocrats (61)
The oldest and most powerful of Parin’s political factions, the aristocrats are composed of the oldest and largest houses. Old money, old power. The aristocrats are dedicated to the preservation and expansion of aristocratic power at the expense of central authority. The vassals, cadet houses, and otherwise lesser houses that are subservient to a greater house also contribute heavily to the aristocratic majority in the Kultok. The current Grand Archon is of the Aristocrats, having managed to convince enough houses to defect from the Royalists in order to secure a near-supermajority.
Royalists (26)
The second largest political faction in the Kultok, the Royalists consist of smaller houses often reliant upon the monarchy for positions in exchange for support.The Royalists often support the crown, with many lower ranking positions occupied by Royalists, especially the military’s officer corps. In return, certain expectations are made that the Crown looks out for and rewards the lesser houses.
Moderates (7)
Striding the middle-ground between the Aristocrats and Royalists, the Moderates are composed of old and powerful houses akin to the Aristocrats, but also possessing a long and sordid history of loyalty to the Crown. The government often goes out of its way to keep the Moderates happy, as the political faction has been the determining factor in countless internal struggles, civil wars, and constitutional crises. The current leader of the Moderates is Vilnu’dru’Pa, who also happens to be the current Minister of the Exterior. The last few years have been more of an abnormality more than the norm. With the Aristocrats reaching near-supermajority, the Moderates are only consulted on the most crucial of legislation.
Reformers (3)
Based more upon ideological beliefs than political interests, Reformers fear that the Kingdom is technologically or societally inferior to its peers. Reformers often support land reforms, labor reforms, and keeping up to speed with a rapidly changing universe. The Kingdom of Parin’s move to import technology, hire foreign experts, and institute educational reforms to modernize the sciences to match its peers in Doza have all been the tireless work of Reformers. Although all Hidrun, the Reformers are also considered to be the only faction in the Kultok that actively seeks to improve the lives of the Posdri. Despite being considered progressive by Parin’s standards, there are some matters that even the Reformers won’t touch. Any talk of holding elections is completely off the table. The reformers take great pains to not be associated with more radical (and banned) political movements.
Oligarchs (2)
Merchants, capitalists, and other businesspeople who do well in accumulating money eventually hit a wall. However many factories one may own, or employees, or money they line peoples’ pockets with, entrance into political life is almost entirely closed off to those born to the right parents. The workaround has been to approach noble houses that have found themselves in deep debt. In return for more favorable terms, or perhaps forgiveness in its entirety, a couple of houses have agreed to vote according to the interests. Dubbed ‘Oligarchs’, they support laws that benefit business interests.
Reactionaries (1)
There are those who feel feel pride in all of the changes in the Kingdom of Parin over the last century. And there are those who look at it with disdain. The Reactionaries are the latter. Once a power in their own right, the Reactionaries have been facing a slow death over the last century. Once the main opposition party to the Reformer-led Kultok during the era of reformation, their numbers have dwindled but their beliefs remain the same. The most fervent supports of royal authority, Reactionaries seek the expansion of royal power over that of the nobility. Calling for a return to the Caste System of old, an expansion of central power to hunt down radical and subversive elements, and adoption of a bellicose attitude to one’s neighbors. One may think that, with only a singular member in the faction, that it would have virtually no power and be the weakest of them all. Yet, So’dru’Un, the sole Reactionary, also holds the position of Minister of Security and Harmony - head of one of the most secretive and powerful arms of the government.
Society
The Kingdom seems to be dominated by a species known as the Hidrun. They make up all known members of the government, along with the royal honor guard. The Posdri seem to take up servant roles in the seat of the government, ranging from cooks to cleaners to attendants. Some are also soldiers and guards.
Religion
The Kingdom maintains and controls a state religion that focuses on the ‘Ancients’ or Thutons. They apparently brought civilization to the Hidrun long ago, and now the Posdri serve with the belief that the Hidrun now guide them towards civilization. The state religion is one of the vital sources of information for the general population and the government sends some of its more sensitive messages through the pontiffs that serve the state.
Planets
The Kingdom controls several systems, with most of them housing only military stations that also act as customs checkpoints. The home system (Parin) possesses two inhabited planets. The first being Parin itself, a temperate planet with few large continents, three oceans, and enormous mountain ranges. It is home to billions of Hidrun and Posdri and the government is also located on the planet. Parin itself is developing quickly, with most technology that it cannot develop itself having been imported.
Parin’s moon, Hidrus-Ran, is primarily tropical in the inhabited locations, with more temperate and colder locations near the poles. Unlike the planet it orbits, Hidrus-Ran possesses many archipelagos, unrelated islands, and a significant number of volcanoes. Parin’s history of colonization of the moon is muddy at best. The Kingdom officially established its colony a century ago, but many claim towns have existed long before then. Unlike Parin, Hidrus-Ran is woefully underdeveloped, with most of the populace living in shacks and working in raw material procurement, specifically farming and plantations owned by nobles who reside on Parin.
OOC note: Nowhere near complete. Stuff will be added over time. DM me on Discord if you need specific information not available here.