Izeryk

The Izeryk, officially known as The Union of the Izeryk (Izersprek: De Unjon—Izeryk), is a country in western Avinia, lying shortly off the coast of the north-western Avinian mainland. Izeryk includes the entirety of the Izeryker subcontinent—consisting of one large island and many smaller islands—and is completely surrounded by the Aegiric Ocean. The country consists of the realm core (Rykern), seven principalities (Prinsryk), and five duchies (Hartokryk) covering an area of 2,774,080 km2 (1,071,080 square miles) and containing about 281 million people.

Izeryk is an elective constitutional monarchy governed by a mixture of aristocratic law and civil law. The monarch, Empress Anika II, was elected to the throne by a joint congress of Izeryk's noble peers in 1982 from a list of eligible heirs provided by the royal family. Before ascending to the crown, Anika II served as the Princess of Buitenvoud—the head of state of Izeryk's southwesternmost subdivision. As a federation of 13 lesser monarchies ruled by six different noble families, Izeryk's subdivisions have significant autonomy over specific policy areas and family and regional political maneuvering plays a large part in national governance. With the exception of Rykern—which is ruled by the monarch of Izeryk—each subdivision has its own devolved governance. Principalities are ruled at-large by princesses or princes of the Izeryk royal family who earn their posts via a hereditary process and rule with the consent of a council of their subordinate dukes, counts, and viscounts. Duchies meanwhile are typically smaller in area and are ruled by independent noble families. They are more diverse in their governance when compared to principalities, with some being hereditary (with various succession systems) and others being elective. All duchies, including those subordinate to principalities, and the principalities themselves send an ambassador to the Congress of Nobles to represent the ruling noble class around the country.

Etymology
The term Izeryk originally applied to just the Realm Core, encompassing the Izertelt Valley and large bay that was ruled by the Izeryker royal family as of the 10th century. Derived from the words izer (meaning "iron") and ryk (meaning "realm"), the name is derived from the rich iron deposits found throughout the Izertelt Valley and the mountain range dominating the eastern coast of the subcontinent. Iron was a common motif in the early monarchy prior to the integration of the other states inhabiting Izeryk's main island, representing the industriousness and military might of the Izertelt Queendom. When Izertelt began its conquest of the rest of the subcontinent in the 12th century, it retitled itself as the Izeryk, or "Iron Realm".

Politics and government
Izeryk is a federal semi-elective constitutional monarchy. Its head of state is Empress Anika II, who was elected to her seat by the Congress of Nobles in 1982.

Three Classes of Governance
Izeryker government from the county- to federal-level broadly consists of three classes of governance with unequal and overlapping powers and responsibilities. These are the Nobiliat, Secretariat, and the Martiat.

Nobiliat
The Nobiliat is essentially Izeryk's executive branch, consisting of the royal family and lower nobility, who lead the other classes. Entry into the Nobiliat is typically hereditary, although in some jurisdictions membership can be conferred unto a member of the untitled gentry who has served as a regimental commander in the Duchal Armies or purchased a warrant and eligible land title within their home jurisdiction. The divisions in which this is a valid means of ascending to the Nobiliat are multi-level elective monarchies, with ascent being a prerequisite to being registered on as an eligible candidate. Thus, nobles who lack titles in elective duchies are largely equivalent to the gentry of hereditary divisions. Eligible noblepeople who actively rule a jurisdiction (typically at the municpal-level and higher) represent themselves at the Congress of Nobles. The Congress serves as a forum for the states to discuss matters of inter-state policy and for the Empress, or her representative, to dictate federal policy to the states. The body serves the function of advising the Empress on state matters, as well as providing the Empress with a picture of states' opinions on policy. Additionally, when the sitting federal monarch vacates, whether by death or abdication, the Congress of Nobles convenes to elect the new monarch from a list of eligible hiers provided by the Izeryker royal family.

Secretariat
The Secretariat meanwhile is the bureacracy of Izeryk, responsible for providing advice to members of the Nobiliat; executing the intent of the Nobiliat by drafting decrees, regulations, and memos; and directly implementing policy. The Secretariat class was constituted during the reign of Empress Yda I in the late 18th century as a means of placating the untitled gentry (a class of wealthy, educated Izeryk citizens who lacked major land titles to qualify them as part of the Nobiliat but commanded a fair amount of economic power) by reducing the relative power of the nobility and royals who directly rule all levels of government. Most members of the Secretariat of the offspring of former members of the Secretariat or untitled gentry with the social connections and wealth to place their children in lucrative tertiary learning programs with direct pathways into the civil service. The vast majority of the commoner class do not attain the education necessary to ascend to the Secretariat, although about 16% of Secretariat members were the offspring of commoners as of 1989. Eighty-two percent of these ascended via military qualification in technical trades, usually attained as part of their conscription term.

At the lowest levels, municipal bureacrats plan the execution of policies drafted by the managing municipal Secretariat and approved by the Lord-Mayor. In some municipalities, a Mayor-Secretary (part of the Secretariat appointed by the local bureacracy) acts in parallel to a Lord-Mayor (part of the Nobiliat, usually owning a significant amount of land in their city or commanding a consensus among the gentry or possessing a mandate to lead from a superior noble). In this case, the Mayor-Secretary usually acts as a city-manager and advises the Lord-Mayor, who leads the jurisdiction and sets the tone of governance. Meanwhile, at the highest levels, federal Secretaries lead the offices which manage Izeryk's affairs, implements federal policy, and advises the monarch on matters relevent to their field. For example, the Secretary on War and Crisis leads the Secretariat responsible for military affairs and disaster response. Another is the Secretariat on Jurisprudence, which encompasses Izeryk's federal court system. The highest ranking member of the Secretariat class is the Archsecretary, who chairs the Secretariat Council made up of Izeryk's federal secretaries. The Archsecretary is directly appointed by the monarch and is considered to be the nation's head of government.

