Map of the Asleep Universe

[Pyrite]

I've been reading through some of this and I just wanted to say I'm so impressed with the attention to detail for each of the different locations, in terms of their geography and their history. It's really cool to see something of the world you guys are building!

[Kyng]

I've been reading through some of this and I just wanted to say I'm so impressed with the attention to detail for each of the different locations, in terms of their geography and their history. It's really cool to see something of the world you guys are building!

Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Reminds me that I should get back to this, since there are still quite a lot of realms that don't have full profiles . Hopefully, I'll get the inspiration to do another one of these soon.

[Pyrite]

I've been reading through some of this and I just wanted to say I'm so impressed with the attention to detail for each of the different locations, in terms of their geography and their history. It's really cool to see something of the world you guys are building!

Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Reminds me that I should get back to this, since there are still quite a lot of realms that don't have full profiles . Hopefully, I'll get the inspiration to do another one of these soon.

Well if anything, you've inspired me to get back into a lot of my worldbuilding!

[Kyng]

Good to hear !

The next place I write about will probably be Khilmir, since I have a bunch of ideas for that. However, I'm not yet sure what to do for the banner - so, it might be a while, unless anybody has any ideas .

[Kyng]

Well, rather than writing about Khilmir, I thought I'd tell you a bit more about New Atlantis's power structure .

The ruler is known as a Duke (or a Duchess, if female). This is a hereditary position: a duke or duchess will typically begin ruling at some point in their early 20s, and then abdicate once one of their children is ready to take over (which is usually in their late 40s or early 50s). The duke or duchess is responsible for making all major decisions about the realm: they do have a large amount of input from the council, but this is strictly an advisory body, and the ruler always has the final say. Furthermore, the ruler is expected to lead troops in battle (they can leave this to their generals if they wish; however, any ruler who does this is likely to be viewed as a coward, making them very unpopular )

The ruler's spouse is known as a Duchess (or a Duke Consort, if the ruler is a duchess). Their duties include raising any children (who may be future dukes or duchesses!), and speaking to the population (to see whether they're happy, and what needs improving). However, if the ruler is a duchess, then she'll often swap some of their duties with their husband: it'll usually be the Duke Consort who leads troops into battle, while she stays in the castle and raises the children. (It should be noted that rulers of New Atlantis are expected to be monogamous. Most other realms allow their rulers to take mistresses, and a few even have special 'secondary wife' titles for them - but, New Atlantis strictly forbids them. The duke is allowed a duchess - and that's it)

After a ruler abdicates to make way for a son or daughter, they become a Grand Duke (or a Grand Duchess). They've retired from ruling full-time, but they're expected to sit on the council, advising and passing their wisdom on to the current Duke or Duchess. Furthermore, a Grand Duke or Duchess has the power to overrule the current Duke or Duchess on three decisions during the first year of their rule; two decisions during the second year; and one decision every year thereafter. (Do note that if there are multiple Grand Dukes, then they each get their own set of overrules. For example, when Lysander became Duke in 34 AGE, there were two living Grand Dukes: his father Nestor, and his grandfather Nikolas. This meant that Lysander got overruled six times during his first year, and four times during his second: after that, he was simply forced out of power!)

The spouse of a Grand Duke is known as a Grand Duchess (or a Grand Duke Consort). This is a purely honorary title which carries no special privileges; however, they're often left in charge of the pre-school education of their grandchildren.

Another important title is the Head of Household. This person keeps order within the castle and the grounds: they ensure that the building is maintained, the servants are doing their jobs, and the children are behaving. Theoretically, this can held by anybody; however, it usually goes to the holder of one of the above four titles. (Initially, Duke Nestor was also his own Head of Household; however, he later passed this title to Duchess Cassandra when he found himself getting too stressed by holding both sets of duties)

Now, on to the Council. There are three different Grand Offices, each corresponding to a different branch of the military. The Grand General is the head of the army; the Grand Admiral is the head of the navy; and the Grand Warlock is the head of the military magi. These are all 'desk jobs', for experienced military veterans who became too old to fight (or, in the case of current Grand General Conor, started a family and no longer wished to risk his life on the battlefield). These jobs can go to anybody - although, it's rare for them to go to the ruler's brothers, due to the risk of them overthrowing the ruler and claiming the throne for themselves!

In addition to the Grand Offices, there are also several non-military Noble Offices. For example, the Noble Emissary is the head diplomat; the Noble Steward is in charge of the economy and the budget; the Noble Alchemist is the head of the scientists (not just alchemy!); the Noble Physician controls the realm's hospitals; and the Noble Academic is in charge of the realm's educational system. These titles can go to anybody, but it's fairly common for some of them to go to brothers of the ruler (or sometimes sisters, but it's more common for those to marry out of the royal family altogether).

The final important post is that of Duke Designate (or Duchess Designate). This is the current Duke or Duchess's intended successor (usually one of their children who has recently become an adult). They're expected to learn about the different aspects of statecraft from the current members of the council - after which they'll sit a long, rigorous and demanding examination. If the Duke is satisfied with the Duke Designate's performance in this exam, then they'll abdicate and hand over the throne to them.

I think that's everything, but I'll be happy to answer any questions .