The Starlight Court's Government

The Starlight Court's Government is a constitutional monarchy, technically ruled directly by The High King, who is advised by The Council of Elders and The Council of Grandmasters, and The Unseelie Court acting in a similar function as a Supreme court. In practice, the Starlight court is ruled by the three bodies of The Council of Elders, The Council of Grandmasters, and The Unseelie Court. With the exception of the seat of the High King, all of the peoples of Sihi have the same ability to rise to any position or place of power in the government, no matter their species, race, sex, birth, age, disability, or other status. The heraldry, the pomp, and knightly titles - are relics from a bygone age, part of the society the Peoples of Sihi left behind, before taking flight from their original world. The foundational framework was put into place by Sihi’s original High King.

The High King
With the Divine Mandate to rule, the High King is entrusted with the power and responsibility to govern over the Peoples of Sihi. They act as our Executive Power, both our spiritual leader and our commander-in-chief in times of war. Currently, there is no High King, and has been none since He who led us from the destruction of our origin world reached enlightenment. In their absence, the Peoples of Sihi elect a Castellan to govern, until the Return.

Council of Grandmasters
The collective Grandmasters of each of the One Hundred and Forty Four Knightly Orders. Traditionally in charge of military matters - under the guiding hand of the High King. It is they that handle official military contracts and approve or deny knightly quests. They are not elected by the People of Sihi, but instead appointed by attaining the rank of Grandmaster within their Order.

The Castellan
First Seat of the Council of Grandmasters, this position was originally created to fill the void left by the loss of the High King. They are chosen from the ranks of the Grandmasters by the Council of Elders, and has the ability to act with the power of the Throne, enacting executive orders. It is they that appoints the Judges that seat the court system beneath the Unseelie Court. Responsible for seeing that Bills signed into law are then acted upon on Sihi and among her Peoples.

Knightly Orders
The Knightly Orders of Sihi number One Hundred and Forty Four. Each Order chooses their Grandmaster in whatsoever fashion deemed appropriate by that specific Order.

Council of Elders
They speak with the voice of the People, elected by the People of Sihi, each member representing 144,000. Currently there are 347 seats within the Council of Elders, though this number fluctuates with the populace. They serve for a term of six years, with one third of those seats being up for reelection every two years. Maintainers of the great library of knowledge, containing sacred texts of the Faith, as well as Artifacts and histories of the Peoples of Sihi.

Religious Dichotomy
Their position requires those elected to the Council of Elders to perform a secular duty, but to be eligible, they must be counted among one of the monastic Orders, or entitled a Sage. Secular duty, guided by spiritual wisdom, they are traditionally tasked with matters of learning - both the mind and the soul, under the guiding hand of the High King - or, in their absence, the Herald. Knightly monastic Orders take a vow against running for office, as they are included among the One Hundred and Forty Four and as such have a voice in the Council of Grandmasters. For this reason, as well as the anecdotal fact that the Sage are more commonly seen among the people and intune with the needs of the People of Sihi, monks generally make up the smaller group within the Council of Elders.

The Herald
First Seat of the Council of Elders, this position was originally created as a measure of checks against the Castellan. Chosen by the Lady of the Unseelie Court, as her voice to the Peoples of Sihi. A step below and behind the Castellan, they may act with the power of the Throne when the Castellan and High King are unable. They possess the Power of the Purse.

Monastic Orders
Organizations dedicated to advancing the spiritual understanding and progress of its members and surrounding community. Ranked internally, there is no Head monk of all monks. It is generally monks who show the People of Sihi how to live the Paths espoused by the Sages.

Sages
A person who has acted as and seeks to be a pillar of spiritual guidance or support and has been recognized for their effort and piety. While there is no one Path to becoming a Sage - just as there is no one true avenue on the Starlit Path - one is generally recognized as a Sage by helping others understand their perspective on the mutual philosophy shared by all who follow the Starlit Path. Newly discovered or theorized Paths to enlightenment are generally founded by Sages.

The Unseelie Court
The Unseelie court are our honored dead; a gestalt consciousness that is made up of brain scans collected before death of all of the Peoples of Sihi, the Unseelie Court acts as the Final Arbiter of Sihi’s laws and judicial system. In this way Sihi is guided by the hand of our ancestors.

The Lady
The Primary Personality of the gestalt, the Voice of the Unseelie Court. It is She who chooses the Herald of the Council of Elders, and holds an advisory seat on both Councils. In most instances, the Lady’s insight may be heard by all members of either Council, as advice on how to proceed on one issue or matter. However, there have been recorded instances wherein the Lady would refuse to speak to any more than the Castellan or Herald. It is even rumored that there are some matters She refuses to speak with any but the High King alone.

Creating New Laws
A Grandmaster or an Elder may propose a new Bill. It is then voted on in the respective Council where it was first proposed. If successful, the Bill passes into the opposing Council, whereupon it is again voted on. If a Bill passes votes within both Councils, it must then be signed and ratified by both the Castellan and the Herald. The Castellan holds Veto power over Bills proposed firstly in the Council of Elders, and the Herald holds Veto power over Bills proposed firstly in the Council of Grandmasters. In this way are they empowered to find a Path of Compromise. An executive Veto can be superseded by a successful supermajority vote within both Councils. In this instance, a supermajority is considered two-thirds of the voting bodies.

Repealing Law
Follows much the same process as with creating a new Law, but with the intended purpose to replace or amend a Law that may no longer fit with the Starlit Court in a Legislative manner.

Casting Down Unjust Laws
A Law can only be replaced in this manner by the Unseelie Court. The Unseelie Court would hear any and all challenges to Laws that were brought up as unjust in cases of the lower courts. Most of the time laws thrown out in this manner are done so because they have been discovered to be Unjust and Unfair to the Peoples of Sihi. Very rarely has a party attempted to remove a Law for political reasons, as if it becomes discovered it is seen as highly Dishonorable, without good reason. However, turning the Public against a Law may occur to gain favor for the removal if unable to be removed in the legislature.

Education
Education within the starlit court is handled largely in two ways; formal foundational Education taught by a mix of specialized fey and teachers via VR/AR, and a less formal apprenticeship/intern program. All members of the court are entitled and obligated to complete an education to a standard set by the Small Council of Educators (SCE for short).