THE RISE OF THE ALODARIAN EMPIRE

Now the numbering of the years needed to be considered. When did it start? Who initiated the system? Pre Imperial history is sketchy at best (which is just a nice way of saying I haven't bothered to write it in any great detail yet). It is generally known the Alodarian Empire arose after the 800-year war on the continent. (This is commonly known as the Quadrasary War). There were a variety of families, clans, tribes, kingdoms, and some particularly nasty individuals involved. Blood feuds between families and a natural enmity between certain tribes both started and fueled the conflict for over 800 years.

All through this time four royal families could be seen at the heart of the conflict, and for 800 years it continued in this manner. (The four royal family names were STENSSON, CHAPPEL, FERRICK, and PALENTEAR). Heredity rule frequently put unqualified kings upon the thrones of their respective families. Over the centuries, armies were raised and trained in anticipation of taking advantage of an up and coming weak king. Assassination attempts were many, but always from the outside. Killing a family member was culturally an anathema. Killing a strong and intelligent prince of a rival family, leaving an idiot prince to take the place of their dying father was a typical and clever tactic. As such, and coupled with the fact that women were never considered qualified to sit upon the throne, for 8 centuries there was never simultaneously 4, or even 3, truly great kings. It was this stupidity that always managed to find its way onto the throne of one, two, or even more of the kingdoms. It was this stupidity which made the vicious attacks on one another seem like the perfect thing to do. It was this stupidity which never gave peace a chance. In the final analysis, it was this stupidity which perpetuated that stupidity. (Of course the development of arms and armor made great strides during this period of history; perhaps going from simple padded cloth armor at the beginning to full plate toward the end of the war).

Eventually, there came a time when the 4 head generals of the armies of the respective kingdoms just happened to be very great men indeed. And, as it so happened, their respective kings were all weak and difficult to tolerate. Working carefully, upon the pretext of a major battle to capture a newly discovered powerful artifact and therefore gain an unprecedented advantage, the armies of all four kingdoms converged. It was believed the winner and sole surviving king would rule all. The four generals carefully plotted together. Each had convinced his king of the practical certainty of victory, if they were just man enough to seize their opportunity. Each general tempted his king with the glory of being the final victor after 8 centuries of bloody war, finally achieving something even their fathers had not. Thus, each general was able to convince his king to enter into the agreement of the final conflict, as it came to be called. Finally, each general had arranged to leave his king unprotected at just the right time so they were easily killed by foreign troops. The details were never really known; at least, not to history. In truth, there was probably good reason to bury these details along with the dead, and any attempt to discover these facts will almost certainly fail today.

In the final analysis, many were killed, including each king. And before new kings could be properly installed, the generals grabbed the power. The armies were, by tradition, loyal to the generals as long as the generals served the royal family, and the generals were in turn supposed to be loyal to their royal family. But in this case, the generals broke with tradition and abandoned the royal families. Having had enough of war, the armies more or less agreed to remain loyal to their generals rather than turn on the usurpers like tradition demanded. (Not to mention the fact there was general confusion as to who had done what to whom). Enough was enough. (Besides, the lack of food was a great problem at the time, and continuing a war on an empty stomach wasn't a very appealing idea to the common soldier).

The four generals were, by name, Thomas Aquinas, Jerrick Menton, Nathan Becker, and Ian Fent. At the First Council of Generals, as it came to be called, these four men, along with their principle advisors (men and women which consisted mostly of sages, clerics, and magic users), laid the groundwork for what would become the mighty Alodarian Empire. Amongst the important decisions that were made were the following:

