Government

Trakoria is formally a constitutional Empire, with an Emperor ruling together with a Council of Nobles, known the Bodâk. The Emperor is elected by this body, and appointed to rule for life. The title is not hereditary, and thus, there is something of a correlation between an Emperors lack of popularity among the nobles and its shortened average life span.

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The imperial ministries are led by committees formed by small groups of members of the Bodâk. These ministries are named in honour of the goddess Kastyke, specifically her limbs. Some examples are: ​
 * MANA XIFA (“The Sword Hand”): The ministry of defence.
 * MANA FRIGA (“The Cold Hand”): The ministry of justice.
 * PODA ARUX (“The Golden Foot”): The exchequer/ministry of finance.
 * MANA EXTENDA (“The Long Hand/Arm”): Ministry of foreign affairs.
 * MANA PHENA (“The Ocean Hand”): The ministry of naval affairs.
 * PODA SNICA (“The Front Foot”): The ministry of trade.

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Subdivisions under the Mani and Podi are called digeti (fingers) and fallani (toes). The must notorious of these is the Digeta Longa (“The Long Finger”), which is the Trakorian Secret Service, combining the functionalities of a secret police, and espionage and counter-espionage activities.

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The Emperor is the only one who has a seat in all ministries and subdivisions, providing a unique holistic view of current events. Also, the Emperor has five times the votes of any other member of the Bodâk. Moreover, the Emperor supervises a whole lot everyday administration on behalf of the ministry executives and has substantive powers of appointment within the ministries. That allows the throne to stack the administration with loyalists.

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In addition, governing also draws on feudalism, mercantilism and colonialism. Thus, core territories are generally governed through feudalism, with the local lord having the right and responsibility to administer their lands. That is particularly true for Paratorna, which is divided into duchies between the eight founding families. The further away from Paratorna a territory lies, the more likely it is to be ruled by a Prokurator appointed by the Emperor/Mana Extenda.

Merchants are officially not involved with governing, except in some cities, but since nobles are not supposed to involve themselves in something as vulgar as trade, a patron-client system has developed, where nobles accept heft bribes from rich merchants in exchange for protection. That relation goes both ways, as nobles can invest money in merchant houses, as long as they are discreet about it.