Last update: 2 April 2007
See the Maps for the locations of the principal cities, towns, and political divisions. The Maps and the text below are accurate as of 1312, the year in which the book starts; some events are described in more detail in the history page.
The population of Dekavur is about 15 million, made up of several different cultural traditions which partly reflect the days before 815 when the region was occupied by a number of independent families and partly continue the distinction between the dominant Dekavurian cultures and the Liotan cultures of the south and south-west. This diversity, the large land area of Dekavur, and the largely local nature of the societies mean that political loyalties are mostly regional than national, in some parts extending no further than the nearest moderately large town. Consequently, Dekavur is better considered to be a federated kingdom than a single monolithic political entity.
Furthermore:
The Vaidza lives by tradition in the palace built by Gauran on the edge of Valdaborga. A few Vaidzas have preferred to live elsewhere, the most notorious being Kaldurthan (849-936), who built the beginnings of the remote city of Kaldur in order to feel safer from invading armies.
Dekavur is divided into gavas ("provinces", singular gab); originally there were nine, but the number was increased to twenty-four in 1044 and to twenty-six, the current number, two years later. The gavas, except for the sparsely-populated Esgaidon and Cotora, are further divided into smaller administrative units called dälüs (singular däl), which range in size from large towns to the original domains of former kings. Each gab is ruled by a Thünn, who is answerable to the Vaidza; similarly, the dälüs are governed by a Raik, who is answerable to the appropriate Thünn.
A Thünn rules until death or abdication and is usually appointed by the Vaidza on the death of an incumbent, but some of the smaller gavas - specifically, Hanna, Chila, and Galviga - have recently opened the office to election by the Raigos and other Prominent Persons such as influential local merchants (including, in one possibly apocryphal case, the pet hawk of the neighbourhood priest). By tradition, the Vaidza's eldest daughter automatically becomes Raik of Valdaborga on reaching majority; if there is no daughter, the title is assumed by the wife of the Vaidza's eldest married son when she reaches majority. This title is purely ceremonial.
The Raigos are elected by popular ballot, and must resign after no more than ten years, although they may stand for re-election. There is no limit on the number of terms a Raik may serve.
The officials who are answerable to the Vaidza effectively constitute his cabinet; they are collectively known in Dekavur as the Langabäud or "long table", after the item of furniture favoured by Oduargen for his discussions. These include the following:
This structure is repeated at both gab and däl level; the scribe of a raik is thus known as the dälbaukar, for example.
Other officials of the Langabäud include the Kouponvald (Minister of Trade), the Hoistärnär (Chief Ambassador), and between three and six Thünos.
In practice, one is rarely a brochar for very long. The case is overseen by a daumar (judge); it is argued by advocates (mäidzaras) if one can afford them, otherwise by oneself. The judgement of guilt is made by the daumar in consultation with a jury (made up of professional jurors selected for their supposed impartiality, not of ordinary citizens); this judgement is final, with no appeal.
This system theoretically treats all people equally. In practice, of course, the more money one has tends to increase one's chances of being found innocent: bribery is commonplace, as is intimidation of jurors. For those less well off, mob retribution is often discreetly resorted to, and while it's quicker and cheaper than a court case, it's much less pretty.
A vote is cast by dropping a Dekavurian durtha into the appropriate compartment of a specially-designed box; the compartments are covered with a slotted piece of wood to prevent coins being removed, and are shielded from the view of everyone except the voter so that the vote can be cast privately. The compartments are lined with metal so that the casting of the vote is clearly audible. It is common practice to require each voter to hold his durtha aloft in his right hand before voting, and to use the same hand to cast the vote; this is supposed to ensure that nobody can cast more than one vote. The durtha is added to the coffers of the office being voted for.
An election is usually won by the candidate with the greatest number of votes. Some dälüs, however, require several rounds of voting, with the least popular candidates being eliminated from subsequent rounds; this is popularly known as the "Galviga System", after a ballot in that province in which all five candidates received nearly equal proportions of the vote.