County of Avageru

### Subdivisions

Comital DominionBarony of the OutlandsEastern DominionSouthern DominionWestern Dominion

## Main Attributes

### Official Languages

Imperial Basic (English)VietnameseJapaneseClan Creole

## Government

### Formation

2586 - First colony2607 - Creation as Barony2680 - Elevation to County

**Avageru**, officially the **Marquisate of Avageru**, is a planet and feudal fief in the Lucius star system, currently ruled by House Dinh.

## Geography

### Natural geography

The second planet of the Lucius star system, Avageru is a subtropical planet. Its average temperature hovers near the higher end of the habitable range, rendering the equatorial regions almost uninhabitable. The bulk of flora and fauna, as well as the human population, are concentrated in the middle- to high-latitude regions, with the polar regions inhabited by smaller human settlements, evergreens, and migratory or hibernating animals. The planet has a very small axial tilt, leading to very small seasonal variations in temperature and weather. About seventy-five percent of the planet is covered in water, with small continents, large islands, and archipelagos forming chains of land masses spanning all hemispheres.

### Human geography

Known as the source of fine tea, advanced technologies, and high-quality medicines, Avageru has a relatively small population that enjoys a high standard of living. Around seventy-five percent of the human population on Avageru is concentrated in metropolises. These megacities are renowned for their commitment to urban-natural integration, with human structures and natural features and environments complementing each other. Avageri metropolitan areas host technological, industrial, and agricultural production, and serve as the sociocultural nexi of human society on the planet. The remaining twenty-five percent of people on Avageru are scattered rural farming communities, and nomadic groups known as the Roving Clans.

## Society

Avageri society maintains an open culture that preserves formal stratification but also embraces socioeconomic mobility.

#### Structure

##### Nobility

Like elsewhere in the Empire, nobility exists on Avageru. However, nobles are expected to demonstrate value to the community in return for their status and privileges, and "deadbeat" noble families are outright shunned and shamed by society.

Nobility on Avageru is separated into "titled nobility" and "untitled nobility."

Titled nobility consists of noble houses created through ennoblement by Imperial authority. These titled noble houses hold at least the rank of baron. The titled nobility on Avageru comprises House Dinh and 17 baronial houses who owe direct vassalage to the Dinhs.

Untitled nobility consists of any vassal of a titled noble house on Avageru who has not been ennobled by Imperial authority. These houses do not possess a title with Imperium-wide recognition, and are accorded the titles "master" or "mistress" as a courtesy on Avageru.

##### Gentry

The Avageri gentry, defined by statute as those who have paid taxes for three of the five previous years (typically merchants, white-collar professionals, renowned cultural creators, and elite academics), is remarkably influential in political, economic, and cultural spheres.

##### Commons

The Avageri commons, comprising mostly blue-collar labourers, regular artisans, and farm workers, are recognised as a vital foundation of society and a source of latent talent and ingenuity.

#### Tea culture

The most salient aspect of Avageri culture is its tea culture, which encompasses agriculture, horticulture, gastronomy, art, and music. The different forms of the Avageri tea ceremony play a central part in many formal and informal parts of life on the planet, and in most cases help define the Avageri diaspora.

## Subdivisions

The County of Avageru is divided into the Principal Domain, the County of Tìr a-Muigh, and three dominions.

### Principal Domain

The Principal Domain is the area of Avageru under the direct governance of House Dinh and the planetary administration. Many of House Dinh's non-noble vassals hold fiefdoms, called masteries, are inside the Principal Domain.

### County of Tìr a-Muigh

The County of Tìr a-Muigh is an expansive swath of sparsely populated land and sea granted to House Acino and the nomadic Roving Clans pledged to the Acinos.

### Eastern Dominion

The Eastern Dominion comprises six baronies to the far east. House Senneca of Baetica is considered the senior, first-among-equals vassal in this dominion.

### Southern Dominion

The Southern Dominion comprises four baronies to the south. House Takagi of Marode, a cadet branch of House Dinh, is considered the senior, first-among-equal vassals in this dominion.

