Political Sub-divisions of Miazan Subsector

Working on the Unified Imperial Army and the Planetary Defence Forces for Miazan Subsector got me thinking about the various Houses Major of the Subsector - this was in the context of me airly saying "the Elite PDF units of such-and-such planet are the Baronial Household Guard". This reminded me that I had never quite finished working out the political sub-divisions of the Subsector and, aside from the Dukes of Miazan and the Viceroys of Celephais, had little idea of what Houses Major were active. So, what do we have?

Existing Houses Major of Miazan Subsector -
House Geyukthi of Miazan, Subsector Dukes of Miazan and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Subsector Dukes (906 - present) and Sector Dukes (999 - 1031) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Ducal line from Duke Chi'leur I (860 - 937 reigned 906 - 937) to the grandchildren of the current incumbent, Duke Mah'radys IV (1028 - present reigned 1085 - present) has been created.

House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi of Celephais, Viceroys of Celephais and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Viceroys of Celephais (800 - present) and Sector Dukes (1031 - 1044) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Viceregal line from Viceroy Fleet Admiral/Miazan Arkuru I Sehlemarl (750 - 812 reigned 800 - 812) to the children of the current incumbent, Viceroy Odron Orn Tala Sehlemarl-Geyukthi (1046 - present reigned 1083 - present) has been created.

House Rivokul of Kamperel - extinct, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel/Miazan from the mid-tenth century until 1032. Notoriously corrupt, House Rivokul ruled Kamperel with an iron hand. With arms supplied by the Outrim Alliance during the 3rd Outrim War, the People's Justice Army waged a bitter civil war against House Rivokul and its mercenaries. Victorious, the People's Justice Army summarily executed all surviving members of the House. No family tree or list of Barons of Kamperel has been written.

House Van Zaquerl of Kamperel, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel since 1040. From revolutionary gunman, Torvor Van Zaquerl became, first, a member of the People's Revolutionary Council, then Head of the Council and then, in 1040, he reconstituted the People's Revolutionary Council as an advisory body while taking the Office of People's First Officer. Under his son and grandsons, the Van Zaquerl dynasty has taken root on both Kamperel and across the Kamperelian Cluster. Scattered notes and references allow a family tree to be constructed from 1040 to present.

And that's about it.

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Approaching the problem from a different direction, we know that there was a frontier zone along the coreward end of Miazan Subsector in the late 8th Century. This was known as the Miazan Subsector Military District and was centered on Celephais. The position of Governor of Celephais became hereditary for House Sehlemarl as a reward for services rendered by Fleet Admiral Arkuru Sehlemarl in the 2nd Rimward War (793 - 794) and its aftermath.

By the time Sector Duke Leonid I Trumer commenced the Trumer Restoration of the Sector in 906, House Sehlemarl had taken the title of Viceroy, acting at the behest of the Dukes of Gamelea. Sector Duke Leonid I soon discovered that House Sehlemarl had remained determinedly loyal to the Sector Duchy and continued to maintain a strong, and stable, presence across the coreward half of Miazan Subsector.  Recognizing Arkuru III's assumption of the title of Viceroy of Celephais, Duke Leonid I confirmed Arkuru's brother Lanyard I as Arkuru's successor. Leonid then moved to reconstitute the Miazan Subsector Military District as a proper Imperial Subsector. The Duchy of Miazan was duly created, consisting of the Counties of Nakaya, Miazan, and Bromus, with the Barony of Kamperel and the Viceroyalty of Celephais. With the Sehlemarls content as loyal guardians of the Miazan/Gamelea border, Leonid appointed his aide de camp, Chi'leur Geyukthi, as Duke of Miazan. The Duke of Miazan is also the Count of Miazan. Following the overthrow of House Rivokul in 1032, during the 3rd Outrim War, the Barony of Kameperel (Kamperel, Floranna and Ektra) pays lip service to the Sector Duke of the RimWorlds and the Imperium, but refuses to acknowledge the authority of the Duke of Miazan.

The Viceroyalty of Celephais consists of Celephais, itself, the Siridar-Barony of Naltor, and the Siridar-Lordships of Byer's Planet and Tonivar. Initially, the Vicerotalty of Celephais also included the Siridar-Lordship of Rimbaud II/Gamelea but, following the establishment of the Duchy of Miazan in 906, Rimbaud II was returned to the Duchy of Gamelea.

The County of Bromus consists of Bromus, the Siridar-Barony of Exxilon, and the Siridar-Lordships of Lo-Taisang and Omega Vasalai IX.

The County of Nakaya consists of Nakaya, and the Siridar-Lordship of Epoch.

The County of Miazan consists of Miazan, and the Siridar-Lordships of Golus, Janda and Hydrot.

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From the Family Trees of both House Geyukthi and House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi, as well as notes in the Family Trees of Houses Crensea, Ulanor and Juharl-Zarquestuir, I have been able to find references to several people from the Noble Houses of Nakaya, Golus, Bromus and Naltor.

