Corpus

Corpus is a massive empire located along the southeastern region of the supercontinent. It stretches from the eastern coasts as far as the borders of the wastelands to the west. To its north, it is bordered by the impassible mires, and it's southern border follows the Fangs, a mountain range separating it from what remains of the territories of their neighboring nations.

### Government

Corpus' government consists of an Imperial family and a Senate. It's capital city is Lathe, and the current ruler is Emperor Tithanpet, first of his name.

#### Imperial Government

Officially, Corpus maintains a separation of powers between the Imperial Throne and the Senate. This is simply represented as:

* **Emperor**
	+ Head of State
	+ Head of Military
	+ Chief Priest of Ardinate, the god of growth.
	+ Chief Justice
	+ Advisor to the Senate
* **Senate**
	+ Drafts and votes upon laws to submit to Emperor.
	+ Oversight of taxation, and national coffers.
	+ Approval of Magistrates
	+ Implementation of Treaties (as authorized by the Emperor)
	+ Selection of city mayors and regional governors.
	+ Appointment of Emperor pro tem when an ruler dies with no heir.
	+ Ability to call a vote of no-confidence in the current Emperor.

Unofficially, a no-confidence vote on the Emperor is doomed to fail spectacularly, and "advice" presented to the Senate is tantamount to an edict. This is because a the process to remove an Emperor from power is extremely lengthy, whereas the Emperor may dissolve the current Senate, render the Senators at the time ineligible for service pending investigation, and force new elections with a single strike of the pen.

#### Local Government

Due to the breadth of the empire, each locality needs to maintain a local governing body that serves the Senate and Emperor.

##### Governors

In most cases, this takes the form of regional governors appointed by the Senate. A governor may have authority over a single large city, or a broader rural region depending on the population density. The Senate reserves the right to redraw boundaries and replace governors at any time, but in practice a well-performing governor will likely end up with a lifelong appointment.

This case is different for colonies of Corpus, where the military will task an acting governor for the territory. As such, this means that colonial government is only answerable to the Imperial House.

##### Magistrates

Magistrates serve as both prosecutors and judges for the justice system of Corpus. They are appointed by the Emperor and confirmed by Senate. They are ultimately answerable to the Imperial House, and, in conjunction with a local governor, may help direct the law enforcement activities within a region. In rare cases, a magistrate may be contracted as a defense attorney, but this is an incredibly expensive service usually only available to wealthy landowners with significant influence within their trade organization.

#### Law Enforcement

Each governor may establish bodies to enforce both imperial and local laws. Most governors follow the tradition of Lathe and organize a body of City Guardians. The details may vary by region, but in general these organizations report directly to the governor. However, they will take direction from magistrates in cases of imperial law.

For most regions there will also be a body enforcing imperial laws around customs and trade activities. While these are not officially a local enforcement entity, in some cases, such as the Port Authority in Lathe, they will share some local responsibilities for maintaining order.