### Western Dominion

The Western Dominion comprises six baronies to the west. House Phan of Garamo, a cadet branch of House Dinh, is considered the senior, first-among-equal vassals in this dominion.

## Government

As a political and legal matter, the Marquisate of Avageru is a fief held by House Dinh by right of Imperial grant. Under principles of feudalism, the ruling marquis or marquise is the ultimate authority in the County, and answers only to the Imperial Throne. However, through the granting of several constitutional charters, generations of rulers from House Dinh have devolved many aspects of governance to several institutions and guaranteed many rights and freedoms to those living in the County. The most notable constitutional charters are the Charter on Electoral Succession, the Charter on Responsive Government, and the Charter on Justice and Rights.

### Constitutional charters

#### Charter on Electoral Succession

Charter on Electoral Succession is the constitutional charter of Avageru that specifies the electoral succession process for the countship of Avageru.

The Charter was granted by Baroness Emilia II Dinh after the conclusion of the Dinh Succession Crisis, and later modified by Count Kazuto I Dinh after his elevation from baron to count.

Upon the death, abdication, or forfeiture of the comital seat by an incumbent, a Comital Conclave is convened to elect a new count or countess. The pool of candidates include all members of House Dinh who have reached the age of maturity, meaning that adult children or grandchildren of a count or countess of Avageru can put themselves forward for election. The Comital Conclave includes seventeen electors, whose status as comital electors is hereditary.

#### Charter on Responsive Government

Charter on Responsive Government is the constitutional charter of Avageru that regulates political relationships in the County of Avageru and establishes political institutions with whom the count or countess shares power.

The Charter was granted by Baroness Mako II Dinh as part of her Grand Reforms, also known as the Mako Reforms. It establishes the Governing Councils and the Consultative Chambers, and distributes legislative, executive, and advisory functions among them.

There is ongoing disagreement between Avageri jurists regarding the degree to which the Charter on Responsive Government is binding on the ruling count or countess. Two primary schools of thought have coalesced on the topic. The legitimists insist that since the County is a fief held by House Dinh by right of Imperial grant, the Charter remains binding on a ruling count or countess only at their pleasure. Meanwhile, the institutionalists argue that the principles of reciprocal rights and duties that underpin the extant feudal system extend to the application and interpretation of the constitutional charters, and that rights and privileges held overtime by comital vassals and subjects cannot be abrogated without consent.

#### Charter on Justice and Rights

Charter on Justice and Rights is the constitutional charter of Avageru that establishes an autonomous judicial system and codifies foundational rights of subjects.

The Charter was granted by Countess Hisako Dinh as part of her Great Renewal, also known as the Hisako Renewal. It formalises the existence of a judicial system comprising the Adjudicative Council, the Advisory Chambers, and the juridical parlours. It also codifies a body of conventions on political and civil liberties into an enumerated list of political and civil rights.

### Governing Councils

Governing Councils are the primary political institutions of Avageru, responsible for the legislative and executive functions of the County of Avageru in conjunction with the count or countess and in accordance with the Avageri constitutional charters.

Notably, a minor constitutional charter called the Charter on Political Conventions precludes any person who holds the right to participate in a Comital Conclave, along with anyone related to them by blood or by law within three generations, from becoming members of the Governing Councils.

#### General Council

The General Council, known colloquially as the First Council, is a representative and deliberative body with primarily legislative functions. Its members, called General Councillors, comprise noble delegates elected by the lesser nobles enfeoffed by House Dinh as well as popular delegates elected by the taxpaying gentry and commoners.

This General Council meets in either Fiscal Session or Plenary Session. When the General Council is convened in Fiscal Session, only General Councillors representing the nobility and the taxpaying gentry have full participatory privileges, though the remaining councillors are entitled to some limited speaking privileges. When the General Council is convened in Plenary Session, all General Councillors have full participatory privileges. The de facto presiding officer of the General Council is the Steward of the Sessions, elected by General Councillors from among themselves. The *de jure* presider over the General Council is the ruling count or countess, who only attends ceremonial functions.