In the case of House Mahuran of Bromus, I have been able to construct a family tree stretching back four generations. And what that has shown is how well connected House Mahuran has become - from a minor House Major of a minor frontier County, in one generation we see it directly linked to the Duchies of Miazan and Gamelea.

Next: Fun with Family Trees and How Lineages Can Outline Your Stories

Aloin's Saga - Solo Traveller #15

This picks up the Solo Traveller game I was relating back in December ...

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Across the field, the A.K.I. Interstellar freighter Carsuhlan lifted off. The roar of its thrusters cracked through the sticky, summer air. Flocks of small, seed-eating avians whirled and skittered in panic amongst the warehouses and gantries that lined the rim of the loading apron. Lying in the shade of the Iridium Queen’s dorsal turret, Aloin glanced up from the book he was reading on his handcomp, automatically watching how the skipper of the freighter handled her heavily ladened ship. The Carsuhlan slowly circled the field, climbing into the green-blue Naltor sky in a long spiral. A kilometer high, it straightened up and began to accelerate hard. Going transonic, the flare of the main drive slowly faded against the light of rising Secthon as the jet stream gently pulled the vapour trail to pieces.

His eyes tracking down from the departing ship, Aloin spotted movement through the heat haze near one of the warehouses. Checking the chrono on his handcomp, he keyed the send button. “Kiirgun, I think our freight’s on the way.” He winced as he heard a metallic crash from the main cargo hatch below.

Grabbing his handcomp, Aloin eeled through the turret’s escape hatch, dogging it closed behind him. Sliding down the service ladder to the gunner’s station, he quickly checked that the hatch was sealed and armed, before sprinted down the corridor to the downladder to the cargo hold.

Sliding down the hand rails, he arrived in time to see Kiirgun scooping tools back into the toolbox trolley. “Frakkin’ thing fell over,” Kiirgun muttered, flinging wrenches and spanners into the toolbox. Holi Pradeen, the ship’s portly engineer, was sitting in a hammock chair in the breeze by the main hatch and shaking with laughter. As Aloin paused, confused, Holi waved a hand. “I told him the tool trolley wasn’t a good seat,” he wheezed, wiping his face with a handkerchief. “The brakes weren’t on. And then his ‘comp went off, and he jumped, and it all fell over.” Holi began laughing again.

As the haulers pulled up in front of the main hatch, Captain Elera Lukk stumped onto the cargo deck, leaning heavily on her stick. She made a great play of casually filling her pipe and lighting it as the driver from Odinventox was obliged to exit his air-conditioned cab and walk up the ramp to present his waybill. Glancing disdainfully at the proffered paper, Captain Lukk extracted her handcomp from her belt pouch. As the driver glared, Lukk downloaded an electronic copy of the waybill from the local Odinventox server and pinged the request for acknowledgement to the driver’s ‘comp in his hauler’s cab.

As the last hauler pulled away from the Iridium Queen, the starport floods were lighting up. Errai, the system primary, was setting, though Secthon was high and bright and Ninix was rising. Lukk glanced at Aloin. “Yes,” she said, “it was a petty thing to do, but Odinventox – the multi-system megacorp – has messed us around over this freight for nearly ten days. And I took it out on one of their drivers. But, you might have noticed, the arrogance of the masters is reflected in the minions.

“Now, we are not a rich ship, but we are owned free and clear by my family. My family is by no means House Major in status but, on Celephais, we are House Minor, and war heroes, and not without lineage or standing. And so as the Captain of a Free Trader, and as the representative of a House Minor, I think I might expect just a little respect from a truck driver, even one employed by a Megacorp such as Odinventox.”

Lukk blew a smoke ring from her pipe. It hung in the still, sultry evening air as she stared moodily out into the growing darkness. The starport floods were not yet bright enough to blot out the conflicting shadows thrown by the two moons, Secthon and Ninix. “When you and Kiirgun finish the tie-downs, report to the bridge,” she said at last. She glanced at Aloin. “You do have permission to shower first,” she added, and then smiled. “We have a launch window at 2315 and you’re plotting our transit to Jump. I would recommend grabbing something to eat, as well.”

As the Iridium Queen climbed out of Naltor’s gravity well, Captain Lukk stared glumly at her boards. “Four frakkin’ weeks being messed around by three megacorps,” she muttered. Aloin glanced up from Scan. “Kiirgun was right,” Lukk continued. “He said Naltor would be a waste of time. Megacorps fill their own, first, then shipping lines they want favours from, and then what’s left goes to the bottom feeders.”

“Where are we heading, now, Captain?” Aloin asked.

“Kamperel,” Lukk said, succinctly.

Miska glanced at her. “Really?” she whispered. “After all the neg’tive chatter we hearin’? You want t’go there?”

“No!” Lukk snapped. “I do not want to go there but, in case you haven’t noticed, we haven’t exactly been swimming in cargo lately.”

“Word is, they want a war.”

“As long as they don’t want it within the next 1400 hours, we will be in, out, and over on Miazan having a jarus steak dinner with Celephaisian Rum Cocktails.”