Duchy of Modan

Modan
Subdivision type:	Duchy
Capital:	Drakorda
Population:
Largest Cities:	Modan Hamlet, Karamola
Local Leadership Title:	The Duke
Local Government:	Dukedom
Current leader:	Nathaniel Kalimatov Waffel-Paine
Local language:	Istvanistani, Natspeak, Laqi
Local Religion:	Reorganized Bovinism, Holodomatic Cedrism

The Modan is a Shirerithian duchy located in southeastern Benacia, established through the Treaty of Andamouth in 1699 AN.

A former so-called "vulture state" that emerged during the Kalirion Fracture, the Modan experienced a tumultuous 28 years before its successful reintegration into Shireroth. Declared independent in 1671 AN as the Kingdom of Drak-Modan, Nathan II was separated from the Modan in 1676 AN, then the region reorganized into a lindstromist republic in 1679 AN, underwent a civil war in 1684 AN, and finally transformed into a Draconian supremacist state in the 1690s AN. Following a growing dissident movement against the supremacist state, an attempted coup d'état opened the way for reintegration into Shireroth in early 1699 AN.

The first couple years as a Shirerithian duchy consisted of occupation by imperial peacekeeping forces in order to restore order to the Modan and reconstruct an administrative apparatus that had been gutted by a series of extrajudicial killings of political enemies and non-Draconians by pro-coup paramilitary groups.

Government

A provisional ducal government was established on 5.XI.1699, when Nathan II arrived back in the Modan, following a trip to Shirekeep to receive the Crown of Malarboria from Kaiseress Salome. Staying only briefly in a temporary apartment built in The Fury, Nathan II appointed his son, Count-Palatine John Hilding of Draconia, the Governor of Modan to serve as his locum tenens.

As the Governor of Modan, he led an appointed council, the Provisional Governing Commission, composed of twelve commissioners: four Adepts from Shirekeep, four senior Tribunes who also oversee peacekeeping operations, and four pro-Shirerithian Draconian lawyers. The Provisional Governing Commission is mandated to oversee and coordinate civilian and military government in the Modan during this transitional period, as well as to design the duchy's new constitution.

On 10.II.1701 AN, the Provisional Governing Commission delivered a draft Instrument of Government for consideration by Nathan II and Salome. After a few rounds of revision between the commission and the respective heads of state, the Instrument of Government was promulgated by ducal edict on 20.VI.1701 AN. Included within this edict was a provision for an irregular election for all seats (as per the Instrument's language) with an assigned campaign period of six months terminating on 1.XIV.1701 AN as the Day of Election.

Instrument of Government

• Chapter 1: Foundations of the Modanese State
• Chapter 2: Powers held in reserve by the Throne
• Chapter 3: The Modanese Fury
• Chapter 4: The Apparatus of State
• Chapter 5: The Court of Directors
• Chapter 6: The Court of Judges
• Chapter 7: Principles

Ducal Throne

The Instrument of Government indicates that all powers not delegated to the Fury, the Apparatus of State, the Ducal Court of Directors, or the Ducal Court of Judges were held in reserve by the Duke of Modan. As such, it does not enumerate the powers, but it does make reference to some within the context of how the Ducal Throne interacts with the governing bodies. It also provides a mechanism for the Duke to designate a locum tenens, the High Commissioner for the Ducal Throne in Modan to fulfill their functions when absent. With the Duke (who is also the Emperor of the Natopians) perpetually absent except for state visits, the High Commissioner is effectively the head of state.

The Ducal Throne appoints members to the Ducal Court of Directors and to the Ducal Court of Judges, whose appointments are confirmed by approval of The Fury.

Since 1701 AN, the High Commissioner has been Count-Palatine John Hilding of Draconia.

The Fury

The Fury is the unicameral legislature for the duchy and has been delegated the bulk of direct authority by the Instrument of Government, though through the passage of administrative law it empowers the Apparatus of State to govern. The Fury is managed by the Speaker of the Fury, who is Tinker Sprocket.

Since 1701 AN, the largest and governing party has been the Modanese Inclusive Liberation Front.

The Apparatus of State

The Apparatus of State administers the bureaucracy that governs Modan. Its leadership echelon, the departmental administrators, lead the civil service of their department in fulfilling the charge of that department and directions provided by the departmental director (see Ducal Court of Directors).

Ducal Court of Directors

The Ducal Court of Directors is panel appointed by the Ducal Throne and approved by The Fury to serve as the senior decision-making body for the Duchy of Modan. Each member of the court is assigned a portfolio indicating for which department of the Apparatus of State they serve as departmental director.

The Ducal Court of Directors is chaired by a Chancellor, who acts as the head of government. Under normal circumstances, the Chancellor is the leader of the largest party or coalition within The Fury, but the Ducal Throne is empowered to appoint someone else, so long as The Fury confirms the appointment. The most senior director receives the title of First Director and acts as the deputy chair for the court.

The Ducal Court of Directors is administratively supported by the Directorial Support Office of the Department of Administration.

Ducal Court of Judges

The Ducal Court of Judges is a panel appointed by the Ducal Throne and approved by The Fury to serve as the senior adjudicating body for the Duchy of Modan, with the Procurator as its chair. The court receives petitions, either in the form of a request to reverse a previous decision of a local court, or in the form of a request to weigh in on a legal issue of importance to the duchy as a whole.

The Ducal Court of Judges is chaired by a Procurator, who is invested with the authority to extinguish the appointment of any government official, up to and including the Chancellor. The most senior judge receives the title of First Judge and acts as the deputy chair for the court.

The Ducal Court of Judges is administratively supported by the Judicial Support Office of the Department of Administration.

Principles

This section is broken up into two sections: a manifesto on good government and an enumeration of guarantees to law-abiding residents of Modan.

Provinces of Modan

The Duchy of Modan is a unitary state divided into seven provinces. While there are provincial representative chambers, their purpose is to convene in order to approve the appointment of a provincial court of directors and a provincial court of judges to provide administration and adjudication for the province. The provinces otherwise lack the capacity to develop their own regional law, which is reserved for The Fury and for local municipalities.

Province	Administrative Center
Lakhal	Drakorda
Aquaraqua	Modan Hamlet
Dragacht	Signy
Sehmls	Lyhigh
Shimmerspring	Jugensk
Thanatos	Mortis
So-Sara	Sara-Nyl