Archlord's Demesne

The Archlord's Demesne is both the name of the government ruled by the Summek race, and a description of their ruler's holding. As one of the four dominant empires that make up the Imperial Congress, the Demesne is powerful and prolific, made up mostly of Summeks, with the occasional immigrant who came to live there for reasons their own. Most outsiders find life among the Summeks quite different, as their society is geared to them exclusively, and non-conformists find themselves on the receiving end of their military almost inevitably.

Power Structure
The thing that confuses most outsiders about Summek society is the lack of formalized laws and power structure. There is no book of the law or penal code that describes offenses, nor is there any sort of document explaining who is to govern or how. All of this comes so naturally to the Summek that within their own territory, they always know how to act. And if they find themselves at a point of confusion, they know that their choices are to seek clarification, or attempt to get away with as much as possible.

Power within the Demesne trickles down from the top, starting with the Archlord.

Archlord
The Archlord is the autocratic dictator of the entire Demesne. Though he seldom stoops to that level, his word is law even to the most lowliest of slaves. There is no official balances of power designed to keep him in check, but unofficially the Archlord is held in position by the lords who serve directly under him. Since all of them keep half an eye up towards him, the Archlord must maintain a healthy following of loyal people or else he is likely to be overthrown. It is a system that is strangely self-regulating and effective. It helps make sure that the Archlord is truly one of the strongest and best leaders while helping to ensure that he does not attempt to waste too many stately resources on himself.

Clutches
The nuclei and base of the whole Summek social hierarchy is the "Clutch". Ranging from 5 to 100 Summeks, but typically averaging about 20-35, the Clutch is the base unit of the Summeks. They are like a family, though they are not always related. Within that Clutch, there is an Alpha, who is the leader of the Clutch, and also responsible to them.

That Clutch's Alpha will be answerable to another, higher Clutch's Alpha, all the way up to the Archlord, who is little more than an Alpha who is on the very top.

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