#### Directive Council

The Directive Council, known colloquially as the Second Council, is a deliberative and advisory body with primarily executive functions. Its members, termed Directive Councillors, comprise three directive provosts and six directive coadjutors, all of whom are appointed by the count or countess and serve at the pleasure of the same. Before appointing a Directive Councillor, the count or countess must announce their intention to the General Council, who may block the appointment. If the General Council does not act after two weeks, the appointment can go ahead.

These Directive Councillors are responsible for directing the affairs of the executive departments called the Administrative Colleges or the Three Colleges (the Chancery, the Treasury, and the Commandery). The Directive Council has no permanent presiding officer, as the comital ruler often personally chairs the meetings. In the absence of the count or countess, the directive provosts take turns chairing the meetings of the Council.

#### Legislative process

The power to initiate legislation is shared between the General Council and the Directive Council. Most laws, formally termed statutes, begin as legislative advisories proposed by the Directive Council. The remaining statutes are initiated in the General Council as legislative petitions by groups of General Councillors. On fiscal matters, the Directive Council has the exclusive right to initiate legislation through legislative advisories. The General Council considers these fiscal advisories in its Fiscal Session. On all other advisories or petitions, the General Council deliberates in its Plenary Session.

An advisory or petition passed by a majority vote in the appropriate session of the General Council is considered endorsed by the General Council, and is sent to the count or countess for promulgation or veto. Counts and countesses have rarely ever exercised their right to veto. Most endorsed advisories or petitions fail to become law due to the invocation by one of the Consultative Chambers of their right to appraise any proposed legislation. An endorsed advisory or petition being appraised cannot be promulgated or vetoed until the appraisal is concluded.

### Consultative Chambers

The Consultative Chambers’ primary purpose is to provide candid advice to the count or countess. However, they have a procedural role in the legislative process. The Chambers have the right to appraise any legislative advisory or legislative petition. Such appraisal can be initiated by as few as one third of a Consultative Chamber, and once commenced an appraisal prevents the count or countess from acting on an endorsed advisory or petition. A majority of the Consultative Chamber that initiates an appraisal can at any point end that appraisal. An indefinite appraisal by a Consultative Chamber is the most common manner in which an endorsed advisory or petition fails to become law.

#### Chamber of Retainers

The Chamber of Retainers, also known as the Inner Chamber, serves as the forum for House Dinh’s most important vassals to express their candid views to the count or countess. This Consultative Chamber contains the seventeen electoral retainers, who are vassals with the right to participate in a Comital Conclave, along with up to seventeen auxiliary retainers, who are additional vassals appointed by the count or countess. Convention dictates that an auxiliary retainer should resign their seat six years after appointment, so as to create space for another to have the honour of serving. The presiding officer of the Chamber of Retainers is the Master Chamberlain, a role that rotates among the electoral retainers every two years. The Usher of the Inner Chamber is a ceremonial role given by the count or countess either to their favourite vassal, or to the vassal requiring the most deference and respect.

#### Chamber of Intercessors

The Chamber of Intercessors, known colloquially as the Tea Chamber and sometimes referred to incorrectly as the Chamber of Experts, functions as the source of specialised advice and sober consideration for the count or countess. This Consultative Chamber comprises at least seventeen and at most thirty-four intercessors, appointed by the count or countess and serving at the pleasure of the same. By convention, an intercessor offers to resign six years after appointment in order to give the count or countess the opportunity to refresh the Chamber’s membership. However, it is not rare for a count or countess to decline such resignation. The Chamberlain of the Tea Parlours, appointed by the count or countess from among the intercessors, is the first-among-equal presiding officer of the Chamber of Intercessors.

