A Tyrrhan couple, members of a Kolkan.
A Kolkan, also called a House or Great House was a term referring to a Tyrrhan noble family or clan within Gargan's Empire. Kolkans were dynastic seats of power, sometimes limited to a single world and sometimes spanning several worlds. Numerous Kolkans existed within the imperial hierarchy. Collectively they formed the Landsmeet, which was governed by the Order of Gargan.
The concept of Kolkans found their origin before the founding of the Empire. The tradition derived from ancient Tyrrhan clans and tribes, which later evolved into political parties. In modern times, Kolkans became seats of power and political influence, largely autonomous from the authority of the Gargan. Each Kolkan governed a planet or planetary region, with exceptionally powerful Houses ruling several planets or, rarely, entire systems.
The relationship between the Empire and Kolkans have not always been fruitful. During the Gargan Dark Age, Gargan the Fang left behind a crumbling economy after his assassination in 669 BBY. When he died, the Kolkans fell into an economic depression which nearly had them secede from the Empire. To keep their goodwill, reforms were introduced that effectively provided the Kolkans with increased power and autonomy. When House Beshan rebelled and attempted to take control of the Empire, Gargan the Great drove them to extinction along with the Houses Minor, vassal families who responded negatively to the destruction of House Beshan. At the conclusion of the Dark Age, the Kolkans were stripped of their political influence, reducing them to simple landowners.
The Landsmeet[]
The Landsmeet was a council of the Garganese noble class which was held annually a few centuries after the Empire's founding. As a body, it represented the many Kolkans of the Empire and usually convened and conducted matters of state with very minimal or no interference from the Gargan. Despite this, the Gargan could still intervene whenever he wanted. It functioned as the legislative body of the Empire, though the Order of Gargan ultimately held executive powers through laws or bills passed by the Landsmeet. In comparison to the Order of Gargan, members of the Landsmeet were democratically chosen among the nobility.
Order of succession[]
Garganese inheritance of noble titles were determined by a combination of elective and hereditary order of succession. It primarily followed male primogeniture, meaning the firstborn son of a noble family was the heir apparent. In the absence of the reigning noble and should the heir be too young to assume their duties - or failed a bogrot and be stripped of their citizenship - the spouse of the reigning noble could assume the role of regent until a new heir was chosen. This was similar to the Gargan, whose regent was almost always the Mordan.
Should the reigning noble lack lineal descendants to be an heir or the heir abdicated, the title would go to any of the noble's elected brothers or collateral descendants until the bloodline was spent, then the title would pass on to the nearest female relative. When a Kolkan would be declared extinct in both the male and female bloodlines, their fief would be handed to another noble family either appointed by the Landsmeet or the Gargan. Additionally, the spouse of the penultimate reigning noble could make a claim to the Landsmeet of inheritance through marriage. An in-law could also make a claim. Sometimes, albeit rarely, the bastards from the penultimate noble's lineage could be chosen to lead the Kolkan and make a claim of inheritance. However, the Landsmeet almost always shot down such claims unless the Gargan interfered.
Feudalism[]
Basic principles[]
The Kolkans were believed by some to be the remnants of Garganath's feudal past. Before the coming of Gargan the Conqueror, Garganath - or Tyrrha as it was then known - was ruled by several feudal kingdoms until their overthrowal and subsequent assimilation into the nascent Gargan's Empire. Some Kolkans' bloodlines traced back to these feudal kingdoms, and some secretly held strong cultural ties to their monarchical pasts.
Each Kolkan usually maintained their base of operations on a specific planet within Gargan Space - typically their ancestral home. Banished Kolkans had their fiefs divided by the Landsmeet and given to other families. Banishment was usually decreed by the Gargan, or by the Order of Gargan. This would usually occur because the Kolkan in question had either become divergent or fell out of favour with the Empire's official dogma. Banishment could be revoked once specific criteria were met, usually established and discussed with the Gargan himself.
As a consequence of this framework, there was constant plotting between Kolkans, and on occasion two or more Kolkans would form an alliance to thwart or destroy a mutually rival House. Since the Gargan was the absolute ruler of the Empire, it was typically impossible to plot against him - as his position guaranteed complete legal immunity and backing from the Order of Gargan. Despite this, the Gargan could still be involved in the political schemes of the Kolkans and the Landsmeet.
Varkhanates[]
The varkhanates and their rulers:
House Ahlcain (brown);
House Astardi (green);
House Royce (blue);
House Aberforth (yellow);
House Repose (purple);
House Ortan (red);
House Serrin (purple navy);
House Averidan (navy blue);
House Vestrad (dark grey);
Order of Gargan (orange)
Varkhanates were the most powerful of the noble houses of Gargan's Empire, ruling nine of the Empire's sub-sectors. The tenth sub-sector, the Inner Realms, were the worlds of the Order of Gargan. Varkhanates exercised immense authority and held the most seats at the Landsmeet, the Empire's assembly of all the noble families. The heads of varkhanates were called Varkhans, and answered directly to the Gargan.