THE FIRST COUNCIL OF GENERALS

Heredity rule was inconsistent with the welfare of the people. If there needed to be leader, at least the most qualified person should lead them. Furthermore, the gender of said person should be irrelevant.
Oaths of office should be enforced by geas spells to make corruption a near or practical impossibility.
The governing body of men and women should collectively be know as The Company, and this company may only continue to rule by the consent of the governed. If, at any time, at least 67 % of all citizens (above the age of 16) vote to disband the company, the company will disband into oblivion. Furthermore, members of the company should not be considered as part of the governed, or as citizens, as this might lead to a conflict of interest. Furthermore, these company members would be held to a HIGHER standard of conduct than the typical citizen would. This standard is determined by the Council of Louis, 0 A.E. and may only be modified by a council of candidates at the request of the current emperor.
The Empire would utilize the recently acquired Truestone Artifact.
The citizens would put every major decision to a vote. It would be through this process the people would decide upon their own laws. Such up coming votes would be announced by criers and by written documents to be place upon the main gates of all major cities, and at a specific location within each lesser city, town, or village. Each citizen could register their vote simply by telling any Imperial Guard their wishes during the voting period.
The main purpose of the company would be to protect the governed, or citizens, from hostile non-citizens. In the event of a wrongful loss of life of a citizen by a non-citizen, the company would spare no reasonable expense to exact justice. The current emperor would always determine what is reasonable or just. The secondary purpose of the company would be to build and maintain public works and to enforce the laws decided upon by the people.
It was agreed that no particular religion or philosophy be given preferential treatment unless such religion or philosophy was agreed upon by a simple majority of all citizens, didn't usurp the rights of the minorities, and was consistent with the nature of a governing body. This simply has come to mean the Alodarian Empire is essentially a Lawful Neutral organization, preferring neither good over evil nor evil over good, that all religions which do not physically harm citizens are acceptable, and that, as such, all religions within The Empire are subject to taxation as if they were a private citizen or a private business concern.
That no person who was beyond a certain amount of training or skill would qualify as a citizen of The Empire. It is believed any such person could take care of himself or herself better than The Empire could, and protecting such a citizen could easily lead to a situation that would not be in the interest of most qualified citizens. This has come to mean that no person of 1st level or higher can be a citizen. Such people, are of course, welcome to visit or even live within The Empire provided they obey its laws, particularly any law restraining them from harming or taking unfair advantage of The Empire's citizens, and also, any laws concerning tithes and taxation should be observed. And as such, any citizen, therefore, will be able to demand justice for any wrong done to them by any citizen or non-citizen, where justice shall always be determined by the current emperor or his or her local representative.
That, in order to perpetuate the company, all citizens, male and female, at seven years of age would be scrutinized for leadership qualities. That those exceptional and qualified children would then be taken and trained in the arts of government and administration, philosophy and liberal arts, and other things as seen fit by a council of candidates. Any of these trainees must make the decision to stay and serve or leave service at the age of 16. If they stay, they continue their training. That from this latter pool of recruits past the age of consent, and/or from the pool of candidates, the emperor would choose the most qualified successor each year. That this decision should be kept secret, but that it be updated each year. That upon the death or retirement of the emperor, the name of the current successor is revealed and that person be geased into office as the new emperor.