Martiat
Lastly, the Martiat encompasses the military officer class, and in some ways mixes the responsibilities and stature of the Nobiliat and Secretariat while remaining subordinate to both. Due to its role in instilling nationalist and civic values into the populace via universal conscription, the Martiat is particularly important in the maintenance of Izeryker traditions, loyalty to the state, and adherence to the state religion among commoners. Specialist education given as part of a conscription term for competitive inductees is also the most common way that commoners—a lower and middle income class that lacks tertiary education and does not town land or property—to ascend to the Secretiart class and, as a result of their higher incomes, the gentry. In a way, the Martiat class commands the most direct authority over the commoner class, versus the Nobiliat and Secretariat which exercise their authority through the Martiat. Additionally, as most military officers come from the untitled gentry or commoner class—attaining their office through education or meritorious service—the Martiat is the most powerful representation of the commoners. But, at the same time, military officers derive much of their power and the loyalty of their subordinates from the princely, duchal or royal figures they serve on behalf of.

Law enforcement
There are four classes of law enforcement in Izeryk: civil, royal, noble, and military.

Civil law enforcement exists at all levels of government and is primarily focused on enforcing. This is law distinctly separate from, laws related to the traditions and norms of the nobility or royal family, military law, and sedition. Civil law enforcement vary in responsibilities, scope, and focus, ranging from municipal street police and traffic enforcement to federal immigration policy, supreme investigatory bodies, and counter-terrorism units. All federal and Realm Core civil law enforcement agencies report directly to the Secretariat on Jurisprudence (a federal ministry), while divisional, county and municipal equivalents report to their respective level of bureaucracy.

Royal law enforcement by contrast specifically focuses on the enforcement of royal law pertaining (that is the sets of statutes and norms dictating the conduct of the Izeryker royal family) and ensuring loyalty to the monarch. Unlike civil law enforcement, royal law enforcement is maintained at the federal-level exclusively and operates throughout Izeryk and its overseas territories. Unlike civil and noble law enforcement, royal law enforcement personnel also operate within the Izeryker military, embedded Royal Officers in military units to ensure that their officers and subordinates maintain their loyalty to the monarch and her government. Sedition laws which pertain to the monarch and federal government are thusly enforced by Royal Officers in all aspects of Izeryker society. Additionally, royal law enforcement oversee the succession process for the seats of Empress and Princess (of which there are seven) and has the power to arrest royalty who contradict royal law. Royal law enforcement is maintained by the Secretariat on Values.

Noble law enforcement is essentially a local equivalent to royal law enforcement, operating in jurisdictions where nobility outside of the Izeryker royal family rules. Each of Izeryk's five divisional-level duchies and most of its duchies subordinate to principalities have a noble law enforcement agency, while 36% of the country's county governments (ruled by Counts or Countesses) and three of its major metropolitan areas (ruled by Lord-Mayors) operate noble law enforcement agencies (although they vary in size and responsibilities). These agencies operate in parallel to the royal and civil law enforcement agencies, but only act within the jusridictions that their direct ruler governs.

Military

 * See more: Izeryk Realm Guard

The Izeryk Realm Guard acts as the armed forces of Izeryk, consisting of the Duchal Armies, Territorial Army, Realm Armada, and Aero Guards. There are significant intersections between the military, aristocratic power dynamics, factionalism, and state-enforced values in Izeryk. Its largest service branch, the Duchal Armies, is a manifestation of the collective power of Izeryk's princes and dukes, being composed of individual Princely or Duchal Armies which are mustered by and report to this level of lower noble. Although in times of war they legally may be placed under the centralized command of the Empress's military bureaucracy—which controls the Territorial Army, Realm Armada and Aero Guards in peacetime as well—this is rarely done due to the amount of political capital required to compel lower nobles to comply. During the extreme case of the Acaltic Expeditions (1880-1902), Empress Ingel II used the Territorial Army (composed primarily of colonial nationals) to depose the Duchess of Arensloz for refusing to transfer control of the Duchal Army of Arensloz to federal control for an overseas colonial deployment. However, during most overseas conflicts, the federal monarch typically opts to not federalize the Duchal Armies to avoid domestic confrontations. The maintenance of the Duchal Armies is considered to be a political check against federal overreach, particularly among smaller duchy governments representing ethnoreligious minorities outside of Izeryker royal family. At the same time, the distribution of Duchal Armies (based roughly on population of the duchies and principalities) has historically placed the bulk of Izeryk's military power in the hands of the Izeryk royal family, preventing all succession attempts initiated by a lower noble.

Over time, this system has led to the Duchal Armies degradation as a full-spectrum land army, with its expeditionary capabilities being largely taken over by the Territorial Army and the Realm Armada's Expeditionary Brigade. After the Reconstitution Decree of 1973, the Duchal Armies' primary roles were outlined as "guarding against and repelling invasion of the home islands, maintaining order during times of strife, guarding the lives of the monarchs [and] maintaining the moral and civic values of the Izeryker people." By the same token, the intersection between the Duchal Armies and the aristocracy has reinforced the Empress's role as the commander-in-chief of Izeryk's military operations abroad and the defense of its aerospace, due to its expeditionary land warfare services, navy, and strategic air defense command reporting directly to Empress and her Secretariat on War and Crisis.