Amun Seth

Amun-Seth is a technocratic state consisting of five fuedal regions, ruled over by a paramount monarch based in the Prospero region, located specifically at the capital, Devil's Crag. It's fuedal vassal states are Illium, Virmire, Northrend and Cachian.

Amun-Seth renown for its fiercely secular idealogy, lax approach to dangerous fringe science and cutthroat internal politics. Though each of the four vassal states are maintained by the authority of their own ruling families (or houses), even having their own identities and idealologies, they are ultimately controlled by the absolute monarchy. Any inconsistancies in ethics or traditions are minor or would otherwise not conflict with the ruling state's national legislature. Laws, politics and internal affairs are consistant throughout all five states and every citizen, regardless of region, is required to abide by the ruling idealology known as 'The Sethian Truth '.

Politics
The monarch controls all executive, legislative, and judicial functions; the vassal rulers exercise similar authority in their jurisdictions. The monarchy and most regional and local lordships are hereditary, and ordinary residents have little opportunity for political participation. Only the most ruthless, fortunate and cunning of minor lords gaining any sway over the ruling individuals. It's rare for an individual born outside of the ruling family to rise to any position of power, though it isn't impossible (and most commonly achieved through marriage). Local and regional lords, whose positions are also hereditary, often govern their fiefs through less formal or specialized arrangements. Heirs who have yet to reach adulthood are sometimes subject to regencies by older relatives or senior vassals. Whilst all vassal states are required to abide by the national legislation, regional rulers sometimes summon ad hoc assemblies of their vassal lords to discuss and ratify major decisions.

The majority of political affairs take place within the capital city, Devil's Crag, which possesses a staggeringly ruthless byzantine bureaucracy. The monarch rules with the assistance of a privy council, also known as the Sethian Council. It includes a prime minister, the Hand of the King, as well as ministers responsible for defense, finance, intelligence, law and diplomacy. All members serve at the pleasure of the monarch, and the council’s structure and membership can be expanded or modified as the monarch sees fit. The Sethian Council is located exclusively in the capital Devil's Crag, and there are dozens of lesser (but still powerful) political positions outside of the Sethian Council, many of which operating under the authority of individual members of the Sethian Council.

These political posts are in a constant state of flux, and have been known to undergo chaotic uphevals over the course of a single day. Obtaining and keeping these positions is difficult, as the ruling monarch can replace a political figure at a moments notice with little or no warning and with no justification. Only the most ruthless, cunning and sycophantic of political players can carve a name for themselves within Devil's Crag. Those who survive the game long enough learn to play it well, and the rewards are great; the ruling politicians enjoy excesive freedoms and authority. The system is rife with greed, corruption and psychotic intrigue. At its basic level, blackmail, threats and secret favours are commonplace. In rarer cases, assassinations or criminal conspiracy can occur. The monarch itself is generally considered to be untouchable due to the level of power it controls, and many believe it actively encourages this cutthroat political game in order to root out the unambitious and weak.

Not all regions are represented fairly by individual figures within the Council, nor other minor political positions throughout the city. Power can sometimes be swayed in the direction of one vassal state if the majority of political positions are filled by lords of that state, though all still serve at the pleasure of the monarch. Any brief spikes of power from one state to another are usually brief, as the monarchy isnt known for its patience or favouritism.

Law
The Sethian Council maintains control of the nations laws. There is a Minister of Law within the Council that is responsible for legal legislation, and the entire nation and all its ruling houses are generally expected to adhere to it. The rights of individual citizens are generally protected, so acts such as murder, theft or assault are punishable with fines, jail times or, in some cases, execution.

However, outside of Prospero, these laws are rarely consistantly followed as the subordinate lords serve as the chief judicial authorities in their respective jurisdictions. They preside over trials and issue sentences for those they find guilty. This lack of separation between executive and judicial powers means there can be little expectation of impartiality. Among other conflicts of interest, a lord could easily sit in judgment of his own relatives in the close-knit aristocracy. The risk of bias is magnified by the fact that the legal system is based largely on customary law and individual judgment rather than the comprehensive and uniform body of written law found in Prospero.

The Minister of Law ultimately enforces the laws of individual regions and houses as they see fit. Mostly, the ruling houses are left to their own devices. Some occasions where the houses have stepped out of line are swiftly dealt with, however, and serious mis-steps or abuse of power can result in the Minister of Law deciding to brutally and thoroughly remove that house from existence. This is usually achieved through the deployment of the Custodes - Amun-Seth's elite law enforcement agency, who answer only to the Minister of War and the monarch.