After 13 years of training, at the age of twenty, until duty might call upon them for other service, the exceptional children would spend their lives working for the company and applying their art for the welfare of The Empire and the protection of its citizens. These people would henceforth be known as candidates. Provisions for the livelihood of a candidate, as well as other members of the company, shall be drawn from the companies' coffers in accordance to the Council of Menton, 0 A.E. Any group of candidates chosen for a specific task shall be known as a council of candidates. Furthermore, this council will historically be known specifically by the surname of the eldest candidate within that particular council, and by the year in which that council was formed. Finally, the qualifications for choosing "exceptional children" from the populace will be determined and updated, as the case may be or as may be required, by a council of candidates chosen by the emperor, and that any such council must contain at least 10 such candidates.
That, henceforth, upon the next equinox (The Spring, Vernal, or Growth equinox), in honor of this new alliance of men and women, a new systems of dates and years will be adopted (see, it took awhile, but I did get back to the calendar), starting with the last day of the year -1 A.E, and proceeding into the year 0 A.E. (After Empire) Only a council of candidates may make any adjustments to this proposed system of dates and years.
That any and all armed forces of The Empire would owe their allegiance to the Generals, a collection of men and women whom were each individually chosen by an emperor. Furthermore, that all generals would, in turn, owe their allegiance to the current emperor, no matter which emperor had promoted them to the rank of general.
That an annual tithe (10%) would be collected from each citizen past the age of consent, which is 16 Orlantian years (about 17.5 Earth years) upon any annual income. Furthermore, so as to show no favoritism, an annual tithe would be collected from each business run within the confines of the Empire's borders. Finally, an annual tithe would be collected from all non-citizens living within the borders of The Empire, or upon any organizations such as businesses, guilds, holdings, churches, or temples, owned by citizens or non-citizens if said businesses, guilds, holdings, churches, or temples, are in any way within the borders of The Empire, whether the citizens or non-citizens live within these borders or not. Exceptions to this rule may only be granted by the current emperor, and usually then, only when such businesses are subject to taxation by foreign powers. As always, an emperor may change their mind, or a new emperor may change policy concerning taxation for any such holdings, but any agreements by previous emperors will continue to hold sway unless or until the current emperor actively changes the terms of the agreement.
That land within Imperial control could not be owned by citizens, but would always be retained by The Company. It would instead be deeded out for use by citizens of business concerns. For citizens, such use would continue for the citizen, or, upon their death, his or her current spouse, or his or her sole descendant, or for one and only one descendant of the citizen's choice as expressed in their last will and testament. If, at any time, such a citizen were to die with no spouse or descendants, that land would be taken back by The Empire unless or until a new citizen or business concern was granted deed. Or, if said citizen were currently unmarried and were to die without choosing which descendant would inherit the deed, that the eldest competent descendant would inherit the deed. Furthermore, on occasion, The Empire may take back any deeded land and pay for any reasonable relocation expenses. The current emperor, or his or her local representative, will always determine what is reasonable on a case by case basis. As always, the emperor reserves the right to change or overturn any decision made by his or her local representative, but is only likely to do so upon petition of a citizen directly affected by any such decision, and only upon agreement such hardships outweigh the good of the Company's needs for said land.

