The Ghost/Iskandar

Iskandar is a first age city, lost to the contagion and the fair folk invasion over 700 years ago. It is now coming back to life under the aegis of The Patron who wields the power of the Five Signs of Harmonic Unity.

Iskandar

Government

In basic the Government of Iskandar really consists of a single man: The Patron. He is an autocrat, ruling by divine mandate and shier power, as he is capable of defeating significant deities in single combat. However the Patron is one man, and as such has organized his subjects with several branches of what we would consider a more normal government. This normal government is organized into twelve 'Adeptus' which each are led by one of the twelve 'High Lords of Iskandar'. These twelve powerful individuals form a council that advises and assists The Patron in his leadership of the city, feeding him data on several topics such as the state of his subject's religious convictions or the preparedness of his military. Though each High Lord is immensely powerful they all are The Patron's fanatical partisans and would not dream of challenging his authority, even if they could.

The Adeptus Millitate

The Adeptus Millitate is one of the largest branches of Iskandar's government, with no fewer than 1250 members in all it's branches and sub groups. Though officially in charge of Iskandar's Armed services it has a rival in The Adeptus Aeronauticus who oversee Iskandar's air-forces. The Adeptus Millitate is run by Fist of the Land a God-Blooded martial artist who is somewhat uncomfortable leading an army of over a thousand people.

The Adeptus Arbitiese

The Adeptus Arbitese oversee Iskandar's police forces, and are one of the larger branches of the government with only 150 individuals on staff, counting every beat cop all the way on up to the High Lord Herself as well as all the file clerks and so on that work for the adeptus but are not actually part of it's 'fighting strength'. They have only one departmento and less than a dozen officio, but so far are keeping a lid on the political turmoil of the city. The High Lord of the Arbitese is Steel Garden who is not a very good investigator but a decent politician and capable administrator.

The Adeptus Judicate

Working closely with the Adeptus Arbities the Adeptus Judicate is the other half of the justice system. These are the many Judges, Lawyers, and Clerks of the Court who make sure that the innocent are not punished with the guilty. At the present time the Adeptus Judicate consists of 11 judges, 15 prosecuting attorneys, 23 Attorneys of Due Justice (Public Defenders.), 42 'Clerks of the Court' who record and file all rulings and court ordered contracts, and 17 "Agent's Protection" who follow up on inconsistencies in court records and the welfare of Iskandar's citizens in cases such as child abuse allegations and locating jurors that fail to show up for a trial. There are also about 200 private attorneys who are technically part of this adeptus but not part of the government. The High Lord of the Courts is Molly McBride a Demon Blooded northerner who has spent her whole life fighting against injustice and corruption in every form.

Additionally The Patron himself is technically also a member of this branch as he has the right to sit in judgement if he chooses on all High Crimes and acts of Treason. He has invoked this right exactly once, mostly to prove that he could. (The person in question was found "Not Guilty by reason of Insanity" and sentenced to lifetime confinement to a mental institution pending a treatment or cure of his condition. He stood accused of twelve counts of grand theft, but psychoanalysis found him to be a kleptomaniac. The police often consult him on serial theft cases, and he is actually fairly good at solving them. However he does have a problem with stealing other patients belongings and the doctors pens and notebooks.)

Trials are in the American/British style, with a 'jury of ones peers' and the judge presiding from the high seat. The witness's sit to the judge's left and the clerk to the right. The prosecutors are on the left side of the courtroom and the Jury the Right while the accused is in the middle. Unless the accused is elderly or crippled and unable to stand they may not sit. For this reason individual segments of trial must last no more than 3 hours. Only citizens may serve as witnesses, but since one can at the present time become a citizen after 24 hours residency this is not a problem. Citizens MAY testify with respect to events from before their citizenship. The accused is entitled to an 'Attorney of Due Justice' in the event that they cannot retain their own private council. The judge may dismiss any case at any time with or without prejudice, which is done routinely with respect to picayune or spurious civil cases so as to free up Attorneys of Due Justice for criminal trials. The patron is looking into finding more Judges and Attorneys of Due Justice so that civil cases do not need to be dismissed so frequently, which has a distressing tendency to lead to murder.

Abnormaly The Adeptus Judicate does not have any departmento or officio, but there are those within it and without that are bucking to change that.

The Adeptus Sororitatus

The 'Sisterhood' as they are called by the common folk is the government Adepta that oversees all female clerics and thumaturges in Iskandar Like their Counterparts in the Adeptus Fratris they are few in number but powerful in influence. Technically also responsible for the worship of all female gods in the city it is common that women will be priests of male deities and men prelates of a goddesses church. The division of male and female clergy between the AS and AF however is strict while the division of deities wavers like the landscape in the summer heat. In spite of these difficulties the two branches of government get along quite well and cooperation between them is without rancor or strife in most cases. The High Lady of the Adepta is Unrepentant Emerald. She is a mortal with Enlightened Essence and is exceedingly circumspect in her actions, a paragon of temperance. She is also the head priestess of Iskandar Seline.

The Adeptus Frateris

Sometimes referred to as 'The Farternity' by outsiders this adepta is responsible for all male deities and male clergy in Iskandar. They take their job seriously and are sometimes noted for being taciturn and uncompromising. They are led by Wauli the Wolf, who like his female counterpart is a mortal with awakened essence.

The Adeptus Mechanicus

The Adeptus Mechanicus are an odd bunch. Dressing in Rust Red robes and communicating in their own strange dialect of old realm they keep outsiders at arms length. This Adepta is responsible for helping The Patron find and repair the magitech of the city a task that they perform supremely well but which many wonder if this group of strangely obsessed men and women are actually best suited for. Led by Adamant Sprocket, an elderly Djala man and his young adult daughter Gears of Fate, this group employs many Djala escapees in the task of repairing and rebuilding the city.

The Adeptus Diolougus

What some would call the state department or the diplomatic corps the Adeptus Diolougus is one of the smallest Adeptus of the Iskandarian government. Led by Exultant Ivory Mother this group of spies and agent's provocateur work to keep Iskandar a free city and outside the clutches of both The Guild and foreign powers such as the Realm.