Ministry
This article is about the 
The Ministry is a system of government designed by King Baede to give all humans—not just native Krytans—a voice. Ministers design law, proposing their measures to Queen Jennah, who authorizes or rejects their placement into society. These ministers come from all human races, representing many voices working in tandem with the queen's will. Initially, this system was designed as a temporary government for the refugee camps, but in the 150 years since the flood of Lion's Arch, it has become a stable system, a respected government, and a cornerstone of Krytan culture.
Each minister is an elected representative of and holds jurisdiction over a particular area of human territory—not just Divinity's Reach, although naturally the ministers from the city tend to be more influential. Only those who own land are afforded a vote, so Ascalonian ministers are sparse, there being very little human territory remaining there. Responsibilities such as bylaws, resettlement of refugees from the centaur war, and local taxes for a given region all fall to that area's minister. The ministry can conduct referendums if a quorum is reached. Not all members need to be present for a voting session, and absent ministers who still wish to vote may do so by proxy. The ministry, which convenes in the Chamber of Ministers, is headed by the Legate Minister, who is responsible for the Ministry Guard and acts as the liaison between the ministry and the queen. The current Legate Minister is Caudecus Beetlestone.
| The position of Legate Minister was taken over by Minister Wi after Caudecus was revealed as the White Mantle's confessor and slain in a raid on his manor.[1] |
The military order responsible for the protection of the ministry is the Ministry Guard (who, in general, are only seen within Divinity's Reach), although the ministry also exerts limited control over the Seraph. Local ministers are responsible for deployments of guard patrols within their district, but must pay for them from that district's taxes. For this reason, richer districts tend to be better-protected than poorer ones.
The Krytan Rule of Law states that only the nobility receives a full trial; commoners receive magistrate audiences at the ministry; outsiders are given a hearing before the local Seraph authority. The Seraph man prisons and holding cells, no matter the birth of the individual being detained. The ministry takes charge of all trials and hearings, again, across societal bounds. This means that the Seraph can lawfully take authority over a noble-born prisoner brought in by the Shining Blade, or that the ministry can, in effect, refuse to present some or all information gathered by the Seraph during a trial. This system was designed to maintain an equal burden on both branches of enforcement, allowing the Seraph to utilize their superior manpower throughout Kryta while the Ministry Guard handles bureaucratic issues and legal rulings. In practice, the two groups all too often engage in a fierce contest over authority.[2] Krytan law also requires three pieces of evidence to bring any accusation against a minister.[3]
When Jennah's father died, the Ministry ruled Divinity's Reach in her stead, as she was too young to ascend the throne immediately. Because of this, some Ministers have become accustomed to ruling Kryta and are reluctant to relinquish their former control, causing friction between the Ministry and the crown. Other sources of friction include the truce between the humans and charr, which some ministers consider to be an affront to the sacrifices made by the Ebon Vanguard, and the bandit and centaur attacks that continue to wear Kryta down. There are even quiet whispers that perhaps Jennah may not be fit to rule. More recently, the ministry have been the subject of several disturbing scandals, such as the revelation that Minister Julius Zamon was in fact in charge of one of the bandit factions harassing the city, the fact that the Ministry Guard lead by Commander Serentine was involved in a plot to discredit the Seraph by helping bandits, mainly Big Nose Ted, burn down both the Queen's Heart Orphanage and the Vanguard Hospital, or Marjory Delaqua's claim that a minister was spotted practicing dark, occultic magic on a kidnapped woman.[4] Despite these, the ministry remains popular among the citizenry of Kryta, largely due to the efforts of their Legate Minister.
Members[edit]
- See also: Category:Ministry
References[edit]
- ^ "Where's Balthazar"
- Countess Anise: Well, the Ministry Guard is dousing them. Talk to Legate Minister Wi about their bail.
- ^ The Line of Duty – The Three Military Orders of Kryta § The Balance of Power
- ^ Search the Premises
- Logan Thackeray: We've got three pieces of evidence: the stolen Corone chalice, a letter detailing his connections to the black market, and blueprints of all the robbed houses.
- <Character name>: Do you think we have enough evidence to convict Zamon?
- Logan Thackeray: Krytan law requires three pieces of evidence to even bring an accusation against a minister. I wish we had more...but yes, it's enough.
- ^ Marjory's Story: The Last Straw
