Amani, the Wolf Lords

[Carl]

Amani, the Wolf Lords

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(This is currently a placeholder for a proper introduction to the Amani)

~Carl

[Carl]

Brainstorm: Appearance

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The Amani species are divided into distinct 4 sub-species:

• Lupani, whom appear as humanoids wolves and coyotes.
• Canim, whom appear as domesticated dogs from throughout recorded, and fictional history.
• Seibeccai, whom appear as humanoid jackals & coyotes.
• Ferocanim, whom appear as wild dogs, such as dholes, dingo, & African wild dogs.

Asharan (anthropomorphic) foxes are NOT part of the Amani species. They are their own species.

Lupani-

• Tall, nearly 6 ft. in height
• Disproportionately light in weight; An adult Lupani in good health will rarely weigh above 117 lbs.
• Noticeable sexual dimorphism; Males are more muscular & broader; Females are more slender & lean.
  
• Lupani only have 2 nipples; Female Lupani only have ONE set of breasts. 
• The colour of adult Lupani eyes are often amber, gold, hazel, grey, or green; Adult Lupani NEVER have blue eyes; Eyes tend to "glow" in poor illumination.
• Lupani children (known as "pups") ALWAYS have blue eyes, until around the age of 13 years.
• Digitigrade legs
  
• Canine-like claws on both hands & feet; Palms of hands, and soles of feet are covered in padding (known colloquially as "leather" due to their texture).
• Large, canine-life eyes; Excellent night vision!
• All Lupani have wolf-like tails.
• Lupani are omnivores.
• As with most Amani sub-species, the Lupani have a pelt of fur that grows from their skin.
• Lupani goes through seasonal & climatic changes; Thinner & lighter in warmer climes; Thicker & more insulating in colder climates.
• Lupani do NOT have any form of head hair; The fur on their heads & necks do, however, tend to grow into manes if left uncut.
• Wolf-like ears on top of head. Hearing range slightly better than a Human's.
  
• Sense of smell slightly better than a Human's.

Canim-

• Variable height, depending upon the breed of domestic dog the Canim is based upon; Can range between 3-9 ft. in height.
• Variable weight, depending upon the breed of domestic dog the Canim is based upon; Can range between 20-300 lbs. in weight.
• No noticeable sexual dimorphism, save for addition of breasts on Female.
• Canim have only 2 nipples; Female Canim only have ONE set of breasts.
• Large, canine-like eyes; Excellent night vision!
• The colour of Canim eyes varies, depending upon the breed of the domestic dog that the Canim is based upon; Eyes tend to "glow" in poor illumination; Eye colour remains constant throughout lifetime
• Canim can have either plantigrade or digitigrade legs; Roughly 50% of Canim have plantigrade legs, while other 50% have digitigrade legs.
• Canine-like claws on both hands & feet; Palms of hands, & soles of feet are covered in padding (known colloquially as "leather" due to their texture).
• Not all Canim have tails.
• Canim are omnivores.
• Canim may or may not have a pelt of fur, depending upon the breed of domestic dog that they are based upon.
• Canim with fur pelts undergo seasonal & climatic changes; Thinner & lighter in warmer climes; Thicker & more insulating in colder climates.
• Canim do NOT have any form of true head hair; The fur on their heads & necks, however, is rather hair-like, and tends to act, grow, and can be styled in ways similar to Human hair. This "head-fur" will always be similar in coloration to the Canim's fur.
• A Canim will always have the ear style of the domestic dog that they are based upon. Their hearing range is slightly better than a Human's.
• Sense of smell slightly better than a Human's.

Seibeccai-

• Height comparable to a Human's; Average of 5 ft. 6 in. in height; It is the exceptional Seibeccai that reaches 6 ft.
• Height comparable to a Human's; Ranges between 120-175 lbs., depending upon lifestyle.
• Noticeable sexual dimorphism; Males are more athletic and muscular; Females are more slender and sleek.
• All Seibeccai have 6 nipples; Females, however, only have ONE pair of breasts.
• Large, canine-life eyes; Excellent night vision!
  
• The colour their eyes are often amber, gold, or blue; Eye colour remains constant throughout lifetime; Eyes tend to "glow" in poor illumination;  .
• Digitigrade legs.
• Canine-like claws on both hands & feet; Palms of hands, & soles of feet are covered in padding (known colloquially as "leather" due to their texture).
  
• Seibeccai have tails.
• Seibeccai are omnivores.
• They have a pelt of fur, which goes through seasonal & climatic changes; Thinner & lighter in warmer climes; Thicker & warmer in colder climes.
• Seibeccai do NOT have hair, or grow Canim-like "head-fur."
• Large jackal-, or coyote-like ears on top of head. Hearing range slightly better than a Human's.
  
• Sense of smell slightly better than a Human's.
  

Ferocanim-

• Height comparable to a Lupani's; Average of 6 ft. in height.
  
