Mayor of the Palace

The **mayor of the palace** or ***majordomo*** is a title and government office in the Gastrinian Empire. The position is formally the manager of the king's household, but due to a collection of other offices being held by the majordomo, it is in practice the power behind the throne. The hobgoblin coup d'etat in 684 turned the King into a relatively ceremonial position with some reserve powers, transferring most royal power to the hands of the majordomo.

The titles and offices held customarily by the majordomo include:

* Lord Chamberlain, a position of being the King's personal secretary and bureaucratic liaison.
* Master of the Armies, granting command authority over all of Gestrin's land forces.
* Warden of the Coasts, granting authority over the Gastrinian navy, ports, and coastal resources.
* Curator of the Treasury, granting authority over the government department responsible for managing state finances.
* Keeper of the Royal Seal, with formal responsibility over the royal seal and practical responsibility for diplomacy and official correspondence.
* Lord President, chairman of the governing central committee.
* First Senator, a title of honor as the first member by order of precedence in the imperial Senate, according them the right to speak first, to summon and adjourn the Senate, to decide its agenda and where to meet, and representing the Senate in official correspondence.
* Prince of Goblins, a tribal lordship over the goblinoids of East Gestrin. Since the hobgoblin coup, the Prince of Goblins has always held the Mayoralty.

These offices enable the mayor of the palace to wield immense power over the bureaucracy, legislature, and military, and command the tribal loyalty of the bugbears, hobgoblins, and goblins.

## List of Mayors of the Palace

In the early 1st century IA, the Kings of Gestrin reasserted royal control over the bureaucracy. The Mayor of the Palace was established to consolidate access to the King, and curatorship over the treasury.

### Makairan dynasty

The first group of Majordomos were relatives of Fulvia Makaira, a trusted advisor of King Marcus. She appointed her nephew, Vendis Makairos Nepos as her successor, hoping the young man's thorough education would suffice. Instead, the Makairan "dynasty" or extended family would find itself in the middle of a power struggle with the King and Senate.

* Fulvia Makaira (14– 37), first Majordomo, consolidated access to the King.
* Vendis (37 – 41), nephew of Makaira, crucified for plotting against the King.
* Petramis (41 – 54), cousin of Vendis.
* Mochria (54 – 68), niece of Petramis, committed suicide after plotting against the Senate.
* Locrano (68 – 81), cousin of Mochria. Attempted to stabilize the country after Mochria's suicide.
* Aulus (81 – 96), son of Locrano, assassinated while plotting to usurp King Marcus II.
* Acheises, (96 – 98), distant cousin by marriage of Aulus. Caretaker chamberlain, died of old age.

### Vibian dynasty

After Acheises, the majordominate came to be held by a "dynasty" built from adoption or marriage relations, retroactively termed the **Vibian dynasty** by historians. These consolidated military power as well, often appointing their heirs as Master of the Armies. The two positions were not yet combined, however.

* Vibius (98 – 117), former Master of the Armies under Acheises.
* Sanctonius (117 – 138), adopted son of Vibius.
* Aelius (138 – 161), son-in-law of Sanctonius.
* Verusia (161 – 169), adopted daughter of Aelius.
* Julianos (169 – 190) brother-in-law of Verusia. Long-serving Majordomo, executed for plotting against the tyrant king Ilius.
* Aelius II (190 – 193), nephew of Julianos. Sycophant for Ilius, executed by the new regime.

### First Interdynastic

After the fall of Julianos and Aelius II, the Senate took over appointments of the Majordomo, splitting control of the treasury to an annually-elected magitracy. These were mostly career politicians, steering a neutral course to support the bureaucracy, and served relatively brief terms. Despite some Majordomos serving for long periods of time, most either failed or refused to consolidate power and engender a political dynasty.

* Pannos (193 – 217), trusted bureaucrat and peacemaker after the calamitous end of the Vibians.
* Avitus (217 – 222)
* Vitonius (222 – 227)
* Tilo (227 – 235)
* Thapsa (235 – 238)
* Salome (238 – 244)
* Herennius (244 – 251)
* Gordiolus (251 – 253), crucified after plotting against King Jaril II.
* Veldumian (253 – 268), consolidated power as Curator of the Treasury and chairman of the governing council.
* Egnatius, (268 – 276), Veldumian's handpicked successor, acquired position as First Senator.

### Florian dynasty

After Veldumian and Egnatius successfully reshaped the office into one of significant power, under a period of weak kings, they began a new dynasty under Egnatius' successor, half-elf Galeria Floria. This dynasty is also referred to as the **Galerian dynasty** or the **Elven dynasty**, though their elven ancestry rapidly dissipated beyond the first few generations.