#### Automatic termination of appointments

A minor constitutional charter called the Charter on Political Conventions stipulates that one year after the accession of a new count or countess, all appointed positions within the Consultative Chambers are vacated by default, allowing the new ruler to name their own advisors to these bodies. However, the new count or countess almost always reappoints auxiliary retainers to their posts until the expiration of their respective customary six-year terms.

### Judicial bodies

#### Adjudicative Council

Adjudicative Council is the highest judicial institution of Avageru, serving as a court of final resort for most legal cases in the County.

The Council traces its roots to ad hoc committees of members of the General Council and the Chamber of Intercessors to advise the ruling count or countess on judicial matters on final appeal. Over time, a permanent council came into existence via statute, with the authority to make most final judicial rulings on behalf of the count or countess. The Charter on Justice and Rights formalises this arrangement as constitutional rather than statutory.

Adjudicative Councillors, often called Adjudicators, are appointed by the count or countess upon recommendation by the Advisory Chambers and endorsement by the General Council. They serve non-renewable terms of eleven years.

Adjudicators organise themselves into benches, with each bench considering cases falling under a certain area of law. On occasion, ad hoc extraordinary benches have to be convened to consider cases that span different areas of law.

#### Advisory Chambers

Advisory Chambers, institutions with advisory, supervisory, and academic roles in the Avageri judicial system, responsible for identifying miscarriages of justice, recommending jurists for judgeships, and collating academic works on Avageri law.

The Chamber of Procurators serves as the inspectorate of the judicial system. It is tasked with identifying erroneous rulings and catching judicial misconduct.

The Chamber of Justiciars performs both advisory and research functions. It is responsible for making recommendations to the count or countess on candidates for judgeships. It also conducts surveys of legal scholarship to collate the authoritative body of judicial reasoning and principles for Avageri law.

Members of the Advisory Chambers are appointed to non-renewable terms of eleven years by the count or countess, with advice and consent from the Chamber concerned. The size of the Advisory Chambers fluctuates between a dozen and nearly a hundred depending on the ruling count or countess.

#### Juridical parlours

Juridical parlours are ordinary courts of law in Avageru, with original jurisdiction or appellate jurisdiction.

The Avageri term for law courts originates from the common practice by judges to hear cases in tea parlours. Until the granting of the Charter on Justice and Rights, courts of law did not exist in Avageru in a formal sense. Instead, the ruling count or countess commissioned individual judges to hear and rule on cases on their behalf. These jurists would travel from settlement to settlement, remaining in each town or village until they dispose of all pending cases, and then moving on to the next location. In most settlements, the best place for a judge to do their work was tea parlours, so over time these became the venues of choice for these itinerant judicial officers.

By the time of the County, in major cities and towns, certain tea houses had become de facto courthouses, and “law parlour” had entered the lexicon as the most common term for “court of law.” Various statutes even referred to “judicial parlours” or “juridical parlours.” The Charter on Justice and Rights formalises the already existing and persisting network of law parlours and standardises the formal term to “juridical parlour,” though in the colloquial language, “law parlour” continues to be used.

##### Judicial hierarchy

* **Grand Juridical Parlour:** The Grand Juridical Parlour, located in Avenira, is the secondary appellate court. It hears appeals from the Metropolitan and Superior Juridical Parlours. Appeals from the Grand Juridical Parlour go to the Adjudicative Council.
* **Metropolitan / Superior Juridical Parlours:** These courts have both appellate and trial functions. Serious crimes like homicides and sedition, as well as significant civil cases, are tried in these juridical parlours. They also hear appeals directly from the Common Juridical Parlours as well as the devolved courts. Metropolitan Juridical Parlours are located on the metropolises, while Superior Juridical Parlours are located in the capitals of fiefdoms belonging to vassals of House Dinh.
* **Common Juridical Parlours:** In the Comital Domain, the Common Juridical Parlours function as trial courts for most civil matters and minor criminal cases.
* **Devolved courts:** The fiefdoms belonging to the vassals of House Dinh organise and operate their own courts for many civil issues as well as criminal misdemeanors and minor felonies.