That is, the rights of land follow in this order:

The vested concerns of The Company, also known as The Empire.
The current deeded citizen, or business concern.

Or, upon the death of a current deeded citizen, or dissolution of the business concern:

The current spouse of the deeded citizen at which time said spouse becomes the new current deeded citizen. Ending business concerns revert to the Company.
In the absence of a current spouse or competent spouse, the chosen descendant as given in the current deeded citizen's last will and testament. Said descendent becomes the new current deeded citizen.
In the absence of a current spouse and any last will and testament, the eldest competent descendant of the current deeded citizen. Said descendent becomes the new current deeded citizen.
In the absence of a current spouse or any known descendent, The Empire reclaims the land and will deed it out to a citizen or use the land in some other manner, as the company sees fit.

The Empire may decide to deed out land to non-citizens. Such non-citizens will pay a one-time property tax to be determined by a council of candidates. Said deed may be inherited by a spouse or a descendent if they are citizens of The Empire, but only with petition from said citizen, and only then upon proof of the death of the non-citizen. If said spouse is also a non-citizen or said descendent is a non-citizen, a new one-time inheritance tax equal to the original one-time property tax will be paid, or a new assessment value, should the current value be lower than the original value, or the land will revert to The Empire. Said deeded non-citizen will then become the new current deeded non-citizen for the purposes of the deeded property. The Empire may, at anytime, reclaim the land from a non-citizen under the same provisions as it may reclaim land from its citizens.
If, at any time, The Empire reclaims deeded land, any and all fixed property or improvements to the land become the property of The Empire. This includes things like wells, fountains, buildings, roads, and other permanent fixtures, and may include non-fixed property such as furniture, books, scrolls, any magic, and other things which the last current deeded citizen or the last current deeded non-citizen does not remove in a timely fashion. What is timely is always determined by the current emperor or his or her local representative, but any such time shall never be less than one Folar after the death of the last deeded citizen or the last deeded non-citizen.
Transfer of deeded land cannot be done without the approval of the governor of the city, or by the governor's local representative. In any event, transfer of a deeded property by any means other than inheritance by a citizen shall incur a transfer tax. The amount of this tax is to be determined by the governor of the city or the governor's local representative. Transfer of any deeded property by any means, including inheritance, is not legally binding until properly recorded. This may be accomplished through any Imperial Guard. Also, that if a deeded citizen should no longer qualify as a citizen, that such a new non-citizen become a deeded non-citizen upon the one-time payment of a transfer tax to be determined by the governor or his or her local representative. That as many as 10 years may be given for the payment of this tax, but no fewer than 5 years will be given, and after such time if the transfer tax is still not paid, that the deeded land shall revert to The Empire.
That all citizens, but excluding candidates and those who have received special dispensation by the emperor or his or her personal representatives, upon their 18th birthday, report for two years of compulsory military service. That during this time the PLEBES, as they are called, will learn discipline and habits conducive to good health and a happy, productive life. And, if called upon, the PLEBES will help defend The Empire. That to do this all PLEBES will undergo the PROGRAM, and that this program is to be determined by the emperor and a council of candidates and should be regularly updated in the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th year of each century, but may be further updated if the emperor so wishes.
And it shall be done that at least once a year the council of generals shall prepare a complete report on the state of The Empire and hand deliver said report to the emperor. That such a report must include military strengths, a complete account of the armies and the navies of The Empire, and detailed descriptions of each general's greatest military concerns and recommendations for said concerns. And, that at any time, a council of generals may call for the study and recommendation of a council of candidates to be appointed by the emperor for the purpose of making changes in the basic precepts laid down by this original council of generals.
Finally, The Empire reserves the right of coinage. That is, only The Empire will be allowed to make and set the standards for coins. That a new mithral, platinum, gold, electrum, silver, and copper coin be minted within one year of any new emperor being geased into office. That the emperor's own image be placed upon the front of the silver coin and the back of the gold coin, and the other ten images, as determined by a council of candidates, be placed upon the remaining sides of all coins. It shall be the policy, but not the absolute practice, that non-Imperial coins will be remade into Imperial standards if such non-Imperial coins come into the possession of The Empire. Furthermore, to promote world trade, any foreign nation or power may contract The Empire for the minting of coins. In such an instance, any twelve images desired by the foreign nation or power may be used, but the following Imperial standards must be used.

Mithral coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.1 inches. There shall be exactly 1000 mithral coins to the pound.
Platinum coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.2 inches. There shall be exactly 200 platinum coins to the pound.
Gold coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.3 inches. There shall be exactly 100 gold coins to the pound.
Electrum coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.3 inches. There shall be exactly 200 electrum coins to the pound.
Silver coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.4 inches. There shall be exactly 50 silver coins to the pound.
Copper coins shall have a radius of exactly 0.3 inches. There shall be exactly 100 copper coins to the pound.

The alloys used to make these coins shall have the following standards.

Mithral, 22.15 g/cm^3.
Platinum, 21.45 g/cm^3.
Gold, 18.88 g/cm^3.
Electrum, 10.69 g/cm^3.
Silver, 10.50 g/cm^3.
Copper, 08.92 g/cm^3.

And, that within The Empire, 10 coins shall be accepted as the economic equivalent of one coin of the next type of more valuable metal. That is, 10 copper coins shall be worth 1 silver coin, 10 silver coins shall be worth 1 electrum coin, 10 electrum coins shall be worth 1 gold coin, 10 gold coins shall be worth 1 platinum coin, and 10 platinum coins shall be worth 1 mithral coin. Other standards to be followed can be found under the heading of The Council of Becker, 0 A.E. Only a council of candidates may make any changes to these standards.