Citizenship
Life as a citizen of Amun-Seth can vary greatly depending on what region you are born in. Generally, however, citizens are entitled to lawful protection and basic rights, though those rights can easily be ignored by the ruling houses. Full time education is compulsary until the age of 21, and the country's curriculum has a heavy focus on science and mathematics. The pressures of society are heavy, with most high paying careers only being available to its more academic and resilient of citizens. People generally don't have full freedom of speech, and are prodominantly at the mercy of the ruling houses - many of whom could have individuals executed for little or no reason at all and face no consequences. Whilst 'keeping your head down' is generally a good way to live, the rewards for the ambitious and intelligent are great - wealth, adoration and fame. The country values intellect and science above all else. There is an abundance of technology and, as a result, citizens generally enjoy a very high standard of living.

This is offset, however, with a limited freedom of speech. Amun-Seth lacks a freedom of information law, and there is no evidence of public consultation on pending laws and policies. Public officials are not required to make asset declarations. Some lords consult with key vassals or ad hoc assemblies of warriors on major political or military decisions. Under normal circumstances, the monarch and subordinate lords would regularly hold court to hear complaints or petitions.

The Sethian Council includes an intelligence chief who controls a network of spies and informants, often employing lesser lords or houses who control their own web of spies. These systems of surveillance are primarily focused on major political rivals and adversaries, but ordinary residents may also be subject to observation and arbitrary punishment given the polarized environment associated with the often fierce competition for political power. The Chief of Intelligence is supported by the monarch's own black ops organisation, the Sethian Inquisition - an elite group of investigators that answer to the Chief of Intelligence and the monarchy alone. These operatives hold almost total power, second only to the monarch and the Sethian Council. And no one expects the Sethian Inquisition.

Technology
As a result of Amun-Seth's technocratic idealology and emphasis on scientific education, Sethian technology is highly advanced and valued. It's citizens view its technology and scientific research with an almost fanatical veneration, with the obtaining of expensive gadgets and excessive scientific studies being viewed as the apex of achievement in everyday society. Amun-Seth guards its technology with fierce zeal, rarely if ever allowing international trading of its science centers to occur. The sharing of Sethian technology with international agencies is consisered to be treason of the highest order, and the Sethian Inquisition ruthlessly hunt down and execute those guilty of such an offence. Such is the value of technology that the vassal states may even guard their own scientific achievements jealously from one another, leading to minor inconsistencies between regions - different corporations may produce variations of the same product, such as mobile phone, entertainment systems or weapons, where some reigions may produce superior products to others. All the ruling houses are require to make their technological achievements available to the monarchy. In very rare cases, those houses may decide to withold some discoveries or fail to disclose certain elements of their research. Houses guilty of such actions face the wrath of the Inquisition, and will usually find themselves brutally erased from existance.

Military
The Sethian Royal Military (S.R.M) is the nations primary international military force, which is housed within the ruling region of Prospero. It consists of three divisions; the Air Division (S.A.D), Land Division (S.L.D) and the Navy Division (S.N.D). The military primarily consists of recruits that are voluntary, though lawful conscription as a capital punishment has been documented on several occasions. Aside from the SRM, each vassal state is permitted to recruit and hold its own independant military forces, though they are required to donate a sizable chunk of their army to the SRM. These individual military forces usually have their own uniforms, training doctrines and, in some cases, technology. House Karston, for example, is renown for its focus on martial prowess, and its soldiers are trained to fight in close quarters melee combat. House Deimos, however, is known for its superior use of subterfuge and displacement strategies. The Minister of War is responsible for managing the army, as well as overseeing the military power of Amun-Seth's vassal states. If they believe that one house is building an army that is too large, they will forcibly recruit the excess into the SRM.

During times of war, the Sethian Council may order all ruling houses to donate some, or all, of its own military force to be deployed. This can result in the Sethian Military often soldiers of differing appearance and training on the frontlines, depending on what house they represent. In some cases this can be beneficial, but in others it can cause chaos. It is the responsibility of the Minister of War to hold the army together consistently, and a failure in the field of battle can sometimes invoke the wrath of the monarch upon the Minister of War...

Religion
Religious organisations within Amun-Seth are strictly prohibited by the monarchy, with only the nations secular athiest ideals being permitted. Secret cults and groups of illegal prayer occasionally pop up in worship of international deities, such as the Table, but the Sethian Inquisition swiftly and brutally crush these secret sects.