• Height comparable to a Human's; Ranges between 120-175 lbs., depending upon lifestyle.
  
• No noticable sexual dimorphism.
• All Ferocanim have 6 nipples; Females, however, only have ONE pair of breasts.
  
• Large, canine-life eyes; Excellent night vision!
  
• The colour their eyes are often amber, gold, grey, green, hazel, or blue; Eye colour changed throughout throughout lifetime; This change of eye colour tends to be random, never results in two differently coloured eyes; Eyes tend to "glow" in poor illumination;
• Digitigrade legs.
  
• Canine-like claws on both hands & feet; Palms of hands, & soles of feet are covered in padding (known colloquially as "leather" due to their texture).
  
• Ferocanim have tails.
  
• Ferocanim are omnivores; However, they require more meat and protein food sources than other Amani.
  
• They have a pelt of fur; Ferocanim fur coats do NOT undergo seasonal & climatic changes.
  
• Ferocanim do NOT have hair, or grow Canim-like "head-fur."
  
• Large canine-like ears on top of head. Hearing range slightly better than a Human's. 
• Sense of smell extremely high; Better than a Human's.
  

~Carl

[Carl]

Brainstorm: System of Government

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The proper name for the Amani nation is the "Holy Sovereign Kingdom of Amania." It is generally known as either the "Kingdom of Amania", or the "Amani Empire."

• One name for the Amani nation is the "Kingdom of Amania."
• It is colloquially known simply as "The Amanian Empire."

The Amani Empire is a mixed government, consisting of a monarchy, an aristocracy, and a democratic republic.

• The head of the Amanian Empire is known as the "Sovereign King."
• • The Sovereign King holds supreme power, without restriction, over all aspects of the Amani Empire.
  • The position of Sovereign King, known as "The Sovereign Throne," is handed down through directly family bloodlines.
  • By tradition, The Sovereign Throne can only be passed down to male heirs of the Sovereign King; There has never been a Sovereign Queen in all the Amanian Empire's recorded history.
  • The Sovereign King may elect to pass on The Sovereign Throne to a younger male heir, if he deems that individual to be of better worth and character; Many a plots have been played at the Sovereign Court because of this.
  • Sadly, due to the lack of a clear bloodline successor, there has not been a Sovereign King in over 200 years...
• In the absence of the Sovereign King, or during times when there is immediate successor to The Sovereign Throne, a steward is always appointed.
• • The steward of The Sovereign Throne is known as the "High Regent to The Sovereign Throne"; It is also acceptable to refer to the steward as "Steward to The Throne."
  • It is respectful (and often punishable if heard at the Sovereign Court) to refer tot he Steward of the Throne as "Arou"; The term "Arou" stems from Amani slang for "a person or thin that causes one to become so frustrated, as to cause one to let out a howl in anger"; The past 4 stewards have been more than frustrating to the Amani peoples, and beyond...
  • The Stewardship to the Throne is hereditary, and is passed down through direct bloodlines to the eldest living male relative.
  • There have only been 1 bloodline to hold the Stewardship since the death of the last Sovereign King; Rumors hold that competition for the Stewardship is fierce, indeed.
  • The Steward to The Throne holds the majority of power in the Amanian government, in the absence of the Sovereign King; However, politics being politics, it never looks good when the Steward overtly countermands the Imperial Senate...
  • If there is no clear successor to the Stewardship to The Throne, it falls upon the Imperial Senate to elect a new Steward; To date, the Senate has never had to install a new Steward to The Throne.
• Below the Steward to The Throne is the Imperial Senate.
  
• • The Imperial Senate is comprised up of 43 Senators.
  • 21 of these Senators hail from noble houses; Their seat on the senate are hereditary, traditionally handed down through direct bloodlines to the eldest living male descendant.
  • 21 of these Senators are elected Freeborne; They are elected to their seats by popular vote, as cast by Imperial citizens.
    
  • 1 of these Senators is an elected mediator; They are elected to their seat by popular vote, as cast by the other 42 Senators.
    
  • The Imperial Senate governs every aspect of the Amanian Empire; The Senate create and pass laws; They set tax rates; They decide when to build new roads, aqueducts, and/or buildings; How best to deal with neighboring bations; If and when the Amanian Empire should go to war; et cetera.
  • The Imperial Senate gathers once every 3 months, at the Imperial Denhold of King's Stand.
  • Not all Senators are required to attend Senate gatherings; All that is require is that there is a majority vote from those attending to pass a motion.
• Equal in, if not exceeding in political power to the Imperial Senate are the Amanian noble houses.
• • The Amanian noble houses are formally known as "Denhold."
  • There are a total of 21 Denhold officially recognized by both the Imperial Senate, and the Sovereign Court; Prior to the War of the Wolves, there were 33 Denhold...
  • Each Denhold is lead by an Alpha Patriarch, and Alpha Matriarch.
    
