Winter Ascendancy

### History of the Ascendancy

The Winter Ascendancy was founded by Sasha Sakotem who after retiring from the Imperial Navy sought not a quiet time, but a bold retirement, taking control of the world of Carlac, and amassing a force of warships, composed primarily of former confederate naval vessels which had been drydocked or half-scrapped. With these she claimed two very useful droids, TP-12, a Tactical Droid, possessing a vast knowledge, and OOM-919 an OOM-series battle droid. With these two she would slowly begin to amass an army of refurbished droids, and soon after, turned Carlac from a tribal backwater of a world, to one far more civilised, under her sole rule. At least until she began to recruit more organics into her ranks, one of the first being Aphrodite Atrisia who would soon come to hold to the rank of Knight-Commander, as she reorganised the hierarchy of the Winter Ascendancy, modelling it after the ancient knightly orders of Atrisia's past. These formed a basis for a far more honourable organisation than it had previously been portrayed as beneath the boot of formerly confederate droids and a hidden figure leading them. Now, Lady Ash, as she styles herself, leads a mighty planetary empire.

### Hierarchy of the Ascendancy

Modelled after a number of Feudal States and Knightly Orders on Atrisia from ancient times, the hierarchy of the Winter Ascendancy is that of absolute power stemming from Lady Ash, the monarch, much like the hereditary Galactic Emperor in title and duty, though not prestige. After her comes the Knight-Generals, one for each of the four branches, the Winter Company, whose Knight-Commanders are the leaders of mercenary companies all throughout the galactic north. The Winterguard, whose Knight-Commanders are in charge of the various commanderies which serve as both military defence garrisons as well as civilian peace officer stations. The Throneguard, whose Knight-Commanders are in charge of a series of thirteen commanderies within the capital city of carlac, seven of which are stationed within the Winter Palace itself, or its perimeter, the Throneguard while serving as guards for Lady Ash are also given the express honour of serving as the arbiters of Lady Ash's executive authority, passing down their lady's commands to her subjects. And the Winter Magistrates, whose Magisterium's serve many purposes within the bureaucracy, from tax collectors to mining companies, while the Magisterium Ascendant handles affairs of state as directed by the Throneguard, administrating worlds conquered or controlled by the Winter Ascendancy.

#### Hierarchy of the Winter Magistrates

At the forefront of the Winter Magistrates are the Magister Ascendant, of which there are eight, each holding sway over one of the ministries on Carlac, and from there coordinating with their lesser Magisters on other planets and within other Magisterium's on Carlac. Underneath the Magister Ascendants are the Magisters Majoris and Minoris, who are both assigned to a Magisterium as the leader and second-in-command respectively. Beneath the Magisters are the Legatus, who are most often administrate cities and regions as a whole for the Magisters. Down a tier are the Tribunes, who oversee the day to day administration of smaller settlements and administrative hubs within cities. And finally the last tier, which consist of three titles, that of the Quaestor, Aedile, and Praetor. All of whom oversee a different aspect of administration, Quaestors overseeing mainly urban issues, Aediles rural ones, and Praetors, issues of law alongside the Winterguard commanderies.