* Galeria Floria (276 – 283), adopted daughter of Egnatius.
* Fulvens (283 – 284), son of Floria, assassinated.
* Galerian (284 – 313), son of Fulvens. Negotiated *foederati* treaty with the Goblin Confederacy.
* Valerio (313 – 324), son of Galerian.
* Vitus Valorius (324 – 337), son of Valerio.
* Licinian (337 – 350), son of Vitus Valorius.
* Vetranio (350 – 363), nephew of Licinian. Killed in battle without heirs alongside Queen Salina.

### Second Interdynastic

After Vetranio's death, the Emperor regained appointment of the position, but rotated them with loyal bureaucrats.

* Eugenius (363 – 378)
* Volsco (378 – 383)
* Trantino (383 – 395)
* Dosian (395 – 423), regained full independence after centuries of clientship, sidelined aging King Lyon II.
* Lando (423 – 455)
* Muleria (455 – 461)
* Avita (461 – 466), assassinated.
* Dory (466 – 480), consolidated police powers under her office, significantly expanding her authority.
* Anthemo (480 – 493), son-in-law of Dory, continued her policy of centralization and military reform.
* Libian (493 – 518), son-in-law of Anthemo, consolidated military authority. Passed the majordominate onto his son, Ancus.

### Ancian dynasty

Inheritors of a re-energized majordominate with significant police and military powers, the Ancians wielded this to enrich themselves and to pursue aggressive expansion into neighboring territories. Gestrin conquered much land during their era, in spite of mostly weak kings. However, the later dynasts would squander much of their power and lead the empire to the brink of ruin.

* Ancus (518 – 527), son of Libian.
* Petra (527 – 565), nephew of Ancus.
* Ancorius (565 – 578), son of Petra.
* Tocrin (578 – 602), son of Ancorius.
* Coriolis (602 – 610), daughter of Tocrin.
* Philippian (610 – 641), son of Coriolis.
* Pamphylia (641 – 668), daughter of Philippian.
* Dulcina (668 – 678), daughter of Pamphylia.
* Claudio (678 – 684), nephew of Dulcina. Forced to abdicate in the Hobgoblin coup d'etat. Crucified for treason.

### Brekacid dynasty

The Brekacid clan are named for their founder *Brekakt*, an ancient hobgoblin warlord. By the time of the hobgoblin foederati treaty, they had already established themselves as Grand Princes of their tribal confederacy. Over time, they came to be rich landowners with much political clout, and a reputation for refinement, while still holding to their people's rough militaristic culture. In 684, the Gastrinian emperor died in battle and the Kingdom was one the edge of collapse. The Prince of Goblins, Brekakt Ivanos, marched his legions to Gestrin Isle and undertook a bloodless coup d'etat. The new Brekacid regime overthrew the Marcid royal dynasty and their Ancian mayors of the palace, and installed the new Leonid dynasty, with themselves as Majordomo and Master of the Army.

* Brekakt I *the Great* (685 – 695), liberated the kingdom from misrule, consolidated power, folder Master of the Army into the majordominate.
* Brekakt II *the Red* (695 – 717), son of Brekakt the Great. From him is derived the common cognomen of the Brecaids, *Rufus*.
* Brekakt III (717 – 741), son of Brekakt the Red; assassinated by Artebas.
* Artebas (741 – 743), nephew of Brekakt III; seized power from his uncle. Assassinated.
* Brekakt IV (743 – 780), son of Brekakt III.
* Khazarios (780 – 802), son of Brekakt IV.
* Nikolaos (802 – 813), son of Khazarios.
* Gardek I (813 – 829), son of Nikolaos.
* Velikha (829 – 842), daughter of Gardek I.
* Brecacita (842 – 867), daughter of Velikha,
* Argyros (867 – 886), son of Brecacita.
* Brekakt V (886 – 908), son of Argyros. Saw the spark of war between Gestrin and Tethar in 907.
* Khozano *the Conqueror* (908 – 920), son of Brekakt V. Managed most of the conquest of Tethar.
* Gardek II *the Peacemaker* (920 – 929), son of Khozano. Negotiated the peace settlement of the Gestrin War.
* Drakona (929 – 959), daughter of Gardek II.
* Radu (959 – 963), son of Drakona.
* Brekakt VI (963 – 971), son of Drakona. His rule started a period of internal decline.
* Gardek III (971 – 989) son of Brekakt VI; mismanaged the empire's numerous problems. Assassinated by Orestes.
* Orestes (989 – 1003) son of Brekakt VI; seized power and ruled tyrannically. Ousted and crucified in 1004.
* Brekakt VII *Augustus* or *the Fair* (1003 – ), son of Gardek III; restored order and set the empire to rights, and pursued numerous reforms.