  • The Alpha Patriarch is considered the head of the Denhold, and is, by tradition, the eldest direct living male descendant of the previous Alpha Patriarch; The Alpha Patriarch always holds a seat on the Imperial Senate, and is responsible for maintaining his Denholde.
  • The Alpha Matriarch is the Alpha Patriarch's Prime-Mate; She is considered the Second-in-Command of the Denhold, though by Imperial law, she is not allowed to hold a seat on the Imperial Senate; The Alpha Matriarch is responsible for monitoring magic use and research within her Denholde.
  • Because Amania noble house are known as "Denholds," anyone born in a Denhold is known as a "Denborne."
  • Each Denhold claims its own territory within the Amani Empire; These territories are known as "Denholdes."
    
  • Each Denholde contains a number of settlements, ranging from simple outposts, to military forts, to major cities; A Denholde's capitol city will always contain a Denhold's ancestral home.

Below the Imperial Senate are is the Judicial Courts.

• The Judicial Courts enforces the laws of the Amanian Empire; The exact interpretations of those laws, however, is not always the same...
• There are 2 completely different justice systems in the Amanian Empire; 1 is specially reserved for Denborne nobles, known as "Sovereign Law"; The other governs the rest of the Amanian Empire, known as "Imperial Law."
• The Judicial Courts that governs Sovereign Law is known as the "Shrouded Council."
• • The Shrowded Council is comprised up of 6 members.
    
  • 1 member is known as "The Adversary"; The Adversary is responsible for presenting accusations to The Shield of a crime a that a Denborne noble committed; The Adversary is the only individual allowed to accuse a Denborne noble for a crime, and bring them before The Scale.
  • 1 member is known as "The Shield"; The Shield is the only individual to defend a Denborne noble, if criminal accusations are brought against said Denborne by The Adversary..
  • 1 member is known as "The Scale"; The Scale is the only individual allowed to judge and sentence a Denborne noble, whom is being prosecuted for a crime by The Adversary; The Scale, however, cannot sentence a Denborne to death without the approval of The Throne.
  • 1 Member is known as "The Throne"; The Throne is the only individual allowed to sentence a Denborne noble to death, either by execution or forced suicide.
  • 1 member is known as "The Attendant"; The Attendant is the only individual whom is allowed to carry out the execution sentence of a Denborne, as passed down by The Scale, and approved by The Throne.
  • 1 member is known as "The Scribe"; The Scribe is the only individual allowed to gather evidence and witnesses for a criminal trial involving a Denborne noble, as charged by The Adversary; This includes physical evidence, defendant testimonies, eye-witness testimony, recorded images, and even reenactments, 
  • There is only 1 Adversary, Shield, Scale, Throne, Attendant, and Scribe at any given time.
    
  • While theories abound, no-one knows how the Grand Council is chosen.
    
  • The identities of the Grand Council is never revealed; Their appearance is obscured by both clever disguises and powerful magicks whenever they appear, in public, to serve their function.
  • The identities of the defendant may or may-not be obscured, as well, depending upon the crime, and who the accused is.
  • The identities of witnesses are never obscured...
• The Judicial Courts that govern Imperial Law the "Local Council."
• Each Denholde has its own Local Council.
• A Local Council governs, and enforces the local laws of each Denholde.
• Vigilants are the peacekeepers of a Denholde; They are often Freeborne, employed by a Denhold to act as watchmen, low-ranking guards, and slave hunters; Unless a Vigilant declares themselves to be a delator, they cannot arrest anyone for a crime, even a foreigner, even if said person was caught in the act - their job is to simply to watch for trouble; They are generally paid well, or, at least, well enough to risk their lives maintaining the peace; Vigilants are also a Denholde's primary firefighting force, and are known to receive special training on how best o deal with house fires; Foreigners whom join the Vigilants are eligible for Amanian citizenship after 5 years of full service; Slaves cannot become Vigilants.
• Praetors act as a Denholde's magistrates; They are the judge and jury of any disagreement, civil dispute, or criminal charge brought before them that does not involve a Denborne; By Amanian law, a praetor must be an of-age male, have served in the Amanian Legion, as a Praetorian, for a minimum of 5 years.
  
• Delators are the prosecutors of Imperial Law; It is their job to uncover information about a crime, and then present said crime - and the one that committed it - to their local Praetor; In short, a delator is an informant, constable, and prosecutor all-in-one; Delators can from all classes of Amanian society— slaves, Freeborne, slaves, philosophers, merchants, scholars - so long as they can prove a person committed a crime within the scope of Imperial Law; Delators are handsomely rewarded for convincing praetors of their accusations, especially on matters regarding wealth, economy, and Denhold rivalries; However, if a delator loses their case, or refuses to carry it through, they are liable to the same penalties as those that they accused...
• There are no such thing as "defense attorneys" in regards to Imperial Law; Accused individuals must defend themselves; Generally, the presiding praetor will ensure that an accused person will have resources available to them to aid in their defense, mainly in the form of jurists.

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~Carl

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