Varkhanates rose from the pre-imperial royal dynasties of Garganath. When Gargan the Conqueror united the planet and forged the Empire, he uplifted the former kings and queens of Tyrrha and charged them with overseeing the Empire's expanding interstellar territories. Before long, the Varkhans established mauronies, who ruled individual planets and swore fealty to their reigning Varkhans.
The original nine Varkhans of the Empire were House Royce of Trintoniat, House Ahlcain of Sal Romo, House Astardi of Orric, House Osnor of Benefictus, House Isid of Styran X, House Vestrad of Van Sillun, House Averidan of Durrane, House Ortan of Aurgard and House Serrin of Melatos. At the end of the Years of Peace, due to increasing civil unrest and a rise in crime, Gargan the Jailor downsized House Osnor and stripped them of their varkhanate, relocating them to the newly-founded penal colony Osnoraan. Afterwards, Benefictus was given to their vassals of House Aberforth. During the Hegemony Period, Gargan the Fang was killed by the Agunna Shiv, who were said to be hired on the orders of House Isid. As a result, they were exiled from Gargan Space and rule of Styran X was handed over to House Repose, a newly-founded Kolkan who rose to power amid the chaos of the Gargan's death.
In modern times, most Varkhans descended from ancient royalty and were accorded great respect in the empire, thus traditionally holding the most legislative power in the Landsmeet. Since varkhanates were immensely powerful and their control over planets considered an important affair, they were traditionally appointed by the Gargan himself.
The varkhans[]
House Aberforth of Benefictus- House Ahlcain of Sal Romo
- House Astardi of Orric
- House Averidan of Durrane
- House Ortan of Aurgard
- House Repose of Styran X
- House Royce of Trintoniat
- House Serrin of Melatos
- House Vestrad of Van Sillun
Former varkhans[]
- House Beshan of Almadore, extinct c. 213 BBY
- House Isid of Styran X, deposed c. 669 BBY
- House Osnor of Osnoraan, downsized c. 1000 BBY
Mauronies[]
The Varkhans eventually established mauronies. These were headed by a Mauron and typically assigned to govern entire planets for their overlords. Maurons were charged with overseeing, among other things, the cultivation of local resources, development of industries, and the expansion of cities and settlements on their respective planets. In this way, some Maurons managed to grow exceedingly wealthy or could sometimes even outgrow their own Varkhans. It was customary for a maurony to have subordinate bazhlings under them, though the number of bazhes that a maurony contained were rarely ever fixed and could number in the tens, as well as in the thousands.
Bazhlings[]
Below a Mauron stood the Bazh. These were officials appointed by the ruling Mauron to control and oversee strategic fortresses or military installations. A bazh could also be in charge of managing cities and settlements, typically sitting at the head a local city council. Unlike mauronies or varkhanates, whose succession was usually fixed to a single family, the position of bazh could change to virtually any family of the lower nobility depending on which Mauron ruled at the time. Thus, most bazhlings saw frequent changes in leadership. A family who held a bazhling ultimately sought to elevate themselves to a maurony in order to keep their power. In the feudal machine of Gargan's Empire, bazhes were counted as the lowest tier of nobility and their influence in the Landsmeet was next to negligible.
Heraldry[]
The Kolkans employed the use of heraldic customs. Originating as tribal symbols signifying a culture's religious or cultural predisposition, heraldry within Tyrrhan nobility evolved to signify specific individuals or families. Such heraldic devices were carried by appointed vessimilari, members of the family's personal household who were given the honor of bearing their Kolkan's device into battle or during ceremonial occasions.
Only members of the family or vessimilari had the legal right to formally display their Kolkan's sigil, be it on their clothes, uniforms, armory, weapons, or vehicles. Members of a Kolkan's household, staff of military only displayed their respective House's sigil during service, not in civilian life. Commoners who were lifted to a position of nobility could invent their own heraldry, but always had to follow the same rules of tincture. It was illegal for non-nobles to simply invent their own heraldry.
Titles[]
Masculine Feminine Form of address Usage Gargan N/A Your Immortal Majesty/Your Grace Title for the ruler of Gargan's Empire. Mordan N/A Your Holiness Title for the commander-in-chief of Gargan's Empire. Proctor N/A Your Excellence/Your Eminence Title for an incumbent member of the Order of Gargan. Prince Princess Your Highness Title for direct family members of the Gargan, including their children and siblings. Varkhan Varkhana Your Lordship/Ladyship The highest title of the nobility. Feudal rulers of interstellar regions. Mauron Mauroness My Lord/Lady Noble title. Feudal rulers of planets. Bazh Bazha My Lord/Lady Lowest title of the nobility. Feudal rulers of fortifications/settlements. Lord Lady My Lord/Lady Courtesy title for spouses of nobles. Acceptable address for any nobility, no matter the rank, but not royalty.
