In the beginning of my first novel for the series that takes place in Gcaz'tai'zev, the law enforcement is... well, almost non-existent. But, for the rest of the series it is run by a group of people called Cloud Warriors.

The way you would become a member of this group (They are also the government) is by a dragon hatching for you or, as they call it, receiving a dragon-gift. (for more information on the dragon-gift idea, read my story-in-progress: viewtopic.php?f=117&t=4704) Viarrieinmr/Viarri (the MC of my first book) founded an academy to train these people in the art of fighting.

When a cloud warrior, and its dragon, were believed to be ready, by the cloud-warrior-counsel, a ceremony was given in their honor to celebrate their graduation from a student to a true cloud warrior.

Some of these Warriors were sent to other parts of the human kingdom where they would enforce the laws, patrol and guard from enemies, and some would be promoted to judges, whom the people of that province would bring their cases and pleas to.

Others were sent on missions through out the land or, if a war was waging, they were sent along with the army.

As time goes on, some are promoted to leaders of provinces or as leaders of armies, but only the greatest, bravest and wisest are promoted to the counsel.

When a Cloud Warrior betrays, rebels or seizes land as his own, attempting to gain power, the penalty is death, for breaking his sacred oath to his country and to God (who they call the Weaver of the Threads of Fate, or the Weaver.)

If anyone has any comments, ideas, questions or suggestions, i am open!! All will be appreciated!

I think this is a very interesting concept, and works well with the "dragon-rider" premise.

You mean the idea from the Inheritance cycle? Yes, I got some ideas from there. I felt I did not want there to be a king (because I felt that in order for the country to continue to remain stable after Viarri reestablishes justice, I felt like she should not give the power into one person's hand and I just couldn't have her ruling.) And I felt like the idea of the "Riders" had a good base on which to re-found her country. But I didn't make it exactly like them.
I don't think I did. Did I? XD

From just this little post, it seems to me that you have the basic "dragon-rider" concept, in that someone who has a dragon hatch for them becomes its rider. But I think you're taking that concept and using it to form a unique political structure, so that's neat.

thank you, thank you. XD

Hm, so they are both government and law enforcement....would you say they're kind of like the "nobility" in a feudal-ish system?

I have a few questions! Naturally, feel free to answer in as little or as much detail as you wish.

1) How did this governing system come to be established?

2) Roughly how many Cloud Warriors are there per thousand humans? Is the help of normal humans needed in governing/administration? What about in war?

2.1) Say we looked at a small village of about 3000 people. How many dragon riders would be in office there? What would the governing institution be like? The law enforcement institution?

2.2) To what degree do the Cloud Warriors control the economy, and education (if much is present)?

3) I haven't read your story-thread yet. I should just get to that; it would probably help answer this question. But anyway--what do the merchant/tradesman and serf classes (or rough equivalents) think of the Cloud Warriors? Is there a unified support because of external threat? Is there an underlying jealousy, of the status or the gift? Do some of them feel oppressed?

4) Are they oppressed? It's all very well for the council to blow away a Cloud Warrior who's gone completely rogue, but extortion, bribery and other forms of corruption are present in pretty much every human goverment that has ever existed. What happens when a Cloud Warrior judge has been turning a blind eye to the "widows and orphans"? Is there a system to alert the council to this?

5) How big is the council, and how does it work/what do they do? Are there special roles within the council? Who determines who gets elevated to/kicked from the council? How does the council settle disagreements amongst themselves?


256th post! That's 2 to the 8th power--one byte! Yay!

I am finally getting around to answering your questions, Ceph!
Okay, here goes,

1) It happens at the end of my first book. After Viarri has recaptured Issedrae and everyone is offering her the crown, she knows she does not want to be Queen. She remembers how Kings and Queens have always been. Maybe at first they are a line of just, moral, kind rulers, but it always had devolved into a line of lazy gluttons and immoral tyrants. So she comes up with the idea of the Cloud Warriors, when she sees several more people being sent eggs.

2) Per thousand humans? At first the cloud Warriors are not a very large group. But, seeing how great the Cloud Warrior's dragons are and what kind of lives they lead, more female dragons, when pregnant, send their eggs to a human. I will explain this here, because My story is no longer fully posted. When a mother-dragon is giving birth she has a choice; either she can keep the egg with her and make it hatch herself or she can magically give it to the Weaver of the Threads of Fate who will guide it safely. Another thing she must choose is whether to send it to a secret place of safety or to a human who will protect it. But the Mother doesn't know to who or to where the Weaver has taken it. Viarri made it so that, whoever received the dragon-gift, would be sent to the Cloud Warrior's academe to be trained, along with their dragon.
In governing/administrating the help of normal humans is something that may is not used. I'm sure exactly what you meant by in war. But if you mean, does the army have normal people in it, then yes. Only a few Cloud Warriors go with the army, the rest of it is just like a regular army; composed of foot soldiers, cavalry, and such.

2.1) It depends on what era you are speaking of. If it were when the academe and counsel had begun about 30 years ago, then their wouldn't be that many there. In fact, there would only be a Cloud Warrior for every section. So that village would only be a part of a group of several villages governed by a Cloud Warrior. The governing is basically deciding what to build where, what improvements are needed in the village, judging cases of crime and thievery, and the like. (The Cloud Warriors are instructed in law as well as fighting.) The law enforcement is simple, they act as police, patrolling the area, catching crooks, acting as an ambulance when needed.

2.2) The economy is kept in line by them. Education is not as plentiful as Viarri had wished it to become. It is mostly centered in large cities and run by the parents and the people.

3) The country is flourishing while the Cloud Warriors reign, so most everyone is pleases and happy with the current power-holders. But there are still those who believe that the power belongs to Viarri and that of her Father, the rightful heir and not the low and high borne dragon-lovers. There is often ripples of jealousy when an egg is given to one and not the other. No they do not feel oppressed.

4) No they are not oppressed. There are inspectors sent from the counsel (Mostly counsel members themselves) to see to it that the people are being governed justly and fairly. Another thing to remember is that each cloud warrior is God-picked, meaning, each one was chosen by God. (or the weaver of the Threads of Fate.)

5) the counsel, in their hay-day, (the time in which Rainfire, the fourth book, takes place) is about 9 or 10 people. They decide on the paths of warfare, economy and other matters of the state. They oversee the training of the young Cloud Warriors. And other things. There are many rules, all defined when they take their oaths before entering into the counsel. They settle disagreements by prayer and/or votes.

I hope that answered all your questions. I was pretty sleepy when I started writing this. I'm sorry if it is a bit vague. I couldn't remember that De__________ word! Decromacy? Deplomacy? No... Oh dear...