All Sethian citizens are instead required to adhere to the Sethian Truth, an ideology defined by the core values of reason, science and secular progress.

House Amaru of Prospero
House Amaru has been the ruling monarch house of Amun-Seth since its inception. It is a large and cunning house, consisting of many close and distant relatives. The current King, Ptomley Amaru, treats his own family with weary contempt whilst choosing to keep only his immediate relatives within his political sphere, such as his son Maxwell. Both are currently unmarried, and the other ruling houses are desperately seeking a royal betrothal from either the king or his son, which would grant them considerable political power. The Amaru family is rumoured to have many members, including a large number of bastard sons and daughters, though the royal family will adamently deny their existence.

Ptomley Amaru is the ruler of House Amaru, and his sole heir is his only child Maxwell Amaru, who was born out of wedlock despite being legitimised. Another famous member of House Amaru is Logan Amaru, who is the Ptomley's uncle - he renowned veteran of battle, whose prowess in combat earned him the title 'The Black Stagg of Amun-Seth '

House Karston of Virmire
Ruling over the region of Virmire, House Karston is the second most powerful house after the ruling family. The Karstons strictly enforce a segregated workforce within their region, consisting of the upper and lower castes. The upper castes tend to be intellectual capable, academic citizens who contribute to the everyday workings of the country. The lower caste are the less academically successful citizens who most often are encouraged to enroll in the military. Being a soldier in Virmire, however, is considered a great honour, and the warriors of House Karston are renown for their fighting prowess. The rulers of House Karston are infamous for being particularly ruthless and ambitious, and many of its family members find themselves heavily entwined in the staggeringly complex political games played at Devil's Crag.

The Lord of House Karston is Cassio Karston, whilst its heir is Arianna Karston. Cassio Karston is a close friend of the king, and serves as his current hand.

House Gale of Illium
Ruling over the region of Illium is House Gale, a relatively docile house from an outsiders perspective. Illium is home to fertile lands, and so much of Amun-Seth's agriculture is located here. Despite its seemingly benign behaviour, the rulers of House Gale are extremely manipulative players of the Sethian political game. Though their name was tarnished a few generations ago by the actions of a single lord, who was found guilty by the Sethian Inquisition of political blackmail, they have more recently regained much of their positions of power and currently seek a betrothal between the king and Lord Gale's firstborn daughter, Laura Gale - who currently serves as an assistant to Cassio Karston, the Minister of War.

The Lord of House Gale is Adrian Gale, and the heir is Adrian Gale the 2nd.

House Masher of Northrend
Ruling over the cold plains of Northrend is House Masher, a cunning and intelligent house that rules the harshest region of Amun-Seth, where the cold temperatures make life fairly difficult. House Masher is renown for its sharp intellect and ruthless passion for science, to the point where members of the house often personally oversee the day to day runnings of research centers. House Masher has had to work hard to retain its reputation following an allegation by the Sethian Inquisition of one of its family, Solomon Masher, conducting undocumented research, but the case was dissmissed with no charges made.

The Lord of House Masher is Johnathon Masher whilst its heir is Adrian Masher, the latter of which currently serves as Minister of Finances in Devil's Crag.

House Keung of Cachian
House Keung is a quiet house that rules over the region of Cachian. They have only recently come to power, having replaced the former house of Cachian (House Imrick). Having only been in power for less than a decade, House Keung is extremely isolationist and reserved about its dealings in Sethian politics. It prefers to focus its efforts on the regions it rules over in Cachian, providing the best citizenship for its people, and so has very little presence in the city of Devil's Crag. For this reason, it is often overlooked and mocked by the larger, more prominant houses. The story of how House Keung came to replace House Imrick, however, often quickly silences those who dare laugh at House Keung, and its said that even members of the Sethian Inquisition tread carefully when dealing with House Keung...

The Lady of House Keung is Arana Kueng. She currently has no heirs, and in the event of her death her younger brother Jason Keung will become the lord of House Keung.

Other Houses
There are dozens of other lesser houses within the regions of Amun-Seth, and whilst many of them have no real power, some hold a considerable amount of influence. House Vaius, for example, resides within Virmire and acts as an advisory body to House Karston - a position that has lead to one of members, Sebastian Vaius, being granted a position on the Sethian Council by King Amaru. For a lesser noble to rise to such a position is extremely rare and admirable, so the lesser houses of Amun-Seth